Title: Using a Class Google Site to Improve Organization and Engagement
Author: Steven Goldman
Location: Edutopia
Relevance of source: Benefit #1 of Google Sites – Improving Organization & Engagement
Summary of resource: Google Sites is a free tool that can create an organized workspace for the classroom and is available to those both at school and home. Pre-Covid, teachers could pretty much just rely on the fact that students were going to be in school most days. They could always explain things face-to-face and give all handouts directly to students. However, during the school years immediately following Covid, there were hybrid settings where students only came to school twice a week, mandatory quarantines where students had to stay home for a week, and other situations requiring classroom absence. We were forced into a world where online learning was a necessity. Thankfully, Google Sites helps with this, as it is a consistent way to ensure students can use the same site to access course material whether from home or school.
Google Sites is great for organization of a class website. Goldman (2021) used it as such: “It had a calendar of what was happening, the goals for the week, and a separate page for each day.” He was able to create daily pages containing goals, the agenda, the homework assignments, and any links needed for that day. This is a useful way to keep students all on the same page. While they might not be missing school as much anymore for Covid, this is still a great resource for when students miss class for other reasons. This can benefit my professional practice because I teach mostly seniors who constantly miss class for field trips, family vacations, college visits, athletics, etc. Having one organized space for them to look to when they miss class will help them not fall behind.
Additionally, Google Sites can be used to promote student engagement. Since it is a spot that must be checked regularly, teachers can post content that they want students to see. This might include things like interactive activities, videos, quotes, etc. In my professional practice, there are always things relevant to Stats that don’t really fit into the curriculum but are just interesting to look at or read. Creating this space on an online platform is a great way to give students something to look forward to seeing.
Citation:
Goldman, S. (2021, August 18). Using a class Google site to improve organization and engagement. Edutopia. Retrieved November 10, 2022, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-class-google-site-improve-organization-and-engagement/