Everywhere I look, I see Chromebooks!

Google Apps Outreach team member Souvik Mandal has
become a pro at setting up Chromebooks.

It's been great to see so many schools investing in student technology and purchasing Chromebooks. We've been meeting with schools to help them understand what it means to be on the District domain, to answer questions about the devices, and assist with setup. It's going to be a great summer and I look forward to seeing our partnership with the Soft Launch schools evolve, and the District domain become live for everyone!

Google Play for Education comes to Chromebooks

The landing page for Google Play for Education 
helps schools find the perfect content for their students across apps.

Chromebook teachers can use Google Play for Education to:

• Share Chrome apps instantly, with the whole class or with individual students -- starting with favorites likeGeoGebra, TechSmith SnagIt and CK-12. Soon we’re adding brand new apps from partners like Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Discovery Education and Scholastic.
• Adapt classroom reading to students’ current interests as they choose from thousands of K-12 books, from the latest non-fiction to free classics like Huckleberry Finn and Jane Eyre.
• Create custom YouTube playlists for students using videos from educator-approved channels.

More information available on Google's Enterprise blog post here. 

Mark your calendars, Google Summit is coming to PPS!

Photo courtesy of The Courant.

We are happy to announce that Jackson Middle School will be hosting the 2014 Oregon Google Summit on October 10th! Jackson is conveniently located near I-5 in southwest Portland. We are very excited to have one of our soft launch schools hosting this event. More information will be shared during the summer on this blog and the Oregon Google Summit site.

Camp Chromebook, Aug. 11, 2014

Save the date: Monday, Aug. 11, 2014 for Camp Chromebook! It's a day of free professional development from our friends at Riverdale School. It should be a great day of learning and exploration! Follow the link above to register.

Chromecast!

Chromecast devices are low cost, small, yet powerful.

We have purchased a handful of Chromecast devices to explore their use within IT and the schools. I know some of the schools are already using the devices to varying degrees. This product is another example of a seamless implementation by Google. The dongle (it's the picture on the box) plugs into the HDMI port on a TV or projector and can be powered by either USB on the TV/projector or through a wall plug. It allows the user to easily share their Chrome web browser tab on the screen. This enables you to share content with your students by simply clicking a button in your Chrome web browser! Google has more information here.

Parent Permission and Acceptable Use

We have good news! The process for parental permission for their students to use Google Apps will be incorporated in the registration packet this fall. It will be an opt out process to make the process easier for everyone. For staff we have incorporated the necessary language in the District Acceptable Use Policy for Google Apps. This means that as staff members are hired, they'll agree to the terms, and an account will be created for them. As reminder, IT is building an automated process to create both staff and student accounts (no action needed from the schools!).

Soft Launch Update

Rosa Parks Elementary's entrance is rich with history.

 I am happy to announce that we have expanded the Soft Launch to include Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks was selected because they are moving to a year round schedule beginning in July. They currently have two carts of Chromebooks and will begin using them with students this summer. This will allow the Google Apps team to gain valuable feedback to help inform the District rollout in late summer/fall. We are on track to have all staff accounts provisioned in August with student accounts following after!

Configuring Chromebooks to the District apps4pps.net
domain is fast and seamless. 

The Samsung Series 3 is one of two Chromebooks
available through IT purchasing!

A tribute to Nelson Mandela in the library.

Google Classroom 101

Google's Classroom: A Sneak Peek

Check out this informative post from the Burlington High School Help Desk about Google Classroom. This accompanying video is really helpful too. We're excited to check out this tool!

Google Education Trainer

Congratulations to Melissa Lim on becoming a certified Google Education Trainer! Melissa is a key member of our Google Apps for Education project team and I want to recognize her hard work and knowledge. She brings an educator perspective to our team and has extensive knowledge of the Google Apps suite. I look forward to our continued collaboration as we prepare for District launch this fall.