Deploying Google Apps Education

Technical Integration 6 Week Plan

Week 1 Building a Plan & Setting Goals

1. Participate in a kick-off meeting with your project team (manager, technical, marketing, etc.)
- Notify your project team of proposed 'Go Live' date and marketing plan.
- Obtain green light approval from your legal rep to deploy Google Apps
- Consider the following questions:
  - Who will be using Google Apps?
    - Students, faculty/staff, alumni
  - Will certain users have access to different services than other users?
    - If so, then you'll want to use consider your organizational structure.
2. Take a look at what other schools have done by browsing through customer testimonials.
3. Sign up for a Google Apps account at http://www.google.com/a/cpanel/education/new.
- Create account for production or 'live' domain. Some popular Google Apps domain name choices are @school.edu, @student.school.edu, @mascot.school.edu, @school.k12.st.us.
- Activate account by verifying domain ownership. Instructions are also located in the administrator Control Panel.
- Add domain aliases or multiple domains to your Google Apps account with your Control Panel.
  - Note: If you're planning to manage multiple domains from one Google Apps account, please take a look at the current limitations.
- Take a look at information regarding the new Google Apps infrastructure.
- [Optional, highly recommended] Create account for 'test domain' (i.e., pilot.school.edu). This will allow you to test your deployment plans before attempting implementation on your production domain. The test domain will also be a useful place to test new features or changes to your implementation after your go live.
4. Develop scheme and dates for the following technical requirements.
- Creating user accounts
  - Batch provision with CSV files (500 users or less per file)
  - Sync your LDAP server with Google Apps Directory Sync
  - Provisioning API
- Authentication to Google Apps
  - Authentication straight to Google (passwords are stored at Google)
  - Single Sign-On Implementation (users are authenticated against LDAP server)
    - Note: SSO only works when accessing Google Apps via the web interface. If users will be accessing will be accessing via mail clients or mobile devices they will need to have a password stored within Google Apps. You can sync passwords to Google Apps and still use single sign-on.
- Migrating user data
  - Take a look at our email migration options
- Mail architecture and delivery
  - Think about your mail delivery options
  - [Optional] Change your MX records
  - [Optional] Configure email routing
  - [Optional] Configure the inbound mail gateway settings
- Marketing
5. [Optional] Sign up with partners to assist with technical requirements. Take a look at the Google Apps Marketplace for more information.

Week 2 Testing the Product

1. Get acquainted with services (Email, Calendar, Docs, Sites, Video, Contacts, Chat)
- On your test domain, create a pilot group of user accounts to test the services
- Notify staff of intended timeline for user-facing changes
- Schedule training session for help desk employees
2. Test provisioning users
3. [Optional] Begin implementing Single Sign-On
4. [Optional] Test email migration
Working with scripts during your Google Apps deployment to change configurations? Take a look at our Google Apps APIs and our Client Libraries and Sample Code

Week 3 Testing Mail Delivery Setup

1. Test mail delivery setup (recommended on the test domain). For more information on the types of delivery, please refer to Week 1.
- For dual delivery, ensure that you're able to receive mail at both locations
- For email routing, ensure that mail for specific email addresses is delivered to the correct location
- If you're using an inbound gateway, ensure that mail is passed through your server and still reaches Google Apps
2. Check in with your project team
- Update with questions/concerns/changes

Week 4 Customizing and Modifying

1. Customize account with information unique to your school
- Upload a logo that your users will see when using services
- Customize the 'login page' for users (if you're not using SSO, you can modify the school title, box color and logo)
- Provide your school's help desk contact information for 'User Support'
- Enable contact sharing so that users can find email address of other users at your school
2. Make modifications on technical requirements
- Ensure that you have an updated plan for implementing the following
  - Single Sign-On
  - Provisioning user accounts
  - Data migration
  - Mail architecture and delivery

Week 5 Implementing the Plan

1. Complete Single Sign-On implementation
2. Provision user accounts
3. Migrate user data
4. Implement your marketing plan
- Notify your students
- Print marketing collateral
- Host info session/demo session (i.e. consider a tale in your school's quad)
- Post an online internal FAQ about the switch. Feel free to link to the Google Apps End User Help Center.
5. Check in with your project team
- Update with questions/concerns/changes
6. Setup your Help Desk operations

Week 6 Ignite!

1. Complete marketing plan
- Use marketing collateral on campus
- See Outreach Plan and Get the Word Out sections of this site!
2. Complete any remaining provisioning
- Create groups
- Create email accounts
3. Choose date/time of day to implement email architecture changes
- Go live with Google Apps at your school!

Technical Integration 10 Week Plan

For more information on running a pilot, see the Google Apps Pilot Guide.

Week 1 - Pilot Phase 1

Kickoff call with your project team
Notify your project team of proposed 'Go Live' date and marketing plan.
Obtain green light approval from your legal rep to deploy Google Apps
Figure out who will be using Google Apps, what services you'll be deploying, what services your users will be able to access and how you'll set up your organizational structure
Sign up Google Apps for test domain account athttp://www.google.com/a/cpanel/education/new and verify domain ownership
Add domain aliases or multiple domains to your Google Apps account with your Control Panel.
Develop schemes for the following
Creating user accounts
How users will authenticate to Google
Migrating user data
Mail architecture and delivery
Marketing

Week 2 - Pilot Phase 2

Get acquainted with Google Apps services
Test SSO on your test account
Test provisioning on your test account
Sign up with partner if additional assistance is needed

Week 3 - Pilot Phase 3

Test data migration on test account
Check in with project team (address questions/concerns/changes)

Week 4 - Pilot Phase 4

Test Google Apps product suite and make customizations to sharing settings as if it will be the live domain

Week 5 - Building the Plan

Sign up for Google Apps account - http://www.google.com/a/cpanel/education/new - and verify live domain
Develop plans for your live domain:
Marketing
Provisioning
Message delivery (dual delivery, email routing, straight to Google MX, gateways)
SSO implementation (if applicable)
Migration (if applicable)

Week 6 - Testing the Product- Phase 1

Perform further testing of account provisioning
Perform further testing of migration of existing mail (if applicable)
Perform further testing of SSO implementation (if applicable)

Week 7 - Testing the Product - Phase 2

Check in with your project team (address questions/concerns/changes)

Week 8 - Customizing and Modifying

Customize Google Apps accounts
Upload logo
Customize login page
Customize support contact information (with school's help desk information)
Enable contact sharing
Make modifications to:
SSO implementation
Provisioning methods
Migration strategies
Confirm your mail architecture plans

Week 9 - Implementing the Plan

Complete single sign-on implementation
Migrate user data
Implement marketing plan
Check in with you project team (address questions/concerns/changes)
Set up your help desk operation

Week 10 - Ignite!

Complete marketing plan (use marketing collateral on campus)
Complete any remaining provisioning (create email account and groups)
Choose date to change DNS over to GoogleGo live with Google Apps at your school!

Training

Training Plan
- 5 Step Professional Development Plan Summary: See GDocs Here
  - Step 1 Gain support from key administrators that will help drive training programs.
  - Step 2 Assemble a group of Google Apps Guides who can help deliver training and ongoing development.
  - Step 3 Set the scope of the plan.
  - Step 4 Conduct Google Apps training across the university and build momentum and excitement for the transition.
  - Step 5 Process feedback and revise the program; expand to other groups on campus.
- Some practical considerations:
  - Consider timing conflicts for vacations and exam periods
  - Review the training material available on this site and other Apps Edu resources
  - Plan for ~7-8 weeks to prepare a Google Apps training program
  - Consult with other schools or business in your area using Google Apps
Top 10 ways to start using Google Apps
- Teachers
  - Lesson Plan
  - Meeting
  - Translations
  - Video Conferencing
  - Multiple Choice Quiz with Summary
  - Survey
  - Sign up Sheet
  - Shared Folder
  - Google Sites
- Students
  - Class Activity or Homework Calendar
  - Classroom or administrative tasks and grouped into task lists (Cal and Gmail)
  - Translation
  - Google Sites template for student e-portfolio
  - Tracking homework and behavior logs
  - Form and spreadsheet for collecting teacher observation data and analysis
  - Resource calendar (e.g. rooms, auditorium)
  - Student driven vocabulary flashcard center (gadgets)
  - Pen pals with other schools
  - Long term and unit plans into GCal
Google Apps Education Certified Training
- Training Center – Teach yourself to become an Apps expert in the classroom. Our six-part training course will help you prepare for our Individual Qualification exams.
- Certified Trainer program – Individuals or organizations with extensive experience in professional development and Apps training support can showcase their skills by applying for Certified Trainer status.
- Individual Qualification – Demonstrate your knowledge of Google Apps for Education by completing a structured program of six comprehensive tests. (A passing score in the Individual Qualification is a prerequisite for all Certified Trainer applicants.)
- Find a trainer – Find a Certified Trainer to lead Google Apps professional development at your school.
Google Apps User Guides & Templates
- General Guides and FAQs
  - Quick Start Guide: Two-page guide to help users log in to their Google Apps accounts for the first time. Includes basic instructions for using email and calendar.
  - Getting Started Guide: Includes information about:
    - Logging in to Google Apps
    - Verifying migrated data (if applicable)
    - Migrating data from Outlook (if applicable)
    - Understanding the basic differences between Google Mail and other email programs
    - Using Google Mail, Calendar, Talk, and Tasks
  - Getting Started Guides - By Feature: Most of same content in the Getting Started Guide, but with each major section as a separate template document. Use these modules as standalone "getting started" guides for each feature, or combine them to create your own user guide.
  - Google Apps FAQ: A list of questions that new users often ask about using Google Mail, Calendar, and Contacts; and about using Google Apps with mobile devices. Intended as a "repository" from which you can pull out questions into your own FAQ
  - Recommended Gmail and Calendar Labs: A list of Gmail and Calendar Labs that are especially useful for enterprise users. Use this template only if you're enabling Labs for your users.
- Transition Guides
- Role Specific User Guides
  - Gmail for Administrative Assistants
  - Google Calendar for Administrative Assistants
- Mobile User Guides
32 Ways to Use Google Apps for Students
- Google Docs
  - Collaborative Group Papers and Projects
  - Lecture and Study Notes (all in one place)
  - Student Group Repository (Club minutes, budgeting/finance, )
  - Data Collection
  - Sign up sheets
  - Flash cards for classes or test prep
  - Class Presentations
- Forms
  - Collecting Student Feedback
  - Event Signup and Invites
  - Interview Questionnaires
  - Student Group Membership
  - Committee Staffing
  - Research Data for Project or Thesis
- Google Calendar
  - Events
  - Personal Organisation
  - Organise Task and Deadlines with Shared calendars
  - Coordinate Group Meetings
  - Set SMS/Text reminders
- Gmail
  - Link and send from multiple accounts
  - Message Translation
  - Filtering and Rules
- Talk
  - Video Chat
  - Phone Call or SMS from Gmail (US only?)
- Sites
  - School Newspaper
  - Portfolios
  - Group Pages
  - Project Sites
Additional Training Resources
- Google Apps Training Center: Comprehensive step-by-step guides for each of the services in the Google Apps product suite.
- Google Apps videos: The Google Apps YouTube channel has many how-to videos and testimonials.
- Google Apps Education Individual Qualification: Complete a set of 6 exams - based on content in the Google Apps Training Center to become a Google Apps Education Qualified Individual
- Google Apps User Help Center: Search the help center for information