We recommend schools do not use Google Mail for Email but use Primary Email instead.This is for child protection and educational reasons.If you decide to use Shibboleth (UK Federation login) then you can use single sign on to log onto both services seamlessly.
Your App options are Docs, Mail, Calendar, Sites and Chat.For more information each of these apps please visit http://google.com/a/
Decide if you will do all the work or ask someone to do it for you
OR
2. Handle the process yourself but ask your DNS provider or web hosting provider to make the relevant DNS changes.There is usually not a charge involved with this but it can be a bit tricky.
OR
3. Gain access to your DNS control panel and do all of the procedure yourself.Warning:This is quite technically challenging.There is no charge for this but it takes a few hours if it’s the first time you have done it.
Google Apps is a Google provided alternative to a very popular Word processing and spreadsheet editing application frequently used in Primary Schools.Google Apps also includes Google Sites (Individual sites & wikis) Gmail, Google Calendars and Google Talk.Google Apps is free for schools. More information on Google Apps can be found at http://google.com/apps/
Is Google Apps right for your primary school?
Google Apps Education edition requires internet connectivity to function.If your school has unreliable internet then Google Apps may not be for you.If you allow pupils to take devices home or they have computers at home then Google Apps is probably for you as you can access the same files from anywhere with an internet connection.Truthfully speaking a lot of schools that move from Microsoft products to Google Apps do it when they review their licensing cost or are due a large upgrade.Microsoft Office costs £32 per machine for an educational VLK license, as more devices go into schools this cost is increasing and pupils are encouraged to continue learning outside of the school; can your school and your pupil’s parents afford this cost?
The 3 main benefits of Google Apps.
1.Stability and remote storage – work is saved on the internet.
2.Collaboration – Pupils and teachers can easily share work.
3.Accessibility – Work can be accessed from home or school.
Education Edition Vs Standard Edition.
http://sites.google.com/site/colettecassinelli/apps– This website shows the Pros and Cons Google Apps Education Edition Vs a standard Google account.Google Standard Edition requires for the child to be 13+ so it is not really possible to use standard edition without extra considerations.One big pro the site doesn’t mention is that with Google Apps Education edition you can use single sign on in the form of shibboleth.This removes the maintenance of creating “per pupil accounts” and also Shibboleth handles what user information is passed making the data protection much easier to manage.I have only documented the Education Edition sign up for the above reasons and this is our recommended solution.
How long will it take for me to configure?
The maximum time from start to finish is 1 week, this is due to Google approving the establishment’s entitlement to the service.If you decide to do all of the configuration work yourself it will take about 2/4 hours depending on your technical understandingand ability and access to a DNS control panel for your domain.You may chose to get your schools parents to sign an acceptable use policy, there is an example Agreement available for UK schools here àhttp://primaryschoolteaching.co.uk/pg/pages/view/8763/
Performing a hardware and software in your school can be a long, boring & time consuming task. Well not any more! Primary Technology have released publicly our web2 application which is incredibly easy to install and gives you real time information on what software is installed.
Included in the tool is a Becta recommend minimum requirements comparison tool which allows you to see which machines you may need to replace in the next 12/24 months.
We felt that the FITS (Framework for ICT Technical Support provided) could be modified to more embrace the specific needs of a primary school so we decided to create an extended version of the framework for all UK schools to use.
Completing an extended FITS report from your school will fulfill a lot of SRF requirements and is appreciated by OFSTED. We have had great success using this platform in Bradford and would like to share our findings.
We use the framework to ensure that schools can plan ICT activities and expenditure over the next 3 years and also ensure that if any school encounters any loss of quality of service.
You can complete an eFits for your school. The service is completely free and is very easy to use. To access the extended fits simply:
To use an Android phone in your classroom you will find a great deal already available to you on the device however you will probably want to get some applications from the market…
To get an application simply goto your home page on the device, Click Android Market, search for one of the below apps:
FEATURED – Classdroid is an app I work on. It is open source and free. It is used as a simple assessment app where a teacher takes a picture of a pupils piece of work, grades it and assigns it to a pupil. The work is then uploaded to the pupils learning portfolio. Visit here to find out more about Classdroid
1. Zebra Paint – Paint with your fingers! Pick your favorite color and paint the image. Use the menu button to pick one of the dozen built-in templates. When ready, save your images and share with the world! Tested with 4 to 5 year old kids. Requires a touch screen.
2. Maths Workout – Test your mental maths and exercise your brain once a day. Maths Workout is a daily routine for thousands of players worldwide – both young and old. Get competitive! Play the World Challenge and submit your score for ranking with other players around the world.
3. Brain Genius Deluxe – Get a head start to getting smart by playing through a daily dose of teasing and original brain exercises. Brain Genius Deluxe is the Android game to train your brain, with 24 touch and motion-controlled games as well as bonus puzzles including Sudoku! It’s pure Genius!
4. WordPlayer Art of War – WordPlayer is a book reader that allows you to add to your library from amongst thousands of instantly downloadable books or load epub books. WordPlayer’s page navigation, highlighting, bookmarking, and customizable settings make reading a breeze. Comes with Sun Tzu’s classic book of strategy, Art of War, already installed.
5. My Maps Editor by Google – Create, edit, share, and view personalized maps on your phone synchronized with the My Maps tab on Google Maps. We provide full editing functionality for markers, lines, and shapes, plus you can mark your location using GPS or attach a photo directly from your phone.
6. WikiMobile Encyclopedia – Being a walking encyclopedia is now at your fingertips. With WikiMobile, you carry 2+ million Wikipedia articles with you, including pictures. Faster and uses just a fraction of the network data vs. the Android browser. Download free for a limited time!
7. Google Sky Map– Google Sky Map: A star map for Android. Google Sky Map turns your Android-powered mobile phone into a dynamic window on the night sky. When you point your phone up you will see a map of the brightest stars, constellations, and planets in that part of the sky.
8. Pintail (not educational but useful) – Lost your pho
ne? Find it with an SMS: Pintail replies automatically with your phone’s location to a PIN protected message. Let friends and family ea
sily find out where you are by sharing your PIN number with them: They send an SMS, Pintail replies with your location.
9. School Email (UK only as of yet) – You don’t need to download this! School Email is the easiest and safest service for emailing between pupils and teachers. Pupils emails are checked for sexual predators and bullying. The service runs over Activsync which means pupils are always “up to date”.
10. Keepy Uppy – If you are struggling getting young boys who enjoy football(soccer) to use their device you may want to think about using an app such as Keepy Uppy as a reward for good work.
