College Composition Student Instructions for Using Google Sites
(revised Spring 2012)
All College Composition students will create an electronic portfolio using Google Sites. These instructions will help you set up yours.
Note: You must use the version of Google Sites available through your Kean email account.
Creating a Site
To create your portfolio site:
1. Log onto your Kean email account.
2. Select “Sites” from the menu at the top of the screen. A new window or tab will appear.
3. Click “Create.”
4. Type in a name for your site using the following format: your Kean email login and the word portfolio. Everyone must use this format for naming their site.
· For example, a student named John Southton with the email address southtoj@kean.edu would name his portfolio “southtojportfolio.”
5. Click “Select a theme.” Thumbnails of possible background designs for your portfolio will appear.
6. Select your site’s theme by clicking on it. Your professor may require a specific theme, or you may be able to select your own. Ask your professor to be sure.
7. Click “More Options.”
8. Click on the textbox next to “Site Categories.” A cursor should appear in it.
9. Type “College Composition Portfolio.”
10. Scroll down until you see “Collaborate With.”
11. Click the radio button next to “Only people I specify can view this site.”
12. Click “Create.” The main page of your site, on which you will put your reflective introduction, will appear.
Adding Pages to Your Site
When first created, your site will only contain one page. You will put your reflective introduction on it. You must add additional pages for your other work. Each document placed in the portfolio must go on its own page.
To create a new page:
1. Look on the upper-right hand corner of any page for a button with a paper icon on it. If you hold your cursor over it, the words “Create Page” should appear.
2. Click the button.
3. Enter the page name in the box labeled “Name.” You must name each page with the genre of the assignment (summary/response, argument, analysis, endpoint) and draft (planning, rough, final).
4. Make sure “web page” appears on the button next to “select your template.” You must use the web page template.
5. Select the level on the website the page will occupy. This will determine how it is connected to other pages in the site:
· “Put page on the top level” will make the page separate from other pages on the site. Its title will appear in the sidebar, allowing readers of your site to go directly to it by clicking on the link in the side menu.
· “Put page under. . .” will set up a sub-page that is linked to another page. The reader clicks on the page above it in order to reach this page, unless you create a link to it. You can use this choice to create interconnected pages that all deal with the same assignment.
6. Click “Create.” The new page will appear.
Note: To change the format of a page after it is created, select “Page Settings” using the “More” button. This section allows you to add or remove the page title and links to sub-pages, as well as allow or disallow attachments or comments.
Adding Your Writing to a Page
Each document you put in the portfolio must go on its own page. For example, the planning work for an essay goes on one page, the rough draft on a second page, and the final draft on a third.
To add material to a page, click the button on the top right labeled with a pencil icon. The screen will change, with textboxes appearing over the page title and the body of the page.
You can type material directly into the textboxes. Use the menu to select font styles, highlighting, and other functions. You can also paste material from another program, such as Word. I recommend you work in another program before pasting your work into the site.
Copying and pasting into a web page works just like it does in Microsoft Word. If you’re working in the campus labs, you may need to use the following shortcut keys:
· CTRL+A: to highlight your entire document
· CTRL+C: to copy
· CTRL+V: to paste
Sometimes the formatting of your work will change when it is copied from Word to the site, and you will need to correct it. To minimize the possibility of this happening:
· Single space the text, putting a double-space (or blank line) between paragraphs.
· Remove any paragraph indents or tabs.
After adding material to the page, click “Save.” The screen will show your work as part of a web page.
Note: You only need to include your name, and the course and section number on the main page, with the reflective introduction. Leave this material off of the other pages of the site.
Note: While you may choose to attach files containing your writing, you must also paste it into the site itself. Software can change, and Kean’s faculty may not always be able to open an attached file. We will always be able to use a web browser.
Creating Links Among Pages
Your portfolio is a website, with the individual pages linked together. These links could be embedded in multiple ways, affecting how readers experience your work.
Note: Creating your site will be easier if you plan how to link pages and create the individual pages before adding links.
To create links:
1. Highlight the text that will become a link.
2. Click the button on the tool bar with a chain icon on it. A window will appear.
3. Choose “Existing Page.” A list of pages on the site will appear.
4. Select the page to which you want to link. A check mark will appear next to it.
5. Click “OK.”
You can also create a link to a page outside your portfolio, such as to a source you used for a research project. To do this, choose “Web Address” instead of “Existing Page” in step 3. Then enter the address in the box labeled “Link to this URL” and click “OK.”
Moving Pages
Except for the homepage, you can change which pages are subordinate (or sub-pages) to others. For example, you could put your planning and rough draft work subordinate to the final draft of an essay.
To move pages:
1. Go to the page you want to move.
2. Click “More Actions.”
3. Select “Move Page.” A new window will appear, listing all of the pages on your site.
4. Click on the page you want to make above the page you are moving. A green check will appear.
5. Click “Move.”
Modifying the Site’s Appearance
You may want to change the site’s appearance after creating it. To do so:
1. Click on “More Actions.” A menu will appear.
2. Select “Manage Site.” The screen will change to include a menu on the left-hand side.
3. Scroll down on the left-hand frame until you see one of these links. Select the one you want:
· “Site Layout” will allow you to change the position of the objects on the screen and edit the sidebar.
· “Colors and Fonts” will allow you to change the colors on the page and the default font style.
· “Themes” will allow you to change the background.
Changing the Sidebar
The sidebar contains links to your site’s main pages. By default, those links are presented in alphabetical order. They can be changed.
To change the order of the material in the sidebar:
1. Click “Edit Sidebar.” The site layout menu will appear.
2. Look for a box labeled “Navigation.” It should be inside a box labeled “Sidebar.”
3. Click “Edit.” A new window will appear.
4. See if a checkmark appears next to “Automatically organize my navigation.”
5. Remove the checkmark by clicking on it. A new text box will appear that will allow you to edit the sidebar:
o To add a page to the sidebar, click on “Add page.” A new window will appear, listing all of the pages on your site. Select the page name you want by clicking on it. Then click the “OK” button.
o To move links in the sidebar, click on the link. Then, use the arrow-shaped icons on the right to change the order.
o To remove a link from the sidebar, click on the link. Then click the icon of a box containing an X.
5. When you have made all the changes you want, click “OK.”
Deleting Pages
If you no longer want to include a page in your portfolio, you can delete it. Deleted pages CANNOT be recovered.
To delete a page:
1. Go to the page you want to delete.
2. Click “More Actions.”
3. Click “Delete Page.” A warning window will appear.
4. Click “Delete.”
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