Professor Maureen Greenbaum

I have ALL my students create their own wiki. They share it with me and make it viewable by anyone. Studnts appreciate learning/practing these of 21st Century Skills.

This In addition to regular web pages, Google site has a file cabinet type page, which my students use as an e-portfolio. Students can upload documents of all type (spreadsheet, presentations, etc.) and provide a description of the file (I don’t think there is a limit to the length.). Part of my assignment instructions is to put a reflection on the learning that happened in creating the file in the Google sites description field. Students find this e-portfolio useful to them after the clas. They can reference it when they have similar tasks to perform and most importantly to demonstrate to employers and potential employers their proficiency in various computer skills.
I have them store their class notes as web pages.
I also use Google sites to make a class wiki on which links to each student’s wiki. Yes – some could say that this enables students to “cheat” by looking at the work of others. However, each of my assignment requires unique product, like a resume or research paper or presentation. Thus the work of fellow students is just another source of learning and they can leave comment on how their peers can improve their work.

One drawback is that only one student can update a page at a time. Thus my students also use Google docs, spreadsheets and slides These can be put onto a page using the Insert menu.

Note the video above shows screenshots of an old version, the new version is global (icons instead of English for new page etc.)

I have used PBWorks and WetPaint in the past. They are both good but clutter the screen with ads which Google sites does not.

I used WetPaint several years when an ad-free account was available to educators. I agree with Mrs Plante, is is e early to use. However Wetpaint discontinued the ad-free to educators and I switched to using Google Sites. (see my review there)