DL Spotlight: Google Sites

The students in Mr. Moreau’s Science class are studying land biomes. As part of a PBL, there must be a central problem that needs to be addressed. In this lesson, the central problem is the conservation of biomes. The goal is to raise money to fund actual conservation efforts. An entry video starts the lesson, enough information given to begin the inquiry process, and a final presentation requirement. The final product will then be shared with CBS's Survivor. In order to make the presentations easy to share with social media, Mr. Moreau looked for a digital platform. After considering several options, Mr. Moreau chose Google Sites. When asked what students like about using Google Sites for their presentation, students shared that making a website is a much more enjoyable way to present research. They also like that Mr. Moreau will be sharing the websites through Twitter, stating that they "thought it would be pretty cool that the show might see their website." When we asked Mr. Moreau what he liked most about the website portion of the lesson, he said “I like the hands-off approach that I can take by giving the students control of their learning, and I noticed an increase in engagement once they knew I will be posting their sites to social media. I like that I could visit their website and watch them work on in it in real time, allowing me to help them out and provide feedback. I also enjoyed using a new tool like Google Sites. It is very easy for the students to learn.”