Take some of the pressure off yourself by creating a classroom website using Google sites (GUEST POST)

If you can cut and paste, you can easily create your own classroom website 

using Google sites. It is a way to help your students become more independent learners. My classroom site can be viewed at the following link: https://sites.google.com/site/catholiccentralbio/

Why did I build a classroom site?

I was tired of being the only resource my students relied on for information outside the textbook. I wanted to teach them that the Internet is a great resource for information if you can properly discriminate between useful and useless information.

When did I get started?

Getting the class site started was an adventure I began three years ago. Slowly but surely I have added to it. Whenever I find something that is applicable to the site I will add it. This has not been an overnight project. Small and steady steps have lead to building it to the point it is at now.

How do you get things started? 

I created a Google account that gives you access to all the useful tools Google has such as reader, sites, docs, and many more. You may already have a Google account under Tools2Go* or it can provided to you by the board. 

You also have the option to create a new account. 

*Please contact Joe Sisco (joe_sisco@wecdsb.on.ca) or 

Doug Sadler (doug_sadler@wecdsb.on.ca) for registration information

This is what I have done. I created the address Mr.Cullion@gmail.com. 

This is my work gmail account and all professional activities I engage in (RSS feeds, etc.) go through this address.

Here is a link that can get you started. 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1W8k7c3ojlo07aXfGUILYwkmb0hIaA-Gtp54v-adooYU/edit?pli=1#slide=id.p

Powerpoint presentation about
 CREATING a CLASSROOM WEBSITE

How do the students access it?

I keep my site private and allow access only to students and people I have provided the link to. I have the students create a gmail account that is THIERNAMECCH@Gmail.COM. This dissuades them from any mischievous activity on the site. I have them send me their gmail address and I share the site with them in the permissions section. To date I have not had a problem with students accessing the site and using it inappropriately. It has been well received and has made a lot of students homework lives much less frustrating.

Ian Cullion is a Science teacher at Catholic Central High School

ian_cullion@wecdsb.on.ca

@cchbiology on twitter