In September 2014, we announced that Google Apps Vault would be added to all Google Apps for Education accounts at no charge.
As of yesterday, all new Google Apps for Education customers will receive Vault as part of their Google Apps for Education suite. Existing Google Apps for Education customers who do not already have Vault enabled will now see it added to their account (note: these customers will first have to set up retention policies for archiving to begin). Existing Google Apps for Education customers who already have Vault enabled will not see any changes.
Release track: Rapid release and Scheduled release
For more information: Help Center Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted
I recently did two presentations for staff at the William Davies Middle School on Google Chromebooks. Google Chromebooks 101 is an introduction to the device and Let's Explore your Chromebook is an advanced presentation that includes a scavenger hunt on your device. Below are the links to the presentations. Enjoy!
At Google I/O last June, we introduced material design, a single underlying design system that allows for a beautiful unified experience across platforms and device sizes. You’ve seen these design principles applied to many of Google’s productsrecently, and today we’re announcing that the Admin console is next in line.
The Admin console has been redesigned to better meet the needs of Google Apps admins, putting your most important controls front and center and making the most common tasks easier than ever to complete.
To help you get acquainted with the new design, we’ve prepared a design change guide [pdf], featuring screenshots of the new navigational elements and guidance on how to change settings, manage and add users, apply filters and access other frequently used features in the new UI. We also pulled together before and after screenshots for context on how things will be changing. We suggest spending some time reviewing these guides to ensure you can hit the ground running with the new design.
Release track: Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release domains gradually, starting this week
SAVE THE DATE!! Chromecamp is coming to South Jersey on Wednesday, August 5th, 2015 at the Belhaven Middle School in Linwood, New Jersey.
It is a FREE conference where teachers, educators, administrators, and others learn, share, and collaborate together. It is devoted to Chrome and other Google tools for K-12 education. I am happy to be one of the organizers of this event. I assure you, it will be an awesome day!
More information will be posted soon. However, you can visit the website for more information.
Sixth grade STEM students at the +William Davies programmed Sphero, a smart toy or robot, to calculate time, speed, and distance using their own devices.
After the students downloaded the MacroLab app, paired Sphero with their device, and aimed the tailgate of Sphero, they were ready to learn and use the MacroLab App. The MacroLab app, is an app that allows you to program Sphero. It is available at iTunes and Google Play stores.
First, I mirrored my iPad using Reflector to my laptop which is hooked up to a projector so that I can model the use of the app, as shown below.
Next, the students were instructed to create a new macro, which included the roll and stop commands. The students used the attributes in the roll command to change the speed, heading (direction), and delay (time) of Sphero when executed. Once Sphero stopped, they had to measure the distance from the starting point to the ending point and record their findings. Here are a few pictures of the students working on the assignment. I will continue to use Sphero and soon, Ollie, to teach students programming.
I am currently working on a presentation for file management using Google Drive. I created a Thinglink that will provide an interactive image of Google Drive. Simply click on the blue 'play' buttons to read a description about the purpose of the icon.
We’re launching several improvements to the protected sheets and ranges functionality in Google Sheets, providing faster and more granular control when locking down sections of content in spreadsheets.
Key changes include:
Ability to lock down all content in a sheet except a particular cell or range
Faster set up with the ability to re-use the same permissions you previously chose on a different set of cells
Ability to quickly lock down a sheet or range to only a single person, a small number of people or a domain
Release track: Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in two weeks
For more information: Help Center Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted
New versions of the Google Docs, Sheets and Slides apps are now available on Google Play and the App Store. New features include real-time spell-checking in documents (new for iOS only), inserting links (Android only) and hiding rows/columns in spreadsheets, and grouping shapes in presentations. We’ve also added support for Touch ID on iOS, so you can unlock Docs, Sheets and Slides with your unique fingerprint.
Release track: Rapid release and Scheduled release
Google Drive for Mac/PC syncs any or all of your files to Google Drive on the web, making them available anywhere, at any time, on any device. It also provides secure cloud-based storage for your files.
A new version of Google Drive for Mac/PC is rolling out this week, featuring a new, more visually rich status menu. The menu allows people using Google Drive for Mac/PC to more clearly follow their sync status, including guidance on already synced files, files currently syncing and files yet to be synced. When you hover over a recently synced file, you’ll see an icon that saves you steps by letting you share it right from the menu:
You can also now choose to limit how much bandwidth Drive consumes while syncing your files for those times when you need extra bandwidth for something else. You can do that in the Advanced section of the Preferences menu. Release track: Rapid release and Scheduled release (gradual rollout)
Today we’re launching a native Classroom mobile app for both Android and iOS to help teachers and students be more collaborative in the classroom and save even more paper and time:
New with the mobile app, students and teachers can:
Snap a photo: Right from the assignment page in the mobile app, students can snap a photo and attach it to their assignment.
Share from other apps: Students can also easily attach images, PDFs and web pages from other apps to their assignments.
Offline caching: Class streams and assignment information are automatically cached every time you open the app with an Internet connection, so that you can see them when you don’t have a connection.
We’re also launching two new desktop features to help teachers stay organized as they head into the second half of the year:
Teacher Assignments Page: On Classroom for desktop, we’re launching a teacher assignments page, where teachers will be able to get quick access to any assignment, see how many students are done and mark assignments as reviewed.
Archive Classes: We also know that classes don’t go on forever —that’s why today we’re launching the ability to archive classes. Archiving a class will remove it from the home page and make it read-only — teachers and class members can still view valuable information in archived classes, but can’t make any changes or turn in assignments.
Release track: Rapid release and Scheduled release
As announced last month, the Docs editors―Docs, Sheets, and Slides―have now been added to the App Launcher. The editors icons are on the first screen of the App Launcher, along with your other Google Apps products:
Groups and Contacts were moved to the ‘More’ screen to make room.
Release track: Rapid release and Scheduled release Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted
I recently completed a presentation on Google Add-ons. Add-ons are available in Google docs and are 3rd party mini-applications that enhance the functionality of a Google document.
To make it easier to find and connect with your work contacts in Hangouts in Gmail, we’ll now display them as a distinct group as you start typing in the search box. The work contacts will appear below any contacts (work or personal) that you regularly Hangout with, so you can always find your most frequently contacted colleagues and friends.
Release track: Rapid release and Scheduled release
For more information: Help Center Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted
Google Apps customers using the Gmail iOS app will now see query suggestions when searching their email. The query suggestions are shown in a drop down as a query is typed and are tailored to the content in your email, so you can save time and get the information you want faster than ever before―same as the experience in Gmail on the web:
Note: This launch does not apply to Google Apps for Government customers
Release track: Rapid release and Scheduled release
I created a flipped lesson on moving a webpage from Expressions Web to a Google Site. I used Google Slides, an instructional video, and a Google Form for an exit ticket.
First, I created the instructional video for reference. The video is about 3 minutes long and explains the process on moving a webpage from Expressions Web into a Google Site. Once it was completed, I uploaded the video to my YouTube channel.
Next, I created a presentation using Google Slides to teach the lesson. I included a learning goal and scale, questions, instructional videos and an exit ticket. At times, I checked for understanding which allows them to review the lesson if needed.
Finally, I created an exit ticket using a Google Form. The exit ticket is a method to check that students understood the lesson, and what they may need improvement on.
Here is a link to my presentation. I will be sharing this with staff at the +William Davies Middle School. As more staff receive Chromebooks, they will need to bring over their webpage from Expressions Web into a Google Site in order to maintain an updated page.
Aslaunched recentlyfor Hangouts in Gmail, the latest version of the Google Hangouts iOS app now includes the ability to add custom status messages and see the status messages of others in theContactsview. Status messages can be added via the settings menu.
Note: status messages shared on one device will also apply to other devices on which one is signed in with their Hangouts account. This feature is coming soon for the Hangouts Android app.
Last year, we announced a new feature for Hangouts on the web allowing Google Apps customers to share links to Hangouts video calls so that external meeting guests may request to join if not explicitly invited. This feature helps external guests avoid errors when joining with alternate Google accounts. The latest release of the Hangouts iOS app now has the same functionality, allowing external guests using the app to join Hangouts video calls from their mobile device with a meeting link provided by the organizer. Notes:
Anyone in the same domain as the Hangout can make a video call externally accessible with the link
Video calls that are shared with the link require someone in the Apps domain of the Hangout video call to accept those requesting access on the web
This feature will be coming soon to the Hangouts Android app.
To make it easier for Google Apps admins to locate specific emails in Google Vault search, Gmail labels are now included in search results. Admins can now view both system labels―i.e. the status of the message as viewed by the user - Unread, Inbox, Spam, Sent, etc―and user-applied labels:
To view Gmail labels and basic header information for a message, click show details in your Vault search results.
Gmail user label metadata will also now be included in XML file exports to aid with deeper analysis.
Release track: Rapid release and Scheduled release
For more information: Help Center Note: all launches are applicable to all Google Apps editions unless otherwise noted
My resolution for the new year is to become more familiar with Sphero. I was impressed that I was able to easily use the interface and program Sphero to follow simple commands, using the MacroLab app on my iPad 2.
First, you must use Sphero with an android or apple device, and download a few apps. These apps are available in the Apple and Google Play stores. I downloaded these apps on both of my devices, but I used my iPad 2 to program Sphero. The apps I downloaded are:
Sphero - This is the main app used for updates and general driving.
Draw and Drive - Allows you to draw a shape with colors.
MacroLab - Creates simple programs that are a series of instructions for the Sphero through an easy to use graphical interface.
As I experimented with Sphero and the MacroLab app, I found myself becoming addicted and excited about the results of the program. I used commands such as Roll, Stop, RGB, and Rotate. In each command, you must specify different attributes. For example, in the Roll command, you can specify the speed, heading and delay attributes.
In addition, the Draw and Drive app will allow you to draw the path you would like Sphero to follow. In my opinion, the MacroLab app is the more suitable app for programming.
You can visit SPRK (Students, Parents, Robots, Kids) for lesson plans and ideas. In addition, I found this website, AR in ED, very helpful to implement lessons using Sphero. Here is an example of a lesson using time, speed, and distance worksheet that will allow students to record the results of Sphero.
I recently received a grant for $200.00 from Delta Kappa Gamma in which I am planning to purchase 2-Ollie Smart Toys. I am planning to implement the use of Sphero and Ollie Robots in STEM class with middle school students. I will write a follow up post when it is completed.
