My holidays ended up being more about relaxing than working, but I had a chance to play around with Google Sites and have a go at creating an online resource about Greek mythology. It was interesting to use a different format to what I’m used to – I found it very tricky to use Google Sites on my iPad but it was a bit more straightforward on my laptop.
I liked the look of the different gadgets and apps which you can integrate into the Google Site, and it was quite straightforward to set up once I got the hang of it (and used my laptop). It was also easy to navigate on both my laptop and my iPad once it was created, so I think Google Sites could be a very useful resource in a BYOD context. I used the different Google Apps quite a lot in my first year of teaching, where I was working in a BYOD school. They were an ideal fall-back when the students had all different types of technology – the closest thing I could find to a one-size-fits-all solution!
My resource turned out very similar to a series of lessons I’d done with my Y11 class earlier this year, a coincidence I didn’t intend! Here is a screenshot of the activity on iTunes U for reference. You can also access my public course on Roman Religion to get a better idea of how it all fits together.
After having a brief play with Google Sites, I think it’s safe to say I’m an Apple girl at heart – I love the clarity of iTunes U and the way that I can present activities in a simple and logical way, combining different resources. It has worked really well with iPads and in my current school, I wouldn’t shift to Google Sites. However it was very useful to learn more about another resource which would really suit a BYOD context.
Miss Davo's Digital Classroom 