Assignment 6: Creating a Teacher’s Web Page

I went into this assignment thinking no big deal; you have created lots of webpages so this will be a breeze.  I could not have been more wrong!  I found the Google Sites interface to be very difficult to manage.  I will admit, I had no prior training on Google Sites so I was learning on the fly, but my experience with other applications should have been enough to get me through.  I have a  webmasters certification from Certified Webmasters Association.  I have all the training necessary to complete this task with ease.  However, all the other websites I have created were created with Adobe Dreamweaver…from scratch.

Anyway, I had one site about finished but couldn’t seem to add a row to my table so I could add my contact info on the bottom.  After a couple of hours fighting with the application, I decided to start a new site…a better site…an awesome site…well, you get the
picture!  After I picked a template that I liked, I deleted all but four pages.  Then I added tables to those pages, deleted everything else off each page and basically started from scratch.  This was the trick and I finished the rough site in a few hours.  A few hours later and the site was finished and submitted for a grade.

I can see how an application could be useful to someone who has no technical experience but you are very limited to how the  site will appear.  For example, I could not format my header to my satisfaction but for this assignment, I felt it looked ok.  For the average teacher, I think this type of application is beneficial.  It will allow the teacher to quickly have a web presence and get important information to their students.  It can be a great way for the teacher to reach out to the parents also.

Overall, I believe that websites are important to teachers.  However, I have to give Google Sites a “B-“ for limited options and difficult interface.

Artifact:

Mr. Arthur’s Class Website