SlideRocket: A New Tool in Jeffco Google Apps

All staff and students in Jeffco Schools now have SlideRocket available in Jeffco Google Apps. You can try it out over the summer and use it next year.  You will find it in the "More" menu after you log in to the Jeffco Google Domain.

• As a Web 2.0 presentation tool, SlideRocket has some similarities to - and differences from - other tools like Google Presentations, Animoto, Prezi, Powerpoint and more. 
• One of the great benefits of it being linked to the Jeffco Google Apps domain is that your students all have access to it through their google account - no need to create accounts like you do in other Web 2.0 tools.  (and - like the rest of Google Apps, it's free)
• This is another of our "self-supported" tools.  It has been used in several Jeffco classrooms with great success and almost no "training."  SlideRocket has great help pages and tutorials. 

Watch their promo video and then log in to Google to play with SlideRocket over the summer.

Google Chrome Ninja Presentation - Favorite Extensions from an expert

FollowMolly.com: Google Chrome Ninja Presentation on Education On Air Conference:

Try some new extensions in Google Chrome to help you be more efficient and effective.

Google Docs: More than just "Plain Text"

A Blog Post from our friend, Michael Wacker, over in Denver Public Schools.

EdTechTeam: Google Docs: More than just "Plain Text": If you've dabbled just a bit or maybe even dove deep into Google docs the past five years you've b...

Find facts and do research inside Google Documents | Docs Blog

Find facts and do research inside Google Documents | Docs Blog:

Is this a good thing or the end of civilization (and education) as we know it?  
Read the Google Docs Blog Post and join the conversation below!

• "The research pane taps into Google Search directly from Google documents, so whether you want to add a cool destination to your itinerary for an upcoming trip to India or you're looking for the perfect presidential quote for a political science paper, you don’t even have to open a new tab."

Updated Web Policy Documents for Google Sites

Lots of questions surface about what can or should be on a Google Site, whether a parent volunteer can help with Sites, etc.


Here are some updated documents for the use of Google Sites in Jeffco:

• Web Governance and Standards in Jeffco Schools
• Volunteer Access to Edit a Jeffco Google Site
• Volunteer Web Agreement

Which Tool Should I Use? Docs? /Sites? /Schoology?

Questions about Schoology? Questions about Google Docs and Sites? Is one of those questions: Which tool should I use? Take a peek at this Google Doc to learn more about these exciting collaborative tools, their capabilities and how you can leverage them inside and outside of the classroom. Wait...What is JEFFCO SCHOOLOGY?!?!  Watch the video below. (or click the link)

Google Drive: The New Google Docs

As mentioned in a previous post (with promo video):  Google Docs will soon become Google Drive. 


Starting next Wednesday (May 16), Jeffco Google Apps users will be able to "Opt In" to Google Drive.
Please note - The Google Drive software install does not work on Jeffco machines in the Jeffco environment - yet.  That is being worked on.  But the web version of Drive will basically look, feel and behave like Docs does.  (you can try it in personal Google accounts now)


Here is the announcement from Google:

"Drive: On 5/14 we will start the rollout of the “opt-in” phase of Google Drive to scheduled track domains. The “opt-in” phase consists of the following:

• Users can visit drive.google.com where they can opt-in to Drive.
• As part of opting in, they will be shown an interstitial which includes this video.
•  If an opted in user visits docs.google.com, the user will be redirected to drive.google.com.
• The “Documents” navigation item will change to “Drive.”

The rollout will start on 5/14 and take 1-2 weeks. Once Drive is fully rolled out to a domain, new users in the domain will be Drive users. Even once a user has opted into Drive, they can revert to the Docs look via a setting in the Drive user-interface (although they will remain on drive.google.com)."

Password Changes for Jeffco Students

As a critical part of teaching students how to become good digital citizens in a 21st century learning environment, Jeffco's IT Department will begin to force password
changes for student accounts. 

Students will begin to change their passwords for Google Apps, computer logins, Infinite Campus (i.e. Student Portal), and Blackboard on Wed., May 9. These password changes will not affect any other student applications like Acuity or Horizon.

When students are forced to change their passwords, the change updates all student accounts. All students in second through 12th grade are required to change their passwords. A more simplified process will be used for second and third-grade students and those details will be communicated to elementary schools. 

The process can be accomplished in a few short steps; learn more here. Several schools will test the process onThursday, May 3. All students will change their passwords when they login beginning on Wed., May 9.

Some students use a different password for Google Apps than what they use for Campus Portal. Beginning at 9 p.m. on Wed., May 2, the passwords for these two systems will sync. Students will then use the same password for both applications. View password change information and resources.

IT and Ed Tech Services will coordinate with teacher librarians and principal secretaries at the elementary and middle schools, and with teacher librarians and technology coordinators in the high schools to implement this change.

For more information about the student password switch, e-mail Greg Mortimer or Chris Paschke.