After playing with Google Sites last semester a bit for one of my classes, I found the ease of creating a site and potential for still being in the 'innovative zone' rather appealing. Thus, this semester I am contemplating using Google Sites for the final assignment in my Introduction to Leadership and Service course. Ultimately, we have a great group of students, many who are seniors. My thought process was to switch it up and have them create an online portfolio using Google Sites, as it would be applying the leadership content and reflection for the course while serving as a practical tool on the job market.
However, one debate I am having with myself is: do I require all of my students to have a Google account to create this site? Is this too much to ask for an undergraduate elective? Would students actually utilize this site when applying for jobs to showcase their leadership thoughts and experiences?
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I would say go for it. I don't believe that asking students to sign up for a free service is excessive; we had our students make WetPaint accounts so that they could join our Wiki and didn't have a single complaint. Beyond that, Google Sites is a tool that they may want to use beyond the context of the course, so it will be a good experience for them. And it should be very valuable for them when they're applying for jobs/graduate school to have a place where an potential employer can go for more information about them.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely think you should do this assignment. I completed a few websites in classes as an undergrad. Despite using the clunky and frustrating Dreamweaver, I really enjoyed them. It's a method to allow for creative development beyond what can be incorporated into a word document. Likewise, I think for most upperclassmen, getting a job is a priority for these students. I think by demonstrating how this assignment may help them get a job and start their career would be a powerful motivator for the students to want to participate by getting a google account. Also, if you show them all the other things they can use their google account for (calendar, personal email, etc), I think they won't mind being required to have an account. Like Jayna said, I don't think it is a big deal to require students to have an account - Many of them may already have one for google. Go for it and let us know how it works out.
ReplyDeleteThis is an issue that I have struggled with as well, but I have found that so many students use gmail or other google tools and already have accounts.
ReplyDeleteIf it continues to concern you, why not make the google sites component optional? If some students prefer to turn in a hard-copy version, that's fine. I bet they will want it online, though :-)