Paperless Classroom using Google Apps

Jeffco teachers may have seen this in the Messenger:
Hats off to Arvada High School Spanish teacher Matt Cisneros for going paperless in class. Cisneros has created a class website in Google Apps, with calendars, documents, student portfolios and more!
The AHS Teacher Librarian, Tara McJunkin, also deserves a shout out for her part in helping make this vision a reality.

• View Cisneros' Spanish class Google site. 

• Watch Senor Cisneros present an overview of his class website en Espanol on YouTube.

Anyone else have some examples?  Post links in the comments below!

Please spread the word to those who want to get started with Google Apps.  Back by popular demand! We have opened another session of Google for Educators 1 starting on January 30^th. Please register in ESS by Friday, January 27^th to ensure your spot in the class. There will be a mandatory orientation meeting on Monday, January 30^th at 4 p.m. Location TBA. The course runs 8 weeks and will finish right before spring break. 

Google for Educators I

Course Registration Code: BETGOG-0012

Looking to enhance your web experience with Jeffco Google Apps? How can you maximize the tools supported by Jeffco? This course takes an in-depth look at how to use Google Sites, Presentation, Docs, Calendar and Forms/Surveys in the new Jeffco domain. Prepare to be Googlified in this highly interactive online course.

Credit Options: 3 Grad Credits, 3 Inservice Credits or 45 clock hours
Grade Level: All Grades (K-12)

You can also search ESS for Face to Face trainings on Google Sites and Google Docs, or sign up to drop in for one of the Google Apps Open Labs.

Google Sites - No Edit Button? - Simple fix

A few users in Jeffco have reported in just the past week that they can't get the editing tools in their Google Site.  Doesn't seem to matter what browser.  We have not been able to determine why - but for each person the solution ended up being fairly simple: refresh the page (reload).  One person had to right click on the page and select "reload."
If  you are signed in to Google Apps and you reload the page and you still don't see the editing tools, please contact the service desk.

Which Browser? Chrome, Firefox or IE?

Technology moves so fast!  Google made more changes recently and we are finding new surprises in how Google Apps behaves in different browsers in our school environment (and home).


Jeffco is testing Google Chrome in a few schools.  Stay tuned.  We hope to have a Google Chrome install tested and packaged and pushed out to schools with in a month (assuming we don't have any unforeseen problems).  Not surprisingly, Google Apps works better in Google Chrome - but you probably don't want to install on your Jeffco machine just yet.


Internet Explorer (IE) works for many things in Google, but has some glitches.


Firefox has been working better than IE in some schools, but this week a new hiccup appeared.  Thank you to a 6th grader at Falcon Bluffs for finding the solution!
From the Teacher Librarian discussion board:

• Is anyone else having issues with Docs and Firefox?  It worked very well prior to break but now I am not able to type into the documents.  (Everything opens fine, just not typing.)
• We had the same problem before break. One of our 6th graders found the answer. I know this sounds crazy, but it works. Simply right click in the document and then left click again, and voila, you can type! Weird, right?

Questions?  Comments?  Tips or tricks?  Feel free to share below.

Present at TIE Conference!

Some of you Google Gurus should present at TIE 2012 -the Technology In Education conference at Copper Mountain Resort June 19-21.


Sign up by Friday if you want to present! 


Registration for participants will open later.