Google sites

What?
In class we learned the basics of Google sites. This was a relatively new experience for me as I have never created a website before. Once again google has provided an easy way to create a website that is free and can be accessed by anyone I desire. I learned that you can embed a lot of different materials including You Tube videos and google gadgets, both of which can be useful for a teacher. I also Learned how to create pages with different functions such as calenders, announcements, and homework schedules.
So what?
Learning how to navigate and create google sites has shown me how easy it can be to create a website that can be used by my future students. I like the idea of having one location that parents and students can go to to find out everything that is going on in every class that I teach along with any other programs I may be in charge of. I think this would help eliminate confusion and unnecessary back and forth correspondence when parents/students are only seeking basic information like dates and deadlines. A website also seems to be a great place to be creative and have fun with the subject matter.
Now what?
Now the trick is to familiarize myself with google sites and continue to discover any other features the site may have. I would also like to have a website that I could show to future prospective employers that would illustrate how I plan on delivering information to parents and students. I think this would be valuable even if the school already has a website set up for that purpose (as many do) as it would show that I am familiar with the concept and am able to maneuver around the territory. I also plan to combine this with the technologies and resources I have learned about and will continue to learn about.