Google Sites: Pull your classroom resources, school event or project information together into one secure, professional website.
🔍 What does it do?
Google Sites is a drag-and-drop website builder. It allows teachers and pupils to create “internal” websites that can only be seen by people with a Glow login or external facing websites easily.
🎓 Why is it useful for Glow users?
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Centralised Learning: Instead of pupils searching through Google Drive or Classroom for five different links, you can give them one “Site” URL that contains everything they need for a specific unit or project.
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Instant Embedding: You can “embed” a Google Doc or Slide directly onto the page. If you update the Doc in your Drive, it automatically updates on the website – no re-uploading required.
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Student Ownership: It is an incredible tool for Digital Portfolios. Pupils can create their own sites to showcase their best work across the year, choosing their own themes and layouts.
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Safe Publishing: By default, sites created in Glow are private. You choose whether to keep it visible only to you, your class, or the whole school community.
⚙️ How does it work?
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Launch: Open Safari on your iPad and go to sites.google.com.
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Request Desktop View: Tap the ‘AA’ icon in the Safari address bar and select ‘Request Desktop Website’ to unlock the full editor.
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Create: Tap the ‘+’ icon to start a new site. Choose a Theme from the right-hand menu to set your colors and fonts.
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Add Content: Use the ‘Insert’ menu to drag in text boxes, images, or “Layouts” (which are pre-made grids for photos and text).
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Publish: Tap the blue ‘Publish’ button. Give your site a name (e.g., “Room4-Vikings”) and check your privacy settings to check who can see it.
🚀 Beyond the Basics
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Class News Site: Set up a “Class Newspaper” site. Assign different pupils to be “Editors” for different pages (e.g., Sports, Book Reviews, School News). They can type their articles directly into the site.
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Maths Help Hub: Create a site filled with “How-to” videos and links to interactive maths games. Embed a Google Form at the bottom of the page where pupils can submit “Question of the Day” answers.
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Unit Dashboard: For a topic like “Space,” create a page for each planet. Embed your class Slides presentation on the first page and a Shared Drive folder on the last page for pupils to download experiment templates.
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Virtual Classroom: Create a “Calm Zone” site. Embed a Spotify or YouTube playlist of relaxing music, a Google Doc with mindful colouring templates, and a “Check-in” Form for pupils to share their feelings.
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Visual Choice Boards: Use large, clear images as “Buttons.” Link each image to a different activity or website. This helps pupils who struggle with heavy text to navigate their learning independently.
💡 Top Tips for Google Sites
- Data Protection: Remember you should not use any personal sensitive information or non-public data in Glow, including in Google Sites!
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Layouts are your friend: Don’t struggle with moving text boxes manually. Use the pre-set ‘Content Blocks’ in the Insert menu to keep your site looking neat and professional on both iPads and phones.
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Version History: If a pupil accidentally deletes a whole page of work, don’t panic! Tap the ‘three dots’ menu at the top and select ‘Version History’ to restore the site to how it looked yesterday.
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Preview Mode: Before you publish, tap the ‘Preview’ icon (it looks like a laptop and phone). This lets you see exactly how the site will look to a pupil using a mobile phone versus a tablet.
