Name: Sohaila P. Abdulrahman Professor: Sir Edgar R.

Eslit, PhD
Date: March 09, 2024 Course No.: ELT 224

CREATE A DIGITAL TEACHING PORTFOLIO FOR FREE

USING GOOGLE SITES

A digital teaching portfolio can be a super versatile and handy tool when you’re
looking for a teaching job. It’s a great way to showcase your work, is easy to update
and keep organized, and can be accessed through any device. Google Sites is a great
option for creating a beautiful, organized, and effective portfolio for free. Let’s dive
into why you should use Google Site to create your teacher portfolio, how to do it,
and what you should include in your teaching portfolio.
WHY GOOGLE SITES FOR YOUR DIGITAL PORTFOLIO?

TOP 5 REASONS TO USE GOOGLE SITES TO MAKE A DIGITAL

PORTFOLIO

1. It’s free. Google sites is totally free.

2. It’s user friendly. If you’re already comfortable with Google products and platforms, Google
Sites will feel very comfortable to you.

3. It gets the job done. There are some really amazing platforms out there for creating digital
portfolios. They offer all kinds of great bells and whistles. However, Google Sites does
enough. It allows you to share videos, links, and format pages how you want. It might not
have every feature out there, but again, it’s free.

4. Privacy options. This is super helpful if you don’t want any random person to stumble onto
your site.

5. I could pick my URL. Although Google Sites doesn’t allow you to totally customize your URL,
you can add your name or whatever you want to your URL. So, your URL will be
sites.google.com/view/insertwhateverhere.

HOW TO CREATE YOUR DIGITAL TEACHING PORTFOLIO

 PICK A GOOGLE SITES TEMPLATE

 Of course, it will really come down to how you want to set up your portfolio, but to share the
basics of Google Sites and the options you have. First, head to the Google Sites homepage. You’ll
see a few templates, and if you click on “template gallery” you’ll see some more. Now, as of right
now, there aren’t tons of template options. However, there’s enough to get the job done. Since
you can edit and customize them.

 EDIT THE HEADER AND HOMEPAGE ELEMENTS

After you click on a template, if it’s your first time, it will offer you a tour. It’s pretty helpful. You can
edit and change all of the elements on the page. To do this, hover over the header section (where it
says your name and then home, about, project page).
After you’ve designed your header, you can add any other elements to your front page. You can
share a summary or a glimpse into your teaching style and experience, and use it to link to other
helpful pages.

 ADD ELEMENTS AND CUSTOMIZE YOUR DESIGN

On the toolbar on the right, you can add text, images, embed videos, pick different layouts, and add
kinds of different elements. Play around and don’t be afraid to try different things. You can undo
anything you don’t like, and changes are saved automatically.

You can add different pages on the toolbar as well. To edit an existing page’s name, just click on it. To
add a new page, click the plus sign at the bottom.

Lastly, you can change the theme, the font colors, and the font. Again, there aren’t a ton of options,
but enough to get the job done.
 SETTINGS, PRIVACY, AND SHARING OPTIONS

Before we dive into what to include in portfolio, let’s talk about the top bar. It works just like most
Google tools. There’s undo and redo buttons, the option to preview the site, a spot to grab the link
(only available once a site is published), a spot to set share settings, and a setting gear where the
change settings for the whole site like changing the navigation options, looking at site analytics, and
so on.

When you pick your share settings, you can choose having a public site, or a restricted site. If you set
it to public, anyone can see it. Be sure to keep this in mind when it comes to student images, work,
and data. If you select a restricted site, this will mean only people you give access to can access your
site.

Lastly, you can publish and unpublish your site at any time. So, if you publish your site and then
realize you want to take it down, either to make changes or permanently, it’s very easy to do.
WHAT SHOULD I INCLUDE IN MY DIGITAL TEACHING PORTFOLIO?
The easiest way to explore how to build a Google Site teaching portfolio is to jump into what to include
in the portfolio. Of course, this can be a very personal decision. Just keep in mind that the goal is for
someone to spend 5-10 minutes looking at your portfolio and have a good idea of what kind of teacher
you are.

INTRODUCTION AND LEARNING PHILOSOPHY

Try to pick 4-5 things that are really important to you and about you as an educator and highlight those.
This might be the only thing that people view, so make it count. And, remember, people have short
attention spans, so keep it short and sweet.

EDUCATION AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Again, this isn’t anything revolutionary, but it is important to include the education and teaching
experience. Also include any awards, certificates, and special skills that are teaching related.

A PEEK INTO YOUR TEACHING STYLE & CLASSROOM

If possible, share a glimpse into your classroom and teaching style. You could write a few examples,
create a video, or share pictures. Just be sure that you aren’t including students’ pictures (unless you
have express permission from the students, guardians, and your current school. This the most important
part of your digital portfolio, so make sure to really think about what to include. If you are really
passionate about science for instance, let that shine through. If you are awesome at providing data
driven instruction, highlight that. You can share a really awesome lesson plan, a spectacular project, or
your stellar classroom management systems. Whatever you share, let your strengths shine through.

Reference:

My Primary Paradise. (2021, March 29). Digital Teaching Portfolio. My Primary Paradise.
Retrieved from https://www.myprimaryparadise.com/2021/03/29/digital-teaching-portfolio/