Free Professional Development when Going Google

I recently came across this fantastic website containing 5 FREE courses for educators on Google Apps for Education.  Each self-paced course consists of 5 units (complete with video tutorials and activity) and post-course assessment that results in a congratulatory Certificate of Achievement.  Check them out below!



Free courses provided by https://educourses.withgoogle.com/

Chrome & Chromebooks: Chrome and Chromebooks for Education Course

Apps for Education: Google Apps for Education Overview Course

Drive: Google Drive for Educators Course

Gmail: Gmail for Educators Course

Top 10 reasons to use Google Apps

Here's a list of reasons Google compiled why your school would want to use Google Apps:

1. Students will love you for it

Schools tells us that when they ask their students what email they'd prefer, they overwhelmingly say Gmail.

"Our students approached us about a year ago, saying that we needed to improve our email and collaboration services. We actually had our student government tell us, 'we want you to implement Google Apps.'" - Wendy Woodward, Director of Technology Support Services, Northwestern University

2. Free up your IT

Focus your IT on activities that add value instead of worrying about the uptime of your email services.

"Google Apps has allowed us to get out of providing these commodity type services - such as maintaining an email and calendaring system - and focus on the things that we are uniquely equipped to do, like providing more resources to be able to better support teaching, learning and research." - Todd Sutton, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Application Services, UNC Greensboro

3. Easy to deploy

No software to install, no hardware to buy, just validate your MX records and create your accounts to get started. To integrate with what you already have, we work with open standards, have created a multitude of APIs, can point you to open source solutions for common integrations, and have approved partners with experience deploying Apps in schools.

"After struggling for several months to try to implement an alternative web hosted e-mail solution, we eventually turned to Google Apps which we were able to get up and running within a matter of hours" -Jhonny Oliveira, IT Manager, University of Lisbon

4. Save money

Outsourcing the maintenance of servers to Google frees up resources that would have been spent on additional licenses and upgrades.

"This helped our IT staff understand that their focus should be on strategic enterprise solutions to help us reach our educational objectives, not just overseeing commodities like email. Had we not gone with the Google solution, we'd be looking at proposing a significant increase in student fees. " - Eric Hawley, Utah State University Associate Vice President for Technology

5. You're not alone

Thousands of Universities are using Google Apps and are happy to talk about it. Talk to other customers on our Google Apps for Education community group or read and watch our customer case studies.

6. Google protects your privacy

We take privacy very seriously. Our business is built on our users' trust: trust in our ability to properly secure your data and our commitment to respect the privacy of the information you place in our systems by not giving that information to others or using it inappropriately. More specifically, read our FAQ on privacy, visit our Privacy Center, and review how we've handled challenges to users' privacy in the past.

7. Security as powerful as... well, Google

The security that is provided to Google Apps customers is the same security that we rely on to protect www.google.com. In addition, we run our company on Google Apps

"We're confident that Apps can meet the needs of the most demanding enterprises, because we're one ourselves. Google is a complex, global company in a fast-moving and competitive industry, and everything we do is powered by Apps. To get that kind of adoption here, it means Apps has passed a daunting bar for Enterprise suitability. If it can work for us, surely it can work for you, too." - Ben Fried, CIO and Vice President of Engineering, Google.

8. Innovation in real-time

What better way to prepare your students for the newest technology in the workplace, than by giving it to them as a part of their education?

"The response from the university community has been extremely positive because we are now partnering with cutting-edge technologists who understand that we're trying to provide the latest, most innovative technologies available today." - Roy B. Roberti, Director of Information Technology Planning, Hofstra University

9. Collaborate globally

Google Docs, Sheets & Slides, our word processing applications within Google Drive, don't just give you access to the same document, they actually allow students to work on the same document at the same time from anywhere in the world.

"Collaborative projects really make for an excellent education experience not only because students bounce ideas off each other and improve each other's writing skills, but also because the process itself teaches them how to work well with others - a valuable skill for everyone." - Richard Ellwood, Technology Coordinator and Digital Arts Teacher, Columbia Secondary School

10. We've got your back

Need help? We're here to help you when you need it either through our Help Center, our Education Edition customer group, or directly through the phone and email contact information provided in your administrator dashboard.

BYOT: 4 Suggestions for Teacher Device Deployment/Management

It's been almost a week since teachers at our Lighthouse School received their student iPads and ChromeBooks, and honestly, I'm unsure as to impact the devices have had on teacher instruction or student engagement to this point.

To be fair, teachers were given 1 ChromeBook and 1 iPad to pilot in their classrooms. Since these are meant to be student devices, they were set up with student (restricted) permissions.  My frequent observation: teachers didn't anticipate that the iPads would be locked down to the point of near-uselessness.  With the level of restrictions placed on the iPad (including the inability to download apps), it's no wonder teachers seem disappointed.

Wearing my Technology Administrator hat, I fully understand the rationale for the restrictions placed on the devices.  Testing the waters, fear of the unknown and all that.  However, through the eyes of a teacher, trainer, instructional leader and (by-golly!) tech-enthusiast, I can't help feeling...deflated. 

Don't get me wrong, the teachers are appreciative of the new technology and are extremely interested in using it to enhance student learning.  However, I feel they are spending most of their time getting creative with figuring out how to access the technology rather than having the freedom to allow students to creatively using the device to propagate their learning.

With this in mind, I've come up with 4 suggestions for instigating a successful BYOT program, one that empowers teachers by allowing them to personalize their technology:

1. Flip the professional development.  Give them the devices and guidance first, then provide the hands-on training.  See my recent blog post about how I plan to distribute classroom devices next time.  Live and learn.
2. Remove the chains by giving them ability to install apps!  Our role should be to encourage and support them in how they best want to utilize the devices to promote student learning, not limit and frustrate them.  By denying them access to the app store, we are effectively telling them that we don't trust them.  This has the potential of fostering a frustrating, negative work environment, which leads to teachers under-utilizing expensive technology, which results in the needlessness of teacher collaboration or forward-thinking.  
3. Let teachers have some level of management of student devices. Turn around time is key.  Teachers should have them ability to realize a concept or inspiration of theirs with the press of a button.  Allow them to install apps on student machines (most likely via the MDM).  Afterall, who understands the level of their students' ability better than the teachers?
4. Provide perpetual PD to teachers through the formation of a building tech committee and the advocation of teacher PLNs.  Teachers need to know that they are not alone and that they are their best PD.  Don't enable, empower.  Don't spoonfeed, give them their choice of cutlery.

And there you have it. Let us know what you think by commenting below!

BYOT: A Deployment Dilemma

A couple of days ago, K-5 teachers at Beverly Skoff Elementary School (BSE) arrived to school with a bounce in their step.  That was the day they were to receive their classroom ChromeBooks and iPads as part of the Emerging Technologies Pilot Program.  

One at a time, BSE staff came to the LMC to receive their devices and to ask questions of the technology staff before heading to their classrooms for the day.  

By 9:00 am, all the devices had been distributed.  By 10:00 am, all was quiet...  

...too quiet.  

At first, I chalked the the absence of teacher communication up to the fact that teachers were probably performing their morning routines with their students.  However, I soon become a bit unnerved when I hadn't received a single email, visit or post to the backchannel I had set up through TodaysMeet.  I soon found myself reflecting on how we managed the technology distribution and whether we had missed a step along the way.  Turns out, we probably missed a few.

Let me attempt to summarize the course of events prior to device distribution:

1. BSE volunteered to become a Lighthouse School, one that would pilot and showcase emerging technology for the district.
2. The Technology Department met with BSE Administrators to discuss the Pilot Program
3. Teachers were polled to see what devices they would want to pilot.  They agreed on 1 iPad and 1 Chromebook each.
4. Teachers contributed to a list of resources that they would want to access on the devices.  Web links or apps were installed on the devices to those resources.
5. BSE staff attended a 30-minute overview (PPT lecture/Q&A) of the devices at their staff meeting this past Monday, 4/29/13.
6. Staff received their devices on Tuesday, 4/30.

Notice something missing?  I do too: "professional development" and "time to explore the devices before utilizing them in their classrooms".  So, I can only surmise that teachers weren't contributing to the chat, asking questions or sharing ideas, because they were at a loss as to how to use the devices.  

As a result of my reflection, I decided that the process prior to device deployment must be revamped so that the teachers would be arriving to the PD session already empowered with .  That's right, I would flip the PD session!

Below are the changes I will implement before our next distribution:

1. Provide the 30-minute overview presentation to the teachers 2-3 days prior to distributing the devices.
2. Hold a technology "petting zoo" where teachers can come to explore the devices before receiving their own.
3. Distribute devices to teachers in the afternoon PRIOR to the commencement of the 30-minute overview.
4. Remind teachers to preview the 30-minute overview presentation prior to the F2F staff meeting.  Require them to come with questions and concerns.
5. At the F2F meeting, provide a link to the presentation (ideally through http://beta.swipe.to/ once my account is active) that could be accessed on either device.
6. Provide teachers with hands-on training and opportunities for Q&A during the F2F meeting.
7. Provide the link to the chat/other online resources immediately following the overview.
8. Hold a follow-up session the next morning at the building before school begins.

I would love to see your responses to the proposed idea above!  Your insight matters to us, so, leave your comments below!

Our First Step

Hello world!  

We are excited for the opportunity to share our BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) journey with all of you!  To introduce ourselves, we are Robert Petitto and Cathernine Neumann, the PreK-5 and 6-12 (respectively) Instructional Technology Specialists for Valley View School District 365U in Romeoville, IL.  

For a bit of history, our district serves the educational needs of more than 17000 students in over 20 educational facilities across the Bolingbrook and Romeoville communities. Valley View School District 365U is one of Will County's largest employers, with more than 2000 full time employees.  

 Current barriers: 

cc licensed
flickr photo by seantoyer
http://flickr.com/photos/seanhobson/4504828599/

• a large student population spread out over 23 buildings

• non-existance of teacher PLNs

• an outdated wireless infrastructure currently housing about 10 SSIDs

• teacher and student laptops running Windows XP that have been known to take over 5-8 minutes to start up

• an outdated SIS that doesn't always "play nice" with the other 15 teacher and student information systems

• no social media policy for students and/or teachers to collaborate or share successes

• heavy restrictions for teachers to customize their technology.

• Restricted to IE7

• Cannot mirror iPads

• Cannot download software/apps

I'm sure you can only imagine the amount of work we have before us during our transition to BYOT.  Our greatest consideration and largest obstacle has always been the sheer size of out district. It's the principle reason we decided against adopting a true 1:1 program.  Not that a BYOT program is any less labor intensive, but with BYOT, we have the freedom to allocate funds into a more reliable infrastructure rather than into the devices themselves.  And let's face it, any classroom technology integration initiative should be purposed to foster student success.  With BYOT, students are free to bring in the device that they are most comfortable with!  

Speaking of success, here is a list of some recent successes:

• K,1,5 classrooms have standardized technology resources including mounted projectors, SMART Boards, and document cameras

• provided cloud access (Applications and Shared Drives) to select HS students

• piloted HoverCam T3 and Neo3 devices to replace current document cameras

• deployed carts of iPads and Chromebooks to select HS depts.

• piloted iPads in select K-5 classrooms

• deployed iPads to K-5 LMCs

and (in my humble opinion) one of our largest steps forward:

• Upgraded wireless access points in one of our HSs

• distributed an iPad and a Chromebook to 33 teachers at one of our elementary schools as part of our evaluation technology pilot

• deployed a cart of iPads and a cart of Chromebooks to the LMC of the same elementary school

So, I'll make you a deal.  In exchange for our insight in starting, promoting and managing a BYOT program from scratch, provide us with your experience by commenting early and often here at 24/7/365U!