Another Google lightbulb moment happened to me during 2017. I finally worked out the connection between Google Sites and Google Classroom and how to use them to their full potential in my classrooms. I have used Google Sites to develop Class sites for the past 5 years. Therefore, I have many Google Class Sites with lots of content on them. I used them extensively before the arrival of Google Classroom.
When Google Classroom came on the scene, I started using it with my classes and the use of my Google Class Sites decreased. I became awesome at Google Classroom - loved it. My students loved it and I was able to engage with them more effectively. It was a great 2016 with Google Classroom but my Google Class Sites grew cobwebs and were all in the old Google Sites format.
So in rolled 2017 and away I went with Google Classroom again. I created new classrooms for my classes and got started. I went searching again for my posts in the old classes...then realised that all this content is on my old Google Sites and I was again building the content. There must be a better way.
I went to my "go to" blog... Alice Keeler who is one of my favourite Google Practitioners. She had written a great blog 'Google Sites + Google Classroom'. I did a bit of reading and was excited by understanding the complementary role that Google Sites and Google Classroom could have in my classroom. I understand now that Google Sites was the Content Manager and that Google Classroom was the Learning Manager. However, since creating all my Class Sites, Google had released the new and improved Google Sites [which I was familiar with and had my students change to when creating their e-Portfolios]. The interconnection ability between the two Google products was fantastic but all my Google Class Sites were in the old format [Classic Sites] and all the greatness lay in the new Google Sites.
I went searching for the way to convert the 'old to the new'. There is no way....there is no migration ability. I waited all year but nothing has been developed. While waiting I just used 'hyperlinking' to link the Class site in the Google Classroom.
So in 2018, I am 'biting the bullet' and developing new Class Sites with this support from Google Help. I am letting go of the 'time consumption' and embracing how much better it will be using these two Google Products to their full potential in my classroom.
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