What is happening?
All 4th-12th grade students that have not yet changed their Windows password (from the default password) will be forced to select a new password upon Windows login. Students that have already changed their password will not be affected. All newly created accounts will also automatically require their password to be changed after the first login. In the event that a student forgets their new password, school secretaries are being given a website that will enable them to reset passwords back to the student birthday password default.
When will this start?
November 17th 2008.
Why are we doing this?This is in preparation for the new Google Apps accounts we are rolling out district wide (4th-12th grade). The Google Apps service will provide Online Collaborative applications (Think online Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) as well as Calendaring and Email). Email particularly needs a stronger password which is why students are being forced to move from the birthday password scheme to a more secure password. We are not including the Google chat feature at this time.
We hope to go live with Google Apps early Jan. 2009.
Expect more information about the Google Apps implementation to be coming out soon. Students and staff will be able to take advantage of ‘single sign-on’ which means they will log into their new Google Apps accounts using their Windows Username and Password. Don’t worry; this is all done without giving any personal information to Google as the login requests get redirected to our servers.
Please feel free to comment to ask any questions you may have. Others reading this site would benefit from the answers as well. Check back often as I will be posting any updates and/or status changes here.
3 Comments
Q: What will be the minimum password length for the new student passwords.
A: The minimum will be 6 characters (as it is currently)
So-as I understand it we will continue to use Outlook as a staff. We can also sign in and use a new G-Mail account. We will be able to email students! This is cool. We will be able to ask students to check their email and now it can be monitored too! Students will be able to save their documents to Google Apps and be able to work on it at home (even without Word) and then open it back up here at school????
That is correct. This definately has the potential to be very exciting for both staff and students.
With the integration with Outlook and the auto-forwarding of staff gmail, emailing the students couldn’t be easier!