WONDE + Google Classroom

[Simcfc73]

Hi,

 

Anyone use WONDE to sync with GC? I got a bit excited when I saw it was £40 but that's per month so it would need to be perfect to justify that amount on a sync tool.

 

We've got WONDE already for about 5 apps and it just works so makes sense to stick with this.

[paulkerton]

Hi,Anyone use WONDE to sync with GC? I got a bit excited when I saw it was £40 but that's per month so it would need to be perfect to justify that amount on a sync tool.We've got WONDE already for about 5 apps and it just works so makes sense to stick with this.

 

£40 a month synchronises Calendars, Classroom and users from your MIS, and it's the lowest cost of the sync tools that I'm aware of.

Your user sync alone is worth that, as it will automatically create users and synchronise them when they're enrolled and off-rolled from your MIS, and it will automatically follow retention rules also.

 

Its well worth the £2.50 a dayish it works out to overall (for actual teaching days)

Let's put it like this, if it cost £40 a month to aid a teacher in doing their job, I doubt they'd think twice!

[vikpaw]

I thought there were free tools out there, but maybe it depends on your MIS. I'm not a fan of subscription models, and it feels more when you think it's a monthly charge, but actually if you had an annual contract for <£500 for this type of automation it's pretty decent.

[TwistedHelixis]

This would be great at our primary schools but that is way more then we pay to backup all our servers and G Suite data :0(

[Simcfc73]

We use GADS now which syncs with our AD, I've had a look at the classroom sync from Google but its not automatic which obviously Wonde is.

[TwistedHelixis]

I've had a look at the classroom sync from Google but its not automatic

 

From Google site

Once you’re familiar with the process, you can use the command line to run syncs or schedule automatic syncs with third-party software.

 

Not used it, but I would think it can be set to run using task scheduler.

[jthompson]

For Google's School Directory Sync, you'd need to run that as a scheduled task, but you'd also need to separately sort out how to automate the generation of the data files that it needs. It won't pull from an MIS directly, it relies on you having already prepared a CSV for it. It might be that you could use Wonde to create that CSV on a regular basis, though.

 

I'm not sure, however, that SDS and GCDS have been designed to work alongside one another. It might be an either/or thing: if you're already using GCDS, avoid introducing SDS into the mix, in case it makes a hot mess of your carefully prepared G Suite.

[Simcfc73]

Sorry I meant it doesn't automate from SIMS, I've got GCDS automating from AD on a scheduled task already.

 

I did think the two syncs wouldn't play well together, especially with the CSV uploading.

[paulkerton]

This would be great at our primary schools but that is way more then we pay to backup all our servers and G Suite data :0(

 

Its £25.00 a month for Primary Schools. £1.57 per teaching day.

I'd love to know who your backup provider is if they're providing server and G Suite backup for £300 a year per school.

Edited March 5, 2020 by paulkerton

[Simcfc73]

Well we decided to go for it but there is a 7 week wait now.. I wonder why.....

[fiza]

Anyone who is using Wonde to populate G Suite do you know how you would then add in Staff that are not marked as Teachers of the class in SIMS? We have a HT and DHT that want to be added to every class. If I manually add them I am guessing Wonde will take them out when it syncs with SIMS.

[keyboards]

Anyone who is using Wonde to populate G Suite do you know how you would then add in Staff that are not marked as Teachers of the class in SIMS? We have a HT and DHT that want to be added to every class. If I manually add them I am guessing Wonde will take them out when it syncs with SIMS.

Seems bizzare to want to be in every google classroom, they've got too much time on there hands!

 

We keep looking at sync software, either probably go Salamander or Wonde, Wonde seems very good value for the price

[Simcfc73]

I decided to use GAM and excel along with the sheets plugin classroom Manager.. we a small school and I can easily make all the classes and assign staff pupils to them, Might not be automated but free

[Michael]

Forgive my ignorance, but I've never quite understood why Wonde's required for Google Classroom.

 

The first time a user signs in, they add the unique class code. Subsequent logons they just sign into Google Classroom and complete work assigned.

[NotSoFast]

Anyone who is using Wonde to populate G Suite do you know how you would then add in Staff that are not marked as Teachers of the class in SIMS? We have a HT and DHT that want to be added to every class. If I manually add them I am guessing Wonde will take them out when it syncs with SIMS.

Use GAM.

[fiza]

Use GAM.

Did think of GAM but I would have to run it as a batch file each time Wonde does a sync as it would remove the users I add using GAM.

[gh5000]

Did think of GAM but I would have to run it as a batch file each time Wonde does a sync as it would remove the users I add using GAM.

We have an account added to all our classrooms. Fortunately we don't use it everyday because it is slow to load anything that has a list of courses.

 

And there is a limit. I don't know what the limit is but it is based on the number of groups that a user can be added two. Each classroom has a teachers Google group.

[whartomt01]

Wonde have partners (Due to the DFE scheme for remote learning provision) who are reselling it at a decent price. More affordable, especially for primaries. Fixed annual price. Send a DM if your interested or ask Wonde (They are very busy at the moment as you can imagine) to put you in touch with a partner. Sorry not advertising, just i know how useful the tool is come september when wanting to move pupils between classes

[TwistedHelixis]

Does Wonde let you pick an automated password for each student, say the first few characters of their name plus some numbers? If not, how does the password system work?

[DGardiner]

Does Wonde let you pick an automated password for each student, say the first few characters of their name plus some numbers? If not, how does the password system work?

 

This depends which password you refer to. I dont think you can specify the set one though

 

If you use SSO it can login using and Emoji Password/Wonde SSO Password/Google/Magic qr code.

 

 

getting the actual google credentials out is a pain in the arse though, i just downloaded the accounts from gsuite, updated the passwords and reuploaded the export.

 

this is apparently being fixed soon as covid has disrupted their development cycle and the new microsoft sync is higher on their to do list....

Edited September 25, 2020 by DGardiner

[TwistedHelixis]

This depends which password you refer to.

 

We would like to move completely away from having an AD server onsite and just have Chromebooks, so need something that can easily grab pupil details from SIMS, add a password and then upload pupils to G Suite. Currently doing this manually with an excel sheet that does auto populate the username@domain and passwords, but wondered if Wonde would automat this.

[DGardiner]

We would like to move completely away from having an AD server onsite and just have Chromebooks, so need something that can easily grab pupil details from SIMS, add a password and then upload pupils to G Suite. Currently doing this manually with an excel sheet that does auto populate the username@domain and passwords, but wondered if Wonde would automat this.

 

Wonde will do this and you will have access to the SSO login features, (magic qr codes/emoji pass/normal pass/gsuite)

 

The SSO from what i remember can only be applied to ALL USERS or Just Chormebooks.

 

We have a single gsuite for our entire trust so that end went out the windows since only one school wanted it and ive just been using it for the provisioning then overwriting the passwords using password tech with a word list to generate appropriate ones for the year group and then uploading them over.

 

This is easily done by exporting users from google, filling in the password column with whatever you want then reuploading it. and it will update the changed columns since we use google as our main account. (there is a change password on next login column, set this to true or false)

 

If youre in a position of using any of the wonde stuff it will spit you out pregenerated password cards for each of the options.