Custom Links Page for Students
Teachers at one of my campuses were becoming frustrated with their current splash page that was loading to the students Chromebooks via kiosk mode. We have kiosk mode set for all student Chromebooks in our district that are grades PreK-1st grade. With this feature in Chrome, it allows the device to be used in a single-window/single-app kiosk mode. Students in these young grades don't have to sign in to their Chrome accounts. All they have to do is open the screen, and within 5 seconds it automatically logs into a set page via kiosk mode.
Through this kiosk mode, we automatically set the "start-up page" to open to a Symbaloo page with pre-set links for students to click on. However, over the past couple months, teachers have become increasingly frustrated with all the ads and popups that show up on the screen. (Disclaimer: Symbaloo does have a pro version where the ads and popups are taken away. We've used Symbaloo pages for YEARS, and they are a wonderful company).
However, on top of all the ads, our teachers wanted a more user friendly links page:
- That could be edited and much more customized
- That could have better icons and design for the user interface
- That could be loaded with text, GIFS, Videos, and more
- That could be shared out as a customized template to peers
- That could be easily collaborated on by all teachers in a grade level, or campus
To help achieve the task the teachers were asking for, I decided to build a custom link/splash page in Google Slides. Here's the FREE Template, along with the shortened link: (bit.ly/tommyslinktemplate). I built it on one slide with the ability to add approximately 30 links. You can edit and/or delete the GIF in the middle to be whatever you'd like.
To make sure that no matter where the students click in the box, it goes to the correct site, I used transparent boxes on top of the icon and text. Add your icon, add your text, and then add a square shape. Link the shape to go to the correct link/website. Then, click on the shape and make both the fill color and line color transparent. Drag this transparent shape over the square. Viola!!! Here's a GIF showing this process:
Here are some simple suggestions when creating a splash page for your students:
- When you are complete, publish to the web, grab the link, and share this specific link with the students. This will make the slide clickable, and full screen. This is the same link I tell students to bookmark, add to their "start-up" or "new tab" page, or add to the admin console in kiosk mode.
- Troy Kuhn, one of our BISDwired Team Instructional Technology Specialists, creates digital citizenship memes in slides and adds them to the admin console to popup when any student in our district logs into their Chromebook.
- Add images, and type in the box if you need to add text.
- To merge or unmerge cells, highlight the cells, right click (Alt+Click for Chromebook), and select merge/unmerge cells.
- Use this first slide as a starter, and create a digital menu that links to other slides on this template.
- Feel free to modify, edit, add-to, change, manipulate, share out, etc. with this template. #SharingIsCaring
Again, here is the template. Two slides are here, choose which one you'd like to use, and delete the other one. Enjoy!
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