Right after I finished writing a blog post about how my students are using Google Sites as digital portfolios I jumped into Feedly and found three announcements from Google regarding Google Sites. One of the updates my students will like, one I’ll like, and the third is one that someone will like although I’m not sure who. (Note, theses all apply to the current version of Google Sites and not the classic version). 

More Customization Options
Over the next week or so Google Sites users will start to see options to add captions to images in their embedded image carousels, will see more options for buttons on their sites, and will have new table of contents design options. My students will like these updates because it will give them more creative control over their sites. Read more about these updates here. 

Version History 
The old version of Google Sites included a version history function that could be used to see changes to sites over time much like version history in Google Docs. That function is finally going to be added to the current version of Google Sites in 2020. This will be great for seeing changes over time to site. This feature won’t be available until March at the earliest. Read more about it here.

Cloud Search
Cloud Search is a feature that will let users add a new search tool to their sites. Rather than just having in-site search Google Sites will soon be able to have a search tool that can be placed anywhere on the site. Cloud Search will include search capabilities similar to what you’d find with a standard Google search. Read more about it here.