Get Google Certified in 2025! Registration for my winter certification cohort it open! This event will sell out...register soon! Hi Reader! Happy Thanksgiving friends! I'm grateful that you have chosen to journey through the world of edTech with me! 🙏 As a small thank you, I am offering a special sale! Anyone who registers for my winter Google Certification Academy (begins Jan. 21) before December 15 will get free access to my Wednesday Webinar program ($99 value). Click here to register!...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Google Vault is a tool I hope you don’t need to use. Generally, if you have to go into the Vault, something bad happened. 😬 Google Vault archives your Workspace data and makes it easy to search. It is commonly used for: Criminal investigations Employee misconduct Cyberbullying incidents Emergency data recovery FOIA requests. Sponsor Chromebook Academy for IT Admins Join me for a five session deep dive into managing Chromebooks through the Google Admin Console! We'll cover device...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
⚙️ Do you manage the Google Admin console? Sign up for The Google Admin Weekly, my newsletter for IT admins! ⚙️ Hi Reader! Happy fall! 🍁🎃 Sip on some cider or your favorite pumpkin flavored drink while we review some updates, classroom ideas, and news stories for the month of October. One of the big updates this month is a change to Google's terms of service which allows Gemini access for students as young as 13 years of age. How would you feel if your school enabled Gemini for HS students...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, A small, seemingly insignificant policy change can have a HUGE impact on how teachers and students use your devices. 🤯 Today I am sharing one of those changes. If your district is 1:1 with Chromebooks, enabling PIN unlock can simplify the login process. Students can use a personal PIN code to unlock their Chromebook quickly, without entering their full password. A few important details: PIN numbers can’t be used to sign in to a device. PIN codes are ideal if your devices are set to...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, Organizational units (OUs) are the foundation of your Google Workspace domain. You can think of your OUs as folders that organize your users and devices into different groups. At a minimum, you need “folders” for STUDENTS and STAFF. When it comes to setting up your OUs, there are two extremes you want to avoid: Not enough OUs: this makes it difficult to give everyone the policies they need Too many OUs: this becomes a tangled web of complex policies Sponsor Google Admin Bootcamp...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, Welcome to the very first edition of the Google Admin Weekly! My goal for this newsletter is to share quick, actionable tips to help you manage your Google Workspace services and Chromebooks using plain, simple language. If you are not the Google Admin for your school and would prefer not to receive these weekly tips, please click here to unsubscribe (you'll still get my teacher newsletter). Still reading? It's great to have you on board! Today's admin tip is about confirming...
3 months ago • 2 min read
🔔 Sign your school up for "Wednesday Webinars"! Get a whole year of professional development on AI, Google tools and more! 🔔 Hi Reader! Every month I try to summarize a few important updates and share some new tools and resources you can use in your classroom. Let's see what's happening for the month of September! Some of these updates are available for everyone and some require one of the premium Google Workspace tiers. I'm curious to know which version of Google your school is using. How...
3 months ago • 2 min read
📢 Wednesday Webinars with John are BACK for the 24-25 school year! Click here to download the schedule for the year 📢 Hi Reader! The beginning of a new school year is both exciting and challenging. There is a lot to look forward to and a lot to get ready for! In my 17 years working in education, I’ve learned some things and created some classroom templates that help me get started. Today I’m sharing those resources with you. 🎦 Watch on YouTube | ✍️ Read the blog post | 🎧 Listen to the Podcast...
5 months ago • 2 min read
📢 Wednesday Webinars with John are BACK for the 24-25 school year! Click here to download the schedule for the year 📢 Hi Reader! We're at the peak of summer, but the EDU updates don't stop! Here's a rundown on some important updates, changes, and ideas for you to consider as you sit poolside or enjoy friends and family. 🎦 Watch on YouTube | ✍️ Read the blog post | 🎧 Listen to the Podcast Ask Gemini about your documents and emails - Gemini extensions for Drive, Gmail, and Docs are now...
5 months ago • 2 min read