GSuite - and Google for Education

[cwade1001]

We are looking at moving our primary school to Google for Education. We are currently at the planning stages. What are you experiences with Whiteboards. At the moment we have a mixture of Smartboards and Clevertouch boards with built in Android. Have any of your schools replaced Windows devices for teaches with Chromebooks?

 

Does anyone know of any tools for migrating user data from a local Windows Server to a users G Drive?

 

Thanks

[dhicks]

Does anyone know of any tools for migrating user data from a local Windows Server to a users G Drive?

 

We've trialed Insynchq, which has seemed to work well, although we're waiting for the new version (currently in beta, I think) which supports Team Drives until we use it in production:

 

https://www.insynchq.com/

[TwistedHelixis]

Sorry to jump in but what does Insynchq do that Google file stream does not do? My primary schools are all using file stream and love it.

[mavhc]

I'd be careful about migrating a load of old data, probably in MSWord format, if the point is to switch people to using GDocs, Classroom etc. Better to start with native GSuite documents whereever possible. Teachers have to switch from creating a worksheet in MSWord to either making templates in GDocs, or if it's less freeform, Google Forms

[fiza]

@rogerdnixon - runs an all Google School but at Secondary level as far as I know. He might have some tips.

[dhicks]

Sorry to jump in but what does Insynchq do that Google file stream does not do? My primary schools are all using file stream and love it.

 

Insynchq syncs files between local storage and Google Drive, so we could have Windows shared folders that sync with their Google Drive-equivalent Team Drives. Moving straight to using Team Drive might well be a better option, I'm just being mildly paranoid about having a local copy of files, just in case.

[rogerdnixon]

Back in the day when we moved to G Suite (then Google Apps - about 7 years ago now), I created a few service accounts and literally dragged the content of our network shares into Drive with file conversion turned on and left it to it. Took a while - but once it was done we never looked back. Today, I'd use File Stream and and move stuff into Team Drives that way. Insync is good and I use that to sync camera footage to Drive from security cameras.

We are 1:1 with chromebooks for staff and students. We support a couple of primaries who also have staff Chromebooks. They seem to get one pretty well. Interactive whiteboards don't really work well with ChromeOS - although there is some support now. We tend to have a fixed Chromebox connected to a projector/big telly. Teacher signs into that and uses Cast for Education so the students/teacher can cast their screen to the big screen. Couple that with a touchscreen Chromebook and you have a very cheap and flexible solution.

[cwade1001]

I'd be careful about migrating a load of old data, probably in MSWord format, if the point is to switch people to using GDocs, Classroom etc. Better to start with native GSuite documents whereever possible. Teachers have to switch from creating a worksheet in MSWord to either making templates in GDocs, or if it's less freeform, Google Forms

How did the teachers take to creating new plans and docs?

[cwade1001]

Back in the day when we moved to G Suite (then Google Apps - about 7 years ago now), I created a few service accounts and literally dragged the content of our network shares into Drive with file conversion turned on and left it to it. Took a while - but once it was done we never looked back. Today, I'd use File Stream and and move stuff into Team Drives that way. Insync is good and I use that to sync camera footage to Drive from security cameras.

We are 1:1 with chromebooks for staff and students. We support a couple of primaries who also have staff Chromebooks. They seem to get one pretty well. Interactive whiteboards don't really work well with ChromeOS - although there is some support now. We tend to have a fixed Chromebox connected to a projector/big telly. Teacher signs into that and uses Cast for Education so the students/teacher can cast their screen to the big screen. Couple that with a touchscreen Chromebook and you have a very cheap and flexible solution.

Thanks Roger that's great to hear... I guess it's changing the mindset of the staff.... I am less worried about pupils as they tend to deal with what is thrown at them...

[markwilfan]

I tried to migrate our shared drive 1 dept at a time. Backpedaled massively after about the 4th as drive sync couldn't keep up with the changes. We also had files go walkies and the duplicates! Ah the duplicates!

[rogerdnixon]

People get us to it pretty quickly. Things are much easier now than they use to be as things like converting old Office Docs work pretty flawlessly now.

 

Thanks Roger that's great to hear... I guess it's changing the mindset of the staff.... I am less worried about pupils as they tend to deal with what is thrown at them...

[fiza]

People get us to it pretty quickly. Things are much easier now than they use to be as things like converting old Office Docs work pretty flawlessly now.

@Rogernixon - What about docs with lots of formatting (tables etc), do these survive the conversion process?

[FN-GM]

@Rogernixon - What about docs with lots of formatting (tables etc), do these survive the conversion process?

Tables are ok. The issue for us are documents that have a mix of portrait and landscape.

 

We have had a number of complex spreadsheets provided by exam boards convert without an issue.

[rogerdnixon]

@Rogernixon - What about docs with lots of formatting (tables etc), do these survive the conversion process?

 

Most convert fine now. Occasional minor tweaks needed. Macros in spreadsheets are clearly a no go - but you can do pretty col things with Sheets scripts and addons.

[mavhc]

How did the teachers take to creating new plans and docs?

 

In the end they don't really, there's a few that Get It, but most don't change much.

 

Are there any companies offering teaching resources in GSuite format? How amazing would that be, import a whole course into Classroom, alter as needed.

[lyricalway]

If you download Drive FileStream for Windows then you do not need to sync or convert files ie. MS Office files just open in Office....all without taking up precious file storage.

[mavhc]

Instead they take up precious bandwidth, which is more expensive

[Simcfc73]

Do you have Filestream opening automatically? We have mandatory profiles for kids and I dont fancy them having to use a secondary logon after windows.... oh and staff have MFA enabled which is fun too.

[rogerdnixon]

While File Stream is great - for those who need it. I'd say other than a few people in offices, no one actually uses it much as everyone uses Google Docs. So on any PC here there is the option to use it, but most people will just fire up Chrome and go straight to Drive/Classroom. Once you fully migrate to G Suite the usage of Office Apps almost vanishes. The only time I use if is when SIMS spits out a report and then it gets copied straight into Sheets. It is a change of mindset and it takes time - but it is definitely worth the effort.

[lyricalway]

Almost everything the students and their class teachers do is done in the Google Cloud 'tis true. Admin users on the other hand still need (want?) to use Office, and FileStream facilitates that easily. It also allows Publisher, Adobe, and Sibelius files to be stored in the cloud, but used in desktop Applications. Oh and with regard to mavhc's comment the bandwidth is negligible and way cheaper than local file storage!

[mavhc]

Let's go with large files, as they're the only ones that matter. Assume only costs are bandwidth or local storage.

 

Say we have 1 class at a time running this max load peak situation (photo or video editing), so 30 computers, each pupil using 50GBs of storage, and there's 5 of those classes a week, so 150 pupils

 

To provide 1Gbps storage vs 1Gbps internet. 100MBps is just 1 hdd, so pick 2 for a mirror, 8TB WD Red, £200 each. So £400 for say 5 years, plus say £100 in electricity, so £100/year, for 1 peak class at a time, 5 of them a week.

 

So the question is, how much does it cost to bump your internet speed up by 1Gbps for 5 hours a week.

[rogerdnixon]

Let's go with large files, as they're the only ones that matter. Assume only costs are bandwidth or local storage.

 

Say we have 1 class at a time running this max load peak situation (photo or video editing), so 30 computers, each pupil using 50GBs of storage, and there's 5 of those classes a week, so 150 pupils

 

To provide 1Gbps storage vs 1Gbps internet. 100MBps is just 1 hdd, so pick 2 for a mirror, 8TB WD Red, £200 each. So £400 for say 5 years, plus say £100 in electricity, so £100/year, for 1 peak class at a time, 5 of them a week.

 

So the question is, how much does it cost to bump your internet speed up by 1Gbps for 5 hours a week.

 

The flaw in this calculation is our users expect unlimited storage now (which is what they have). 8Tb would be consumed by one of our heavy users. Fast internet does not have to be expensive now - but it does depend a bit on where you live.

[cwade1001]

How did you migrate the users home folders to their personal drives in Google?

[lyricalway]

It's just good old drag 'n drop :-)

[rogerdnixon]

How did you migrate the users home folders to their personal drives in Google?

 

I don't think we did - at least not in any formal way. It just became what everyone uses over time and as most people are now ChromeOS, that's the only choice.