Going Google Suite

     Our school went Google 2 years ago and some days I wonder how I went without it for so  long.
The training was very important in order to make for a smooth roll out. Since our goal was to have the middle school at 1:1 in the classroom, we started the full suite there. Two teachers took the Google Certified Educator training so they could be additional point people in the building. Every teacher on campus started with the basics of gmail/calendar as well as Sites for their class webpages.

I have slowly worked my way down to the fourth grade and will continue building skills with them for the rest of the year. My goal is to add the third grade next. While it's great to work with the kids in the computer lab, the success lies in the teachers using it in the classroom.

Classroom has changed the way I deliver instruction in my classes. I can put a whole lesson together in one place (including resources, weblinks, reflections, and assessments). The best part of all is that regardless of the hardware platform being used (Apple, Windows, etc), every student can access the work. The Forms App allows me to ask questions, quiz, survey, or use Exit tickets with my students (and fellow teachers).

The Share feature within the Apps (docs, slides, sheets) has the students creating and collaborating on work in a way they couldn't before. The G-Suite is working great with our Chromebooks and the Admin Console allows us to control the permissions for what students can (and can't) do.

I have been able to access my work wherever I am, reply to student questions or comments easily, and update or edit things on the fly.  I wholly recommend  G-Suite if you are thinking of taking your class or school in that direction. Be prepared for some bumps, but in the long run, it's well worth it.