Tag Archives: G Suite

ICYMI: G Suite in 2019, so far

It’s been a busy year for G Suite. Gmail celebrated its 15th birthday, and we launched a slew of updates at Google Cloud Next ‘19. For a recap on what’s happened in G Suite this year thus far, read on.

Communication is key.

Time flies. Earlier this year, we celebrated Gmail’s 15th birthday. To commemorate the occasion, we introduced new features in your favorite email to help you write emails faster (with the help of machine learning), and also made it possible to schedule when your emails go through to colleagues. Gmail also got more dynamic so that you can take action straight from within your inbox, like resolving Google Docs comments. Lastly, we gave Gmail’s mobile interface a good sprucing up—hello gorgeous!

Besides updating Gmail, we also brought businesses a secure (and intelligent) way to communicate no matter location or device: Google Voice for G Suite. Built in the cloud, Voice for G Suite is smart enough to transcribe voicemails for you and block pesky spam calls. Say goodbye to lengthy conference bridge numbers.

Take-home tip: While we’re on the subject, if you accidentally click “send” on an email that you didn’t mean to, you can recall it by clicking “undo” at the bottom of your inbox. It appears after you’ve sent an email and stays on your screen for up to 30 seconds before disappearing. You can choose the length that it appears in your settings.

Putting the team in “teamwork.”

People talk all the time about how collaboration is key, but nearly everyone defines collaboration differently. (More on that in this post.) Here’s our take: we think software can only be called collaborative if your tools are easy to use and if they help people stay productive. It’s called “teamwork,” after all.

In G Suite, we’re focused on making our apps intuitive and intelligent so that people can accomplish things quicker. That’s why we recently added things like intelligent grammar suggestions in Docs. But we think all work tools should integrate together easily, no matter if they’re Google apps or apps outside of G Suite. That’s why we introduced ways to comment on Microsoft files and beefed up integrations with Dropbox.

Take-home tip: Keyboard shortcuts are a life-saver. If you’re working in a Google Sheet, and want to add a comment quickly, type Ctrl + Alt + M.

We’re always making updates like these to make G Suite more useful for you. Keep track of the latest on our website, and stay tuned for more recaps like this in the months to come.

Source: The Official Google Blog

ICYMI: G Suite in 2019, so far

Communication is key.

Putting the team in “teamwork.”

Take-home tip: Keyboard shortcuts are a life-saver. If you’re working in a Google Sheet, and want to add a comment quickly, type Ctrl + Alt + M.

We’re always making updates like these to make G Suite more useful for you. Keep track of the latest on our website, and stay tuned for more recaps like this in the months to come.

Source: Gmail Blog

ICYMI: G Suite in 2019, so far

Communication is key.

Putting the team in “teamwork.”

Take-home tip: Keyboard shortcuts are a life-saver. If you’re working in a Google Sheet, and want to add a comment quickly, type Ctrl + Alt + M.

We’re always making updates like these to make G Suite more useful for you. Keep track of the latest on our website, and stay tuned for more recaps like this in the months to come.

Source: Gmail Blog

Use groups to control more G Suite apps and settings

What’s changing

Last year, we announced that you could control access to G Suite apps and services using groups. We’re now expanding what G Suite features you can control using groups. You can now use groups to control default settings for:

App Maker database settings
Currents settings (for organizations enrolled in the Currents beta program)
Directory editability, such as what profile information (e.g. name, birthday, gender, etc.) users can edit
Google Drive and Docs policies for sharing files and link visibility
Google Voice settings (for organizations who have signed up for Google Voice)
Hangouts Chat history settings and bot installation
YouTube content settings, permissions, and more

Who’s impacted

Admins only

Why you’d use it

Using groups can make G Suite simpler to manage while making sure the right users have access to the right apps, and have the appropriate default settings within those apps. For example, you could use groups to automatically configure G Suite for specific job functions, project teams, specific seniority levels, or geographic locations.

How to get started

Admins: Use our Help Center to learn how to configure G Suite service settings with groups
End users: No action needed.

Helpful links

Availability

Rollout details

Rapid Release domains: Already available to all domains.
Scheduled Release domains: Already available to all domains.

G Suite editions
Available to all G Suite editions

On/off by default?
Group-based controls will be OFF by default and can be enabled at the group level.

Stay up to date with G Suite launches

Source: G Suite Updates Blog

EdTech companies you should know about

Editor’s Note: This week, we’re joining thousands of educators and students at ISTE in Philadelphia. Visit us at booth 2200, where you can demo the latest Chromebook devices and classroom technology from Google and our partners. Follow along on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.

At ISTE 2019, we’re highlighting a wide range of apps and integrations that make learning more accessible for students of diverse strengths, abilities and needs. We work closely with developers to ensure these accessibility-focused tools and integrations work with our own products, and evolve based on the needs of students and educators who share their feedback with us. Here’s how G Suite and Chromebooks power apps that make learning more inclusive:

Capti Voice reads aloud documents, books and webpages to students, translates words and passages in more than 100 languages. Students and educators who have a G Suite for Education account can access the app from Google Drive on any web platform. This is especially helpful for students with vision loss, dyslexia, ADHD or motor challenges.
Crick Software: One of the first augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) apps—designed to support students with impairments in spoken or written language—created for Chromebook users, Crick Software supports writers at various levels of experience and ability with word grids that help build sentences. This tool also reads passages back so students can check their work with ease.
Scanning Pens: The ReaderPen reads aloud as a student scans the pen over written text, aiding students who need extra support with reading. Students scan the text directly into a Google Doc, upload the audio recordings to a Chromebook or Android device so that they can easily reference the information later.
Bulb: Students and educators can create, curate, and share work in a digital portfolio directly from Google Classroom, and access their Bulb portfolio work in Google Drive. Students can share work created in Bulb directly back to Google Classroom, and lessons can be evaluated in Bulb and graded in Google Classroom.

Slooh: Slooh's innovative space lab is a global network of virtual robotic telescopes controlled by students (of all ages) and teachers in curriculum-driven, self-guided space exploration. Through Slooh’s integration with Google for Education, teachers can make assignments and track student progress.

YouTube video of Crick Software's Clicker Communicator for Chromebooks

Expanding personalized learning with the Chromebook App Hub

We’re also working with educational apps focused on cultivating personalized learning environments, improving organization, and optimizing assessments. Here are some partners offering expanded functionality in G Suite, Google Classroom, and Chromebooks, all featured in the brand new Chromebook App Hub.

Seesaw has new creative tools optimized for students using Chromebooks. Students can select files from Google Drive, annotate, and curate them into their Seesaw portfolios to share with teachers, parents/guardians, and classmates on Chromebooks. Teachers can import rosters from Google Classroom to Seesaw in just a few clicks—making sharing and demonstrating student learning seamless. Check out Seesaw on the Chromebook App Hub.
Backpack for Google Drive by Amplified Labs: Students curate, reflect upon, and showcase digital learning materials against a district-defined skills framework. Backpack manages all of the sharing and organization in Google Drive and connects with Google Classroom rosters and assignments. Check out Backpack for Google Drive on the Chromebook App Hub.

Kahoot! makes it easy to create, share and play fun learning games or quizzes in minutes. Their single sign-on feature allows Google users to effortlessly log into their Kahoot! account, and their Google Classroom integration enables educators to share Kahoot! homework challenges with their students in one click. Check out Kahoot! on the Chromebook App Hub.

The Google for Education Technology Partner Program gives developers access to technical, marketing and branding support, and Google initiatives, such as Cloud credits for startups, developer scholarships, and launchpad spaces. Have a product that integrates with Google for Education? Explore the available program track options. If you’re looking for awesome apps that integrate with Google tools, check out the Chromebook App Hub, andjoin the App Hub community.

Source: Google Chrome

Helping parents and guardians have the “EdTech talk”

It’s crucial for us, and at the heart of our mission, to provide teachers with effective classroom technology that lets them create supportive learning environments. This includes giving educators tools to communicate with parents and guardians, and work with them as partners—because we know learning isn’t limited to the classroom. This year at ISTE, we’re showcasing our digital citizenship and online safety platforms. These products can help parents and guardians aid students’ digital wellbeing, enable parents and guardians to have visibility and participation in the classroom and strengthen the connection between the home and the classroom.

Using tech to communicate with parents and guardians

The Chromebook App Hub, a new place for educators to find apps and ideas for how to use them in the classroom, has many apps for family engagement. Head to the App Hub to learn about Seesaw, ClassDojo, Remind and more.

Google Classroom offers guardian summary emails. This option allows guardians to receive daily or weekly email digests of their child’s activities in Google Classroom, including upcoming or missing work and different assignments posted in each class. Educators also told us they use Google Slides or Google Sites to have students create monthly recaps or ongoing portfolios. This is a great way to help students take ownership over their learning.

Hangouts Meet can help teachers regularly check in with parents, especially when in-person parent-teacher conferences are not possible. Virtual meetings and home visits can be easily scheduled using Google Calendar Appointment Slots. Guardians can connect with educators from anywhere via video call to see examples of their child’s progress.

Google Forms can be used to collect trip permission slips, coordinate volunteers or submit questions or concerns to teachers during off hours. Educators can use Forms and Sheets to set up an easy way to contact parents. Extensions like Form Publisher can help with mail merges and formatting.

The school to home connection

Each school, classroom and teacher makes different decisions about classroom technology. Regardless of the type of technology, it’s important for teachers to foster the conversation of why their school or classroom has chosen it, what you’re doing with it in the classroom, how families can continue using it at home. Here’s how to get students talking about technology, from school to home.

Share the Guardian’s Guide to Chromebooks with students’ families to help them understand how Chromebooks are being used in the classroom and send a letter home on how parents and guardians can foster a conversation with their children about the technology they’re using in class.
Send parents and guardians to the Google for Education website to help them understand how students and educators are protected with Google’s best-in-class privacy and security. They can also learn about classroom technology like G Suite for Education, Chromebooks, Google Expeditions and more.
Share the G Suite Learning Centerwith parents and guardians who want to become more familiar with G Suite tools being used in their child’s school.
Use Tour Creator so students and their teachers can create their own virtual reality tours of their school or classroom—or even a topic they are learning in school—to share with family members and guardians.

Video of Google Cloud Next presentation — Hear from educators and Googlers about using EdTech tools in schools

Digital citizenship and online safety resources

Technology, when used responsibly, can be a powerful resource that can unlock entire worlds. It’s important to teach kids how to navigate the internet responsibly. It’s also crucial to set expectations around how much screen time is appropriate each day, when screens are okay and what activities are appropriate to engage in on their devices. Here are some resources and tools to help parents set digital rules.

FOSI online safety lessons: Help students learn how to safely navigate the web and develop skills for school, work, and life. We partnered with the Family Online Safety Institute to build five new lessons to help families stay safe online when it comes to digital wellbeing and screen time.

ConnectSafely: Read the Parent Guides from our partners who are dedicated to educating users of connected technology about safety, privacy and security. Share guides with parents and guardians on social media, cyberbullying, EdTech, Media Literacy & Fake News, Cybersecurity and more.

Teacher Center Resources: Check out the Teacher Center
https://teachercenter.withgoogle.com/
, which hosts a bountiful database of helpful tools and trainings for educators. The digital citizenship and safety resource page features materials that easily guide student(s) through.

Family Link and Be Internet Awesome: With Family Link, manage the quantity of children's screen time(daily time limits, device bedtime, locking the device remotely) and the quality as well (app approvals, website whitelisting/blacklisting. You can also see how much time kids are spending in apps, and hide apps on their device. And use Be Internet Awesome’s family resources to teach students how to be safe, confident explorers of the online world.

As teachers and parents guide the next generation of digital citizens, we’re continuing to offer new ways to foster a safe and supportive learning environment for students, teachers and families. From exploratory tools in classrooms that can be used at home, to accessible platforms that encourage confident and safe online exploration, we’ll continue to make it our goal to provide tools that go beyond the classroom.

Source: Google Chrome

Building the Future of the Classroom with Google for Education

In order to build technology helps students learn, we try to imagine where the future of education is going. The recent Future of the Classroom Global Report identifies emerging trends in education, backed by research. Here’s how our products and initiatives line up with each of those trends:

Emerging technologies

WithGoogle Expeditions, students can go on virtual field trips—and there are 1,000 tours to pick from, including Carmen Sandiego tours published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Through the rest of the rest of the year, we’re rolling out an improved Expeditions experience across many Chrome OS devices. Check here to see if your device is compatible.

Students can also use Tour Creator—which was just recognized as an AASL 2019 Best Website for Teaching & Learning—to create their own virtual reality tours. They can take fellow students or parents on tours of their town or school using the Expeditions App.

Innovating teaching

We’re continuing to grow the Teacher Center, our library of free online trainings for educators. For teachers getting started with our tools for the first time, we’ve added courses for Expeditions and G Suite Editors (Google Docs and Slides ) to complement the existing trainings on Classroom, Forms, and Jamboard.

We’ve also created shorter courses across a variety of topics, like helping teachers support English language learners, how to use Chromebook accessibility features, or how to get started with our CS First and Applied Digital Skills curriculums.

And for educators who want to get the most out of Google technology, local experts are there to help. Check out our network of trainers, innovators, reference schools and local PD partners on our newly re-designed EDU Directory.

Coaching in the classroom

For educators to benefit from investments in technology, they need to know how to integrate it into their classrooms. The Dynamic Learning Project trains teachers on how to effectively use classroom technology, and we have a new training curriculum for administrators, teaching them how to support instructional coaches in their schools.

We’re also helping school administrators quantify their organization’s Google for Education implementation across products (G Suite and Chromebooks) and programs (Certification and Transformation) with the launch of the EDU Transformation Report.

Additionally, we’ve expanded our resources to help school and district leaders think about centering equity in their school’s transformation. So we created a new Educational Equity page with resources and case studies to help school leaders understand how equity can be a central characteristic in all seven pillars of the Transformation Framework.

Digital Responsibility

Applied Digital Skillshas seven new lessons focused on digital wellbeing. Teachers can use these free, project-based lessons to teach students to build healthy digital habits, avoid online scams, understand their digital footprint, and more.

Life Skills and Workforce Preparation

Applied Digital Skills also has new lessons that prepare middle and high school students to use G Suite fluently in college, the workforce and beyond. To prove their mastery, students can take the professional G Suite certification and add it to resumes and applications. Other new lessons focus on introducing students to machine learning, making art with Google Sheets, calculating probability, and exploring women’s history.

Computational Thinking

CS First, our coding curriculum for students in elementary and middle school, has a new professional development session for teachers to integrate coding activities into English Language Arts, math and science classes.

Acquired by Google last year, Workbench is a content library for educators to discover, create, remix, and share lessons and resources. At ISTE we’re announcing a new integration with the Workbench Blockly programming canvas and Google Sheets. This enables people to build Blockly programs to control multiple bluetooth devices (robots, drones, sensors, microcontrollers) and send that data to or retrieve data from Google Sheets.

We’re honored to be a part of a global community of educators and parents who help their students develop problem-solving skills, safely navigate the digital world, and prepare for future careers. As classrooms continue to evolve, our products to help educators and students evolve as well.

Source: Google Chrome

More time for feedback with improved planning and grading tools

Editor’s Note: Next week, we’re joining thousands of educators and students at ISTE in Philadelphia. Visit us at booth 2200, where you can demo the latest Chromebook devices and classroom technology from Google and our partners. Follow along on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.

Google for Education’s mission is to help improve learning outcomes for students around the world. We do this by giving teachers tools that make their day to day more efficient and collaboration with students more effective, so students can get the feedback and attention they need to grow.

Teachers have told us they want to make grading easier, so they can spend less time on rote grading tasks and more time helping their students. So to kick off ISTE 2019, we’re announcing new product features that do just that. Here’s how we’re updating our tools with learning outcomes in mind:

Better planning, preparation and transparency with rubrics

Using rubrics helps teachers set expectations for students, and gives them a consistent framework to provide actionable feedback. This process is designed to help students perform better, but can also be time-consuming. Now, teachers can create and grade rubrics in both Classroom and Course Kit through a beta. Instructors enrolled in the beta program can create a rubric and attach it to an assignment, giving students full visibility into how their work will be evaluated. Instructors can then use rubrics while grading to select rating levels and give consistent and efficient feedback. Alongside comments in Google Docs, rubrics allow educators to provide personalized insights that go beyond an overall grade. You can learn more and help us shape the future of this feature by enrolling in the beta program today.

Better assessments with locked mode and question import in Google Forms

Educators can enablelocked mode in Quizzes in Google Forms on managed Chromebooks. This mode prevents students from navigating away from their assessments until they submit their answers, which helps them focus during quizzes and encourages academic integrity. Thousands of educators used locked mode in beta, and this August locked mode will be available to all G Suite for Education users on managed Chromebooks. We’ve also worked with partners like Texthelp and Don Johnston to integrate accessibility features so that, even when taking a quiz in locked mode, students can use these helpful extensions.

Educators often use questions from previous Forms they’ve created or Forms shared for editing by fellow educators. Soon, we'll add a feature that lets teachers import questions they’ve previously used into new Forms. So instead of spending time on recreating assessments for students, teachers can spend time providing specific comments and feedback to those same students once assessments are completed. Forms will also soon get a fresh new design—consistent with the updated looks of other apps in G Suite—with more space at the top of your Form and better ways to design the look and feel of your Form headers.

Locked mode in Google Forms, only on managed Chromebooks

Use Gradebook and sync grades to your student information system

Last November, we released an early access beta program for Gradebook in Google Classroom. Participating teachers are using Gradebook to get a holistic view of student performance over time, so they can gain a deeper understanding of where students have mastered a subject or where they still need more opportunities to improve. Over the next few days, Gradebook will be rolling out to all Classroom users. Teachers will also be able to customize how grades are calculated in their classes (weighted average or total points-based), set up grade categories for assignments, and share an overall grade with students through a host of new class settings.

We’re also launching an early access beta program that allows educators to sync grades from Classroom to their school information system (SIS) of record. Once enabled by an admin, educators can visit Gradebook to sync grades to their SIS, eliminating the need to enter grades in two different locations. Aside from helping educators avoid data errors, this beta program will allow educators to spend more time providing quality instruction, through more regular feedback to students about their grades—all without leaving Google Classroom. The early access beta program will be available to schools later this summer, with Infinite Campus and Capita SIMS participating as initial partners, and more SIS partners to follow. For schools that wish to have both grades and rosters connected to their SIS, there are several complete solutions for this today.

Sync grades between Google Classroom and your SIS

We’re excited to see how these tools empower teachers to provide even more feedback and helpful assessments to their students, all while saving them time.

Source: The Official Google Blog

Life skills and workforce preparation with the G Suite certification

Proficiency in digital tools like G Suite is important for students to advance in school and in the job market. The G Suite certification allows students to demonstrate their knowledge of G Suite tools (e.g. Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, and Hangouts Meet), which can be important for future universities and employers. We already have a certification for businesses and higher education, and today, it's available for K-12 students.

A certification designed for the classroom

The G Suite certification tests students ages 13 and older on the same content as adults, requiring them to show competency of G Suite to help them succeed after school. We’ve created a new version of the exam, so that students can take the test from the comfort of their classroom or school testing center, administered by their teacher or other faculty, and monitored remotely by ProctorU.

The exam and has been awarded the Seal of Alignment from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), which noted in its Seal of Alignment Findings Report that "The use of real-world problem-oriented scenarios makes it useful as a credential beyond the school setting...As an assessment, the certification test is clear, concise, well-designed and effectively implemented with a strong emphasis on authentic, performance-based activities.”

Practice and Prepare

We’ve created exclusive academic pricing to extend the certification to students that are 13 and older. The student price for the exam will be $37 (a 50% discount off the list price of $75) per exam and is payable by schools.

Educators can register their class, and once certified, they’ll get a digital badge that serves as a great addition to a college application or resume. The exam is currently only available in English.

Here are some training materials that will ensure your students are well equipped to tackle the exam:

Review our Exam Guide for a sneak peek of what could be covered in the certification. Reviewing the guide will help identify areas of strength and opportunity for your students.
Use our freeApplied Digital Skills curriculum, a Grow with Google program, which comes with 11 ready-to-use lessons, that help your students practice their skills
Test students knowledge with our G Suite certification practice lab on Qwiklabs.

Get certified today

TheGoogle Certified Educator exams are built for the educator audience, and cover the relevant Google products and pedagogical applications of our tools built for the classroom.

For higher education students, head here to take the G Suite certification to make sure you’re ready for your next job. If you are interested in learning more about our G Suite certification and certifying your students, register today: g.co/studentcert.

Source: The Official Google Blog

Take your achievements with you, Class of 2019

It's graduation season, which means that students who have spent years researching, writing and learning are off to the next big thing. But whether you’re bound for college or the workplace, you may want to hold on to your papers and presentations for record keeping or sentimental value. And we have a way to take that work with you.

With Google Takeout, you can keep the papers you wrote and submitted in Google Docs, the emails you sent with classmates in Gmail, and the Slides presentations you worked so hard on. Instead of losing all digital work or spending hours downloading and migrating emails and school work, you can copy these from their G Suite for Education accounts into another Google account before you leave the school’s domain. This allows you to easily retain emails, projects, essays, resumes, and any other files stored on Google Drive if your school revokes access to your old account.

Protecting students’ privacy and data is critical for schools, so we ensure administrators have control over this feature. Administrators adjust their Admin Console settings for Takeout based on the needs of their schools, like allowing access for just one grade level.

Pack a Pixelbook

Whether embarking on the path to college, trade school, or a career (like an astronomer at NASA), graduates need a laptop that works as hard as they do. Over 30 million students have known and loved Chromebooks and Chrome OS throughout K-12, so to ease the transition from school to the working world, between June 9 - 16, 2019, you can save up to $250 on Google Pixelbook.*

Why Pixelbook?

Pixelbook has a super thin design with a 360° hinge— perfect for watching movies or converting into tablet mode.
Powered by Intel® Core™ processor and Chrome OS, Pixelbook starts fast and stays fast.
Get through a full day of classes with up to 10 hours of battery life.**
It’s light, so take Pixelbook wherever you go.
Write, draw, and design with the Pixelbook Pen.
Protect yourself with built-in virus protection and automatic updates.
Read emails, check your calendar, edit documents, watch movies, and more, even when you're offline.
Download your favorite apps, including Evernote and Slack, for your field of study or work.
Use tools for study, research, writing and content creation, including Adobe Acrobat Reader and Adobe Lightroom.
Access and edit across Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides and other productivity suites.

_{*$100 off i5 128GB model. $250 off i5 256GB and i7 512GB models. From regular retail price. US authorized retailers only. Offer expires on 06/16/2019. While supplies last. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Non-transferable. Not valid for cash or cash equivalent. Void where prohibited. Restrictions apply.}

_{**Battery performance is based on a mix of video, web browsing, productivity and other use. Actual results may vary.}

Congratulations, class of 2019. We’re here for you with the tools you need as you take your next step.