Setting up a classroom or department website on Google Sites

Educators often avoid using this great free and powerful resource because the initial setup and editing process seems a little overwhelming. This series of tutorials will lead you through creating, editing, and sharing your new classroom, team, or department website using Google Sites.

Pre-Step: Creating your site from a template

Before moving onto the steps below, you will need to make sure your team has created a shared team/dept website and has shared it with you. If you have not already created this site, see Step 8. If the site exists, but has not been shared with you as an editor, see Step 6 below.

Step 1: Google Site Template Overview

This brief overview discusses the various features and uses of the team/dept website template

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idB951Xj8ss

Step 2: Editing your pages

How to use the editing tools within Google Sites…If you need more details, see my full Google Sites series here…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFhGz3EFHu0

Step 3: Editing Side Navigation Bar

How to change the layout, content, and links of the left navigation bar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USyL4WtEv5M

Step 4: Creating and Deleting Additional Pages (including how to add them to your navigation bar)

How to add or remove additional pages within your website. Once these pages are added, they will also need to be added to the left navigation bar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlw0vCTextE

Step 5: Share and Embed Google Calendar (if you decide to use the shared Google Calendar option 3 as your homework option)

Step 1 explains three different Homework posting options. The most useful option is using a shared Google Calendar among your teammates, and embedding it into your team website.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkZCb02WS7k

Step 6: Share Settings (How to share editing rights, and how to let the public view your site)

You can add additional staff members as editors to your team website. Once finished, and ready to launch, you will also need to change the public view permission so the general web can view your site.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYoI3LOlTTw

Step 7: Submitting your site (Internal IPSD process only)

This step is for IPSD staff only…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i1_Yz01hYc

Step 8: Creating Individual Teacher Pages

If you would like to create an individual teacher page, in addition to your team’s page, follow the steps below to get started with a template. Then follow steps 1-7 for editing and sharing steps.

https://youtu.be/YiKM9qXdgo8

Still need help with a particular step? Click here for my full Google Sites tutorial series…