Google Docs ? Whos allowing it?

[ConradJones]

ANyone allowing google docs?

 

Reasons for against?

 

I don't want to say no for the sake of it. But if there are issues arising it would be good to here your experiences.

[sparkeh]

Yeah just started. We are a primary school.

Some reasons:

• Offering an alternative to using Office all the time.
  
• Collaborative working.
  
  • Year group staff can all work on the same plan at the same time (amazing how much time this can save).
    
  • Pupils can work on a piece of work at the same time.
    

   

  [*]Document sharing and home access.

[CyberNerd]

Allowing it? It's our entire schools document system!

[AngryTechnician]

We use it as part of our Google Apps for Education setup. When you use it as part of Apps, it's the easiest cloud storage solution for administrators to manage in my opinion. I can very quickly reset a password in the admin console to get access to an account if necessary, and you can restrict sharing to accounts that are part of your Apps domain.

 

Now that people are used to it, it's also a very quick route to transferring files to/from iPads. One particularly useful feature is that when you upload videos to Google Drive, they are properly rotated, which is not the case when you transfer them via USB.

[rich_tech]

we use docs on our site here (don't use email side of it at present, just docs), I believe Gareth who I work with has the kids using it as a collaborative tool and its offered to them as an alternative option for creating work, from my pov it seems to work very well and is quite impressive, though I think our LEA setup made it a bit difficult initially to sort out the creation of accounts on there, but now it seems to work fine without any issue

[Bev]

We also use it extensively. Within a few years, I expect it to completely replace Office in school. It's collaborative and work can move easily between home and school. It also works on many devices.

[ConradJones]

which country are you in?

[Bev]

I'm in the UK. Our LEA is encouraging it's use.

[ConradJones]

Does your policy allow staff to store confidential (i.e. data protection act) data on there?

[Bev]

We don't have any restrictions, although at the moment it is mainly the students that are using it.

[CyberNerd]

120K Google docs in our domain now... Included confidential stuff. We even set up a link directly to SIMS to export live data so that spreadsheets are always current.

[ConradJones]

120K Google docs in our domain now... Included confidential stuff. We even set up a link directly to SIMS to export live data so that spreadsheets are always current.

 

are you sure thats legal?

[CyberNerd]

are you sure thats legal?

 

Yes. As long as you tell ICO. ICO are happy with the fact that the data is held outside of the UK on a secure system under the terms of SafeHarbour.

Safeharbbour was set up so that US companies could comply with EU legislation: Export.gov - Main Safe Harbor Homepage

[edutech4schools]

are you sure thats legal?

 

Norfolk County Council are using Google Apps and you would hope the legal department have checked.

Norfolk County Council deploys Google Apps to 148,000 users - ComputerworldUK.com

 

@CyberNerd Thanks for the ICO info. Will be contacting them shortly.

[CyberNerd]

@edutech4schools As a "data controller" you have to register with them in any case: Register of Data Controllers - Information Commissioner's Office - ICO

So you are probably already registered. If you change systems and purpose of why you hold data (eg start using biometrics) then you have to inform them about that;informing them about holding data outside of the EU is the same process. We did it and they didn't bat an eyelid.

[edutech4schools]

@CyberNerd Thanks. Was worried they would be like the tax office but they answered the phone before the first ring had ended.