Google Workspace — Going Through the Admin Console With a Fine-Tooth Comb

Purpose & objective

Many schools are “Going Google” and becoming Google Workspace for Education schools, but the administrators of their Google Domains don’t have training in how to set up and manage their domain effectively and efficiently. Many Google Workspace Super Admins are left to figure it out on their own. Just like I did when I first became a Google Admin. I felt as though I was “flying by the seat of my pants” in trying to figure it all out. Google Workspace for Education is based on Google Workspace Cloud, which quite frankly, was not designed with students in mind. School domains come not ideally configured for use with students or in a school environment. This session will help district admins learn how to manage their domain all while keeping their students safe in their new Google environment. It will save them time because I will walk them through everything in the console and they won’t have to spend hours and hours and hours trying to figure it all out on their own. The fact that domain administrators return every year to see this presentation is proof to me of evidence of success!

Outline

1. Intro & Purpose of session
-Technical session for GAfE Domain Administrators
-For those already managing a Google Apps domain for their districts who want to know more about making the domain easier and more efficient to manage while safer for their students.
2. Tips & Tricks to keep in mind when managing a Google Apps domain
3. In depth step by step walkthrough of every main area of the domain console
-Organizational units
-Turning on and off apps & features (especially the ones that are not made for schools and students)
-Changing recommended settings for each app service turned on
-Pushing apps & extensions
-Managing Chromebooks
-Turning on services for some suborgs and off for others
-Managing mobile devices
-Using the app for domain administrators
4. Q&A & Wrap up

Timings will be determined by the needs, desires and current questions of participants.

Supporting research

I don’t know of current research that says this is a needed training, but I do know several districts that have hired me to come in and help their Google Workspace admin set up their console. I always leave inspired because their admin team feels more in control of what is going on with their accounts. There is no manual that comes with becoming a Google Workspace school. I become that manual for them, saving them countless hours of trying to figure this out all on their own. I did find this article from a year ago on the benefits of being a Google Workspace district, https://spinbackup.com/blog/g-suite-for-education-benefits-gsuite-administrators/ It shows why schools are going Google, but there’s not much out there telling them how to do it. That is where this ISTE 2021 workshop comes in! Participants from my virtual session last year have continued to reach out to me over the years to answer their questions. This tells me they feel I’m knowledgeable and personably enough that they feel comfortable coming to me.