Google Apps is a package of online applications that makes communicating and collaborating at school easier and more efficient. The cornerstone of Google Apps is Gmail, Google’s web-based email program, which integrates with Google Docs, for creating and sharing documents, and Google Calendar, for coordinating schedules. All of these services are hosted online, so email, documents, and calendars are always accessible from any computer.
Both Staff and 4th-12th Grade students will intially receive an account.
One exciting thing about issuing student email accounts is that we now know what they are. This means that once we go live, we can easily present student names to Outlook to make it easier for you as a teacher to email your students. Simply type their name into the To: field of the message, just like you would for a fellow staff member. We will also be presenting class based distribution lists so that you can easily email your entire class (details on naming conventions are still being worked on).
Generating Google Apps accounts does mean that staff will receive a second email account. We are working towards making the Google Staff accounts auto-forward so that you as a staff memeber will continue receiving all of your mail in your Outlook Inbox. This feature should be completed prior to going live.
Want to take a look? 
Official roll-out isn’t until January, but if you would like to see what all of the fuss is about you can take a sneak-peak early at http://start.g.kpbsd.org
Student Password Changes
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.