Google Sites and Software Evaluation

As we enter the last week of the 3rd class, Using Productivity Tools Effectively, one of the tasks we were asked to do was create our own Google site and contemplate it's uses.  I currently use Teacherweb for my classroom website because it is what the school chose and they pay for it.  It is extremely easy and is loaded with features but it is $39/year.  That doesn't sound like much but when you multiply that by 20 (the amount of teachers we have) you're looking at $800.  That's nothing to sneeze at.  I have looked at a few other free options through some of our textbook companies (Scholastic) and various others but they have all been either too limited (my staff needs easy templates and automatic navigation bars/links), too cluttered with ads, etc.  Google sites might just be the resource that I've been looking for.  With a full set of features, somewhat easy design structure, and excellent price tag I think it is worth a try.  Our school uses a custom version of Gmail already (similar to Stritch with Wolfmail) so everyone already has access to Google sites.  I'm hoping that an in-service or two would provide the teachers with enough base knowledge to make use of Google sites.  Google sites could help our school, staff, and students in many ways:

• Teach simple website creation to students
• Create a cost effective school website
• Teachers can create a classroom website, a club website, or just use it as an easily accessible place to share a blog, calendar, videos, or pictures with students and parents
• Students could use it to create a site to keep track of their school work, calendar, etc
• Teachers could use it for keeping a portfolio for students on an annual basis or more

From a personal standpoint I could use Google sites to do anything from a family oriented site to a site dedicated to a hobby or interest of mine.


The software evaluation comparisons that we made this week working with our groups were very interesting. I have been at my school for 9 years now and I have never been involved in any of the decision making regarding software so getting some exposure to the evaluation process was a good experience.  I need to be aware of this process if I ever hope to become a Technology coordinator in the true sense.  I looked at three very different methods of evaluation.  One method used a very detailed rubric containing categories which were populated with more detailed line items.  Each line item gets a rating and then the end result is a mathematical representation of the value of the software.  The nice thing about it was the level of detail in the analysis and the amount of flexibility with the line items and rating system.  Another method was less of an evaluation tool and more of a deterrent for staff to request something as an impulse buy.  It was setup more like an application where the requester needed to provide lots of information of support for their proposal.  The last method I looked at was done as a large grid/rubric with generic headings and a simple yes or no answer went in each box depending on if it fit.  This style was excellent for getting a surface analysis of many different software titles quickly.  It would be great for creating a resource in which you could narrow down your search to a few titles and then do a more comprehensive analysis from there.  With my recent joining of our Technology Committee I am eager to provide some input and insight the next time software procurement makes it on our agenda.