• Freeport School District's Google Workspace for Education

     

    Freeport School District 145 uses GSuite for Education tools for office applications such as email, calendar, and contacts.

     

    Google Mail Google Calendar Google Contacts Google Drive Google Docs Google Sheets Google Slides
     
     

     

     

    What is Google Workspace for Education?

    Google Workspace for Education is a suite of web-based messaging and collaboration applications that Google hosts on its own servers. Google provides these applications as a service, rather than as software to download and install. To access Google Apps, you simply use a web browser on a computer that's connected to the Internet or your smart device. 

     

    Why did we choose Google Apps?

    We looked for a solution that could provide us the following benefits:

    • Lower infrastructure costs — Our email will be stored securely on Google's servers, so we'll no longer need to maintain email servers on-site
    • Ability to consolidate our platforms — We can eliminate redundancy by moving all of our email and calendar platforms to Google Apps
    • Lower support costs — Because Google hosts the email and calendar services, there's no more email client software to maintain on individual computers
    • Innovative solutions — We can leverage the ongoing creative and technical solutions of the Google Apps platform to provide employees with powerful, easy-to-use tools for getting their work done
    • Highly scalable environment — With Google Apps, our email capacity will grow automatically as Freeport School District grows, and we'll avoid the complexity of internal systems
    • Access to services from anywhere, anytime — A key benefit of the Google-hosted solution is that we can access email, contacts, and calendar from any computer or mobile device with an Internet connection, anywhere in the world
    • More collaboration features — With Google's next-generation applications, we can collaborate with colleagues, customers, and partners more easily and efficiently than ever before

     


    Here are some of the key benefits we think you'll enjoy:

    • Lots of storage: You get an unlimited amount of online storage for your email, so you can archive all of your email online. You'll no longer need to worry about deleting messages or saving them in offline folders.
    • Enhanced message organization and retrieval: With Gmail, you'll spend less time managing folders and looking for messages. Use tags, or "labels," to organize, store, and find your messages more efficiently. And with the Google-powered search feature, you can find any message quickly and easily, whether it's in your Inbox or stored in your message archives.
    • Easier calendar sharing: Google Calendar lets you and your team members quickly and easily share your calendars with each other and specify the details you want to show. Calendar sharing is a great way for you and your coworkers to keep each other informed about your schedules. Now it's easier than ever to find out if someone is in a meeting, on a business trip, or on vacation.

     

     

    Is Google Apps the same as the personal (free) version of Gmail and Google Calendar?

    They’re similar, but we'll be using the business-class edition of Google Apps, which provides more features, more storage, and more support.

      

    Will I be able to access my old email and calendar?

    Google keeps an archive of your email and calendar for as long as you would like.  Emails and calendar events from the previous Microsoft Outlook system are no longer available.

     

    Do I need to do anything after I get my Google Apps account?

    You'll just need to complete a few simple tasks to complete your migration, such as re-creating any email rules you used in Microsoft Outlook as Gmail filters and setting up your mobile device to access your services from anywhere.

      

    How much time will it take to set up and learn how to use Google Apps?

    You'll be able to master the basics, like sending and receiving email and viewing and scheduling meetings, very quickly. It may take more time to really learn to make the most of your new services, depending on how you currently use Microsoft Outlook. For example, for a typical email and calendar migration, expect to spend a few hours over the course of a week or so to review the online training, review documentation, and set up your services. If you also access email on a mobile device, plan on spending a bit more time.