Google Account and Portfolio Setup

Time Estimate: 15-45 minutes

Introduction and Goals

Here are the list of steps you need to do to get set up:

  1. Get a Google account (e.g., Gmail).
  2. If instructed by your instructor, create and customize a portfolio and share the link to your portfolio with your teacher

Learning Activities

Google Account

In order to build apps with App Inventor you will need a Gmail account. If you don't already have an account visit the Google Signup Form and follow the instructions there for setting up an account.

Your Mobile CSP Portfolio

We encourage you to keep a Mobile CSP Portfolio of your work. This could be a folder of documents perhaps on Google drive or on Google Classroom or a Google website. The portfolio is a good place to share ideas and to present our apps and other work, also known as computational artifacts. For each app that you build you will be asked to create a document or web page that describes your app and gives visitors links to download and run your app. For non-programming lessons you will be asked to answer questions about a reading or to share your reflections about a contemporary issue such as "Privacy".

By the end of this course you will be very skilled at creating and maintaining your own portfolio. Your portfolio will be one way to express yourself, be creative, and "Show your stuff!"

Google Classroom and Google Drive

If your school uses Google Classroom, your teacher may ask you to post your portfolio question documents and projects on Google Classroom instead of creating a Google Sites Portfolio. You can make your own copy of the Google documents following the links in the Portfolio Reflection Questions section at the end of each lesson.

Google Sites Portfolio

If your teacher asks you to create a Google Sites portfolio, follow the directions below. To get started watch and follow the video or follow the written steps below:

(Teacher Tube Version)

With each Google account, you get access to Google Sites at sites.google.com where you can build simple websites. We have prepared a template website that you can use to quickly set up your Mobile CSP portfolio. The template has all the portfolio reflection questions built in as well as some helpful links. Follow the directions below to copy the template:

    *IMPORTANT MESSAGE: Starting November 1, 2020, you will not be able to create a classic site. Learn how to convert your sites from classic Sites to new Sites.*
  1. Make sure you are logged in to your Gmail account.
  2. Go to the Mobile CSP Google Sites Portfolio folder
  3. Right click on the Mobile CSP Portfolio Template filename.
  4. Select 'Make a Copy'. It may take a couple minutes for the copy to generate. 
  5. Locate your copy in your Google Drive or look for the email notification. You can also go to sites.google.com to access your site.
  6. Open your copy of the site and click the 'Publish' button in the top right corner. 
  7. Enter a unique, descriptive name in the web address textbox, such as "Taylor-Mobile-CSP-Portfolio".
  8. Click 'Publish'.

Customize your site

Spend some time customizing your site. Click on the About Me page on the right and personalize the page. Try the Insert menu at the top right to insert an image.

Here are some helpful links for customizing your site:

A Link to Your Portfolio

When you have completed this lesson, please change the Shared settings of your portfolio from Public to Anyone With the Link Can Access. Lastly, use the Gmail account that you created to send your instructor a link to your portfolio.

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