Mme. Martin-Jordache - 2014 - Madeline
Teacher: Mme. Martin-Jordache
Subject: French
Technology: Google Sites and Gmail
Subject: French
Technology: Google Sites and Gmail
For my placement, Mme. Martin-Jordache asked me to create a website for her six French classes using Google Sites. In the past, she had a Weebly site for all of her classes and a Google Site for her grade 12 class. Having used both platforms, she decided that she preferred Google Sites, making it the platform I was asked to use. This became a challenge fairly quickly because Google Sites is more restrictive than other platforms in terms of design. For example, Mme. Martin-Jordache wanted to fill some of the blank space next to the title of each page with some fleurs de lis. However, Google Sites does not allow images to be added to page titles, so this request was not possible.
Mme. Martin-Jordache asked for the home page to contain resources that all of her classes could use, and to have a separate page for each class. On each class page, she wanted to be able to organize documents by category into grammar, vocabulary, and course outline. Google Sites only allows documents to be added in one section at the bottom of the page. Because I did not know this when I started, the design of the website had to change. The section where the documents were going to be sorted was replaced with class-specific resources, including the textbook and workbook. Mme. Martin-Jordache also wanted to be able to add files and resources by herself, so I showed her how to do this and she made notes.
In the original design of the website, Mme. Martin-Jordache asked for a picture of France on a different location on each page, to create visual interest. However, she later decided that the website would be more user-friendly if each page had the French flag in the same location. Although she does not currently want to replace the flag, she did want to know how to add an image or a video in case she wants to replace it in the future.
Mme. Martin-Jordache also asked me to show her how to organize her students' email addresses by class so that she could email an entire class more easily. She wanted to do this using her Gmail account, making this a simpler task to complete than her website. I had never used Google Sites before, however I am used to organizing Gmail contacts. I sat down with her and walked her through the process of creating a contact, creating a group, and adding the contact to the group. While I was showing her how to do this, she wrote down what I did so that she will be able to do this by herself.
How Google Sites can be used: Google Sites is useful for any teacher looking to create a website for their class or classes. Although Google Sites does not allow as much design freedom as other platforms, it is very user-friendly and easy to understand. Because of this, I would recommend it to teachers who are not as comfortable using technology, despite the design restrictions.
How Gmail can be used: Any teacher can use Gmail the same way Mme. Martin-Jordache now is. Gmail is ideal for teachers who want to keep communication with students separate from their TDSB email. Like Google Sites, Gmail is very user-friendly, making it a good option for all teachers.
Mme. Martin-Jordache's website:
https://sites.google.com/site/madamemartinjordache/
https://sites.google.com/site/madamemartinjordache/
Video tour of Mme. Martin-Jordache's website:
http://screencast.com/t/6fiwfX9ikvi
http://screencast.com/t/6fiwfX9ikvi