Google Sites for ePortfolios

• Google Sites is a free web application to create websites, either independently or collaboratively.
• Users can control sharing permissions, website ownership, and editing rights, including visitor access.

Why Use Google Sites?

• Google Sites doesnt require web coding knowledge and is free and easy to use.
• Facilitates collaboration or sole website creation.
• Integrates with Google Apps for easy sharing of videos, photos, presentations, and calendars.
• Sites are stored on Google's server, providing 100 MB of free online storage.
• Suitable for faculty and students to develop professional ePortfolios.

What is an ePortfolio?

• An ePortfolio is a collection of digital files shared electronically for reflection, comment, and evaluation.
• It is a website for collating digital learning evidence.
• ePortfolios can include text, PDFs, videos, sound files, images, and external website links.

Google Sites ePortfolio Examples:

• Maxine Boggio’s Professional Teaching Portfolio
• Veteran College Student's Portfolio
• Kaitlin Craig's ePortfolio

Getting Started

• Go to sites.google.com
• Enter your email address and password and click "Sign in"
• Click "Create" and select "in new Sites"

Creating a New Site

• Enter a unique site name, which appears in the header after publishing.
• Each page requires a title that appears at the top and in the navigation menu.

Editing Pages

• The page editor allows adding/changing content by clicking "Insert" or double-clicking the page.
• Content options include text, images, URL links, and Google Docs.

Accessibility Tips

• Use large, left-aligned text for readability and avoid justified text.
• Use text to emphasize meaning instead of relying solely on visual formatting.
• Employ headings with built-in styles to organize the site logically and accurately.

Inserting Images

• Click "Insert" and select "Images."
• Add images via URL, albums, or Google Drive.

Inserting Links

• Highlight the text to be linked and select the "Insert Link" icon.
• Enter the URL address and click "Apply"

Accessibility for Links

• Use descriptive link text for screen readers, ideally the title of the linked page.

Inserting video

• Click on Insert -> Google Embeds > YouTube
• Type in the search field to find the video
• Select the video
• Ensure videos are captioned or provide a transcript.

Adding pages

• Select Pages in the top right corner
• Click the + Page button
• Enter a name for the page under Name
• Click Done
• Rename the page or create a sub-page
• Set the page as the homepage

Customizing Site Appearance

• Select a background image, header type, and theme.
• Each theme offers preset backgrounds, color schemes, and font selections.
• Adjust fonts, colors, and background.

Changing the Background Image

• Hover over the background image and click "change image."
• Select an image from the Gallery or upload a new one.

Changing the Header Type

• Hover the mouse over the background image and chose a header type:
  • Large banner
  • Header
  • Title only.

Changing the Theme and Font Style

• Click Themes in the top right corner.
• Select a theme and color
• Select a font style.

Accessibility Considerations

• High color contrast improves readability; WCAG 2.0 recommends ratios of 4.5:1 for large text and 7:1 for other text and images.
• Use the WebAIM contrast checker to test contrast.

Sharing your site

• Click on add editors
• To set permissions, click Change next to Published
• Select that option and click Save.
• To share with individuals, enter their email address under Invite people.
• To change their level of access to your site, click on Change
• Select the level of access to share
• To share with specific people, enter email address of the people you want to share
• Click Done