Google Apps for Education: Gmail and Spam

Schools-On-I-Net chose to integrate its online school management system with Google Apps for Education’s Gmail email product.  One of the main reasons why is that we liked Gmail because of its SPAM handling, user interface, and suite of collaborative tools.

Gmail has the highest customer satisfaction for free anti-spam filters.

Spam is an issue for any email system administrator.  Google Apps for Edu offers great spam filters. But there are some whose email boxes get more spam than others.  Some reasons why include:

• The email account or domain is posted on public webpages
• The email account is “guess-able” on a particular domain (like info@ or admin@…)
• The email account is submitted through online forms that may not be secure (Always look for a notation of security when using online forms like a lock at the bottom or an https which means that information is transfered in an encrypted format.)

To learn more about Spam and Gmail,  click here.

SOIN works with Gmail or any email system you choose for your school. Our integration with Gmail provides some additional features, like managing users in one place, automatically updating user changes and sharing contact groups between SOIN and Gmail.

More email protection: SOIN Gateway; Postini

SOIN schools using Google Apps Gmail have an added layer of protection. SOIN applies our own custom filters to protect our users further.

Google Apps for Education is free for schools. For additional services, including more control on incoming and outgoing emails, archiving and domain level rules, Google offers Postini, a per user per year service add on.  http://www.google.com/postini

Hooray! St. Hubert Catholic High School is now using Google Apps for Education.
And we helped set them up. Contact us for help setting up your Google Apps for EDU account.  Email services@schoolsoninet.com

We thank St. Hubert Catholic High School for providing us with the following list of Google Apps for Edu references for us to share with you:

Google Apps - Overview

Google Apps Quick Tour

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJT3pagjd8s (video)

Google Apps in Practice (approx. 11 mins.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Leuvce3v5BM

Google Apps General Overview (2 mins.)

http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/admins/apps_video.html

Google Apps General Overview Tour (approx. 10-15 mins.)

http://services.google.com/apps/resources/overviews/welcome/index.html

Google for Educators

http://www.google.com/educators/index.html

Google Apps Training Overview

http://services.google.com/apps/resources/overviews/welcome/topicWelcome/index.html

http://services.google.com/apps/resources/overviews_breeze/Apps/index.html (ppt)

Google Gmail

Gmail Overview and Help

http://mail.google.com/support/

Voice and Video Chat

http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=100173

Google Docs

Google Docs Tour

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYPjJK6LZdM

http://www.google.com/google-d-s/intl/en/tour1.html

Google Forms

http://edublogs.tv/play.php?vid=1009 (approx. 10 mins.)

Google Calendar

Google Calendar Tour

http://www.google.com/intl/en/googlecalendar/tour.html

Google Calendar and Contacts on mobile phone

http://www.google.com/mobile/default/sync.html

Google Sites

Google Sites Tutorial

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=9cfd5af860d9933673be&page=&viewtype=&category=

http://www.google.com/sites/help/intl/en/overview.html

More Google Products

http://www.google.com/intl/en/options/

On April 22 at 4pm at Yeshiva University: SOIN will hold a product presentation

Schools-On-I-Net is currently collaborating with Yeshiva University’s Institute for University-School Partnership, a division of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration on a project to assist the Institute in its research initiatives.

We welcome you to join us for an in person presentation of Schools-On-I-Net. April 22, 2009 from 4-6pm at Yeshiva University, New York, NY.

Now is the time when your school needs a program like SOIN to enhance efficacy, increase collaboration and strengthen the school community.  Save time, save money, make data - driven decisions, boost your green initiatives, and connect your community using Schools-On-I-Net.

SOIN for Jewish Day Schools

How does Schools-On-I-Net use Google Apps for Education as part of its fully integrated school management software package?

See it live! Monday at 3pm EST Schools-On-I-Net will facilitate a presentation on Schools-On-I-Net, why we chose Google Apps for EDU for our integrated school email solution and how API’s are used for a seamless SOIN-Google experience for our users.

Email googleapps@soink12.com  if you are interested in joining this presentation.  The webinar link will be posted here by 2:30pm EST on Monday.

-The SOIN Team

Schools-On-I-Net offers weekly webinars so you can get to know us and our software.

We encourage collaboration among educators, engagement with parents, and use of technology to teach in the world students now learn and thrive in: the digital world. 

We provide a paperless education system, simply because we care about our environment.  The win-win-win of it is that our schools use less paper, less toner, fewer stamps and spend less time sending out mailings or answering redundant phone calls…so they can save some money and some trees in the process.

We provide support services including telephone, web, and online resources because any system is as good as it can be used… and we want you to use ours.

Webinar Topics covered:

What is Schools-On-I-Net
Unique features
Multi Language Text Support
Feature List
-Demographics
-Academics
-Report Cards
-Parent Teacher Conferences
-Gmail Communications using Google Apps for Education
Screen shots from
-Parent View
-Teacher View
-Academic Admin/Principals View
Conclusion: Schools-On-I-Net is the right choice for today’s schools.

Link to the Power Point Presentation available by request. Contact Us today.

See the webinar schedule or contact us for a personal appointment.

RK Solutions, LLC is officially a Google Apps Solutions Provider!

View the Schools-On-I-Net Google Apps Solutions Provider listing on Google.com

Schools-On-I-Net integrated with Google Apps

RK Solutions has integrated its Schools-On-I-Net school management system with Google Apps for education to provide the best in innovative technologies, making SOIN the most robust education management tool available in the market today.  RK Solutions, LLC also offers Google Apps Solution services to non Schools-On-I-Net member schools. Please contact us at googleapps@soink12.com for more information and pricing.

RK Solutions, LLC announces free training seminars for Schools-On-I-Net online school management system.

Specifically geared for SOIN administrators:  everything from what you need to know at the start of school to a review on Google Apps for Education integration with Schools-On-I-Net. 

TRAINING WEBINAR TITLES

• SOIN Administrator Guidelines for the start of school
• User Maintenance Review
• Class Setup and Schedule Quick Guide
• Schools-On-I-Net Overview with Google Apps and FACTS Integration
• Advanced & New School Class Setup
• Google Apps for Education – Gmail Review

  See the scheduled sessions, times and descriptions here:  www.schoolsoninet.com/training

  Schools-On-I-Net: Education Management Made Easy

Schools-On-I-Net Integrates with Google Apps for Education for the 2008-2009 school year, starting with Gmail.

Schools-On-I-Net has replaced its SOINMail system with Gmail provided by Google Apps for Education giving our schools the best in innovative technologies.  Integrating with Gmail for schools provides schools with a more sophisticated integrated email solution.

• Auto-Save Drafts
• Advanced Spell Check
• Targeted Group Email from Communications Module inserted in “Sent” folder showing the BCC recipient list
• Multi-language support includes Hebrew, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, and more
• Gmail User-Interface, branded with school domain and logo
• Gmail Search capability

Note: Gmail in Google Apps for Education has the option of turning OFF the ads that are shown on the right hand side of the standard Gmail account.

What’s more.. Gmail integration is just the beginning… Google Apps for Education provides more applications that will be integrated with Schools-On-I-Net in the future, Google Docs, Google Sites, Google Chat, etc.

Schools-On-I-Net acts as the Google Apps for Education Integration Specialist. The school must sign up for a Google Apps for Education account, then provide us with access to the API’s so we can manage the integration.

Spotlight on Yavneh Academy, Paramus, NJ
We presented the Gmail Integration with Schools-On-I-Net to the faculty and staff of Yavneh Academy, Paramus, NJ. 

Click here to download the PowerPoint Presentation.

What does this all mean?  Integration of Google Apps for Education with Schools-On-I-Net means:

• Users will continue to use the Single Login from the school’s SOIN website to the Gmail account
• Account add/update/delete functionality through SOIN’s User Maintenance Admin Section reflects in Gmail user accounts.
• Send Email and Communications Modules insert Sent mails to the Gmail account “Sent” folder, showing BCC recipient list.
• New Message Indicator on the SOIN user homepage shows the count of new messages available in the user’s Gmail account
• Contacts in SOIN (new/updated/deleted users) reflected in Gmail Contacts

How Will It Work?

Please contact us for more information or to sign up for a SOIN-Google Apps for Education webinar:  sointeam@soinmail.com  or call 201-599-9454.

Thank you,

The SOIN Team