Maybe I am just lazy, but I am liking how easy it is to create websites with Google Sites. They really get the simplicity down for users. And my list of sites keeps growing, as I added a place for all of my book and graphic novels reviews that run elsewhere first but needed a home under one roof. I have used Google Page Creator, but that seems more and more clunky and I think Google is phasing it out (although I may be wrong about that).
Want to see some of the Google Sites I have created?
- Boolean Squared (of course)
- Kevin’s Comics (for longer comics)
- Book Reviews (for picture books and graphic novels)
- Home to my workshops on technology and writing
And here are a few that I have created for my classroom or with students in other programs:
- SummerWRITE 2008 (claymation, writing and digital story camps from Western Mass Writing Project)
- Adventure Stories (from my students)
- Ask the Candidates comics (from my students)
- The Heroic Journey Project (now underway)
So, why does Google do it? Their philosophy, from what I have read, is that the more people who are online, the more people who may click on their advertising links in their Google Search, and the more money they get. I understand all that and I can live with that, as long as my sites don’t become home to a barrage of advertising.
Do you use Google Sites? (And see her for information from Google on using its tools for the classroom)
Peace (in building footprints),
Kevin
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November 17th, 2008 at 7:09 am
Hi Kevin, I use lots of google sites in my classes, but I have not used their web creator. As you say, they are so easy to use and google constantly improves and updates them. I use the applications eg spreadsheet, word processor, online survey forms the most. However, I have an igoogle page that is my container for my google reader, notes, calendar, twitter widget etc. When I was in China, I used skype to videoconference back to my classes at school. However, I wanted to share photos with them and talk to the photos. Flickr, slideshare and other image sharing sites would not work, so in desperation I tried google presentation and hey presto!, it worked a treat. This was all at the last minute. Google earth and maps are wonderful too. Wish I just had a week to myself to experiment even further with all of it. So, yes, I am a great fan of google!
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November 19th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
[...] been noticing a bit on Google Sites on Dogtrax’s blog (aka Kevin’s Meandering Mind) and I have to admit, he’s got me intrigued about this [...]
November 20th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Hey Kevin,
Awesome designs, something we can all learn from! Given that, I wonder if you might like to compete in a Google Sites design competition (that won’t require that much time!) but would certainly give you another opportunity to push back against the standard Google templates… info is here: http://codekindness.org/blog/google_sites_design_competition/
Cheers,
–Dave / CK
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