Building Collaborative Websites

About this unit:

Use Google apps for collaborative research as well as planning and creation of a group website, considering the design and consistency of the site.

National Curriculum Links - Computing KS2

The content of this plan cover the following National Curriculum strands: 

  • select, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to design and create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given goals, including collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and information
  • use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour; identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact
  • understand computer networks, including the internet; how they can provide multiple services, such as the World Wide Web, and the opportunities they offer for communication and collaboration

Curriculum Mapping

Why this? What does it build on?

This unit builds on lessons from Communication and Collaboration (Year 3), where students learn about using a range of digital communication and collaboration tools from email to collaborative documents. It also considers digital design concepts discussed in Searching the web (Year 4), and word processing and digital design skills covered in Writing in different styles and Finding and presenting information (Year 2).

What comes next?

Students will look deeper into how websites are created, but by using HTML and CSS code in Inside the internet (Year 6). The digital design skills in this unit will also be built upon in Manipulating Sound (Year 5), Manipulating Images and Creating Instructional videos (both Year 6).

View our full curriculum map

Take a look at our full curriculum map to see how units across all year groups, from Year 1 to Year 6 link.

Unit Resources

Lesson Slides

Detailed lesson slides for you to use when delivering this unit of work with your class

Unit Assessment Sheet

Use our simple assessment system to measure your students' success in this unit of work.

Lessons

Before you start

  • Account management
  • Setting up a class Google groups
  • Creating the planning documents
  • Creating the sites

Lesson 1

  • Log-in and manage an online account and password safely
  • To work effectively with others on a collaborative document or application 
  • Use appropriate strategies for finding, evaluating, and verifying information,
  • Distinguish between fact and opinion 
  • Understand the concept of plagiarism and the importance of acknowledging and referencing sources.

Lesson 2

  • To work effectively with others on a collaborative document or application 
  • Recognise the features of good design in electronic media
  • Develop consistency across a piece of work.
  • Demonstrate awareness of the intended audience in their work.

Lessons 3, 4 and 5

  • To work effectively with others on a collaborative document or application 
  • Understand that images, sounds and text can be subject to copyright and abide by copyright rules.
  • Make use of reviewing tools (comments) to collaborate and evaluate each other’s work.
  • Independently select, and import images, video and sounds from a variety of sources to enhance projects.

Lesson 6

  • Through peer and self assessment, evaluate work and make improvements.
  • Develop and use criteria to evaluate design and layout of a website.

Suggested Software

  • Google Sites

Full Computing Glossary

Take a look at our full computing glossary, plus key vocabulary for each age group.

Key computing vocabulary for this unit

Alter - to change the way something looks, sometimes using a computer or other digital tools.

Annotate - add notes to (a text or diagram) giving explanation or comment.

Attribute - giving credit to the person who created something, such such as listing the author’s name and date, or a citation.

Copyright - legal protection that a creators have over the things they create.

Digital content – any media created, edited or viewed on a computer, such as text (including the hypertext of a web page), images, sound, video (including animation), or virtual environments, and combinations of these (i.e. multimedia).

Digital media - information that comes to us through the internet, often through a tablet, smartphone, or laptop.

Edit - To change, add or remove elements in a piece of work (usually to improve it).

Evaluation - Making judgements (a computational thinking concept).

Online - using a digital device to visit a website or app that makes use of the internet.

Password - a secret string of letters, symbols, and numbers that you can use to restrict who can access something digital.

Plagiarism - using someone’s creative work without providing attribution.

Save - To store a piece of work in a computer’s memory so that it can be recalled at a later time. 

Search – to identify data that satisfies one or more conditions, such as web pages containing supplied keywords, or files on a computer with certain properties.

Software – computer programs, including both application software (such as office programs, web browsers, media editors and games) and the computer operating system. The term also applies to ‘apps’ running on mobile devices and to web-based services.

Username - a name you create to sign into a website, app, or game.

Web browser - A web browser, or simply "browser," is an application used to access and view websites. Common web browsers include Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari.

World Wide Web – a service provided by computers connected to the internet (web servers), in which pages of hypertext (web pages) are transmitted to users; the pages typically include links to other web pages and may be generated by programs automatically.

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