Google Sites are a Piece of Cake!

This week I was introduced to Google Sites, Google's website creator, and if you want to know how user-friendly it is, I can tell you I didn't get frustrated one time during the process -- not even once, and for anyone who has tried other page building formats and programs, that's a pretty big deal. Google Sites can be accessed in your Google Drive by clicking the New menu and choosing the More category, where you also find Forms and some other great tools.

When you create a new site, the tools are very straightforward, easy to find, and easy to use. On the left side of the page you'll see your website view, and on the right you'll see a toolbar with 3 tabs: one tab for inserting items onto your page, such as a textbox or an image, one tab for adding different pages to your site, and one tab for choosing a pre-set layout. Sites allows you to drag and drop things, resize boxes, insert files or videos from your Drive or URL address -- it's amazing how much you can accomplish in a short amount of time. I created a website for my classroom including a photo album of my students (linked to a Google Photo Album), important documents for parents, websites appropriate for my students to use at home, and also some information about what we're studying in class and ways the kids' families can participate and learn with them at home. You can view my Google Site here or watch the video below and try making your own!

I highly recommend Google Sites and look forward to using it for other things in the future. While website-building pros may feel constrained and restricted by it's functions (because they are so simple and basic to use!), for everyday people like me, this is exactly what we need to create a professional, and functional website in the midst of our busy day-to-day.