Finally...the new Google Sites!

Thanks to my co-worker, Brian Gray, we have the new Google Sites on our school domain. Over the past month, I've had the opportunity to test it out and rebuild some of my old sites in the new version.

While the new version still lacks some necessary features like being able to hide pages from the navigation bar (but still have them visible), remove header slots, control width of site, and control some of the font colors (limited options), the simplistic design is ideal for teachers. In fact, I would not want too many options. The more options, the more room for "ugly" Sites and...who wants that?

With the new Google Sites, you are guaranteed to have a more professional looking site.

I plan on updating my fennovation.org Google Sites resources as I find more ways to customize your Sites (beyond the how-tos out there currently).

In the meantime, check out the new version or our digital citizenship site as compared to the traditional Google Sites version.

I used Canva to create a header (public version so you can make a copy and edit it). I also used Canva to create circle icons on some of the pages (public version so you can make a copy and edit it).

And, because the Awesome table folks are so awesome, they have made Awesome tables accessible on the New Google Sites!

To use it, you can still create an existing Awesome Table (see my previous blog).

Once you have created one, you can see your creations from Awesome Tables. Since I already had them in my existing site, I was able to go to the old site and go to editing mode.

Then, I clicked on the Awesome Table & the gear.

From that menu, I clicked on the table name.

Then, I changed the URL from "edit" to "view."

Next, I copied that URL.

Then, I went to the New Google Sites and, under "insert," I clicked on "embed URL." I pasted the link in the box and pressed "Apply."

Finally, I resized the table to fit my Site. And, that's it!

You can click on the preview button at any time to view the preview version of your site.

When you are ready to go, just press "Publish." FYI - if you go back and edit your Site, you will need to press "Publish" for your changes to be live.

Stay tuned for more detailed presentations to come. In the meantime, try playing with the New Google Sites!