Google Chrome Extension or App Whitelist Request Form — Please complete this form if you wish to have a Chrome extension or app whitelisted for staff or students.
G-Suite Training Resources Update 4/29/19
Sign in to Google Chrome with District Account (Video)
Sign in to Google Chrome with District Account (Written)
How to Organize Google Drive (Video)
How to Organize Google Drive (Written)
How to Convert Word Docs to Google Docs (Written)
How to Move a Folder to Google Drive (Written)
How to Schedule a Conference Room (Written)
Game Time: Calendar Tips and Tricks from GWAEA
Game Time: Getting the Most out of Gmail from GWAEA
Gmail Training Videos
Show Your Calendar in Gmail (Video)
Gmail Enable Preview Pane (Video)
Gmail Create Signature (Video)
Gmail Vacation Responder/Automatic Replies (Video)
Gmail How to Turn off Snippets (Video)
Game Time: Gmail Tips and Tricks from GWAEA
5/17/29 Q and A
Q: Why are we doing this?
A: Our Technology Plan called for the rollout of student computers for all of our high school students in the fall of 2019 and for all middle school students in the fall of 2020. Last October to December the Office of Digital literacy conducted a study to determine the device type. A representative steering committee was assembled to make a recommendation. The committee determined based upon administrator, teacher, and student feedback that Chromebooks would best support our learning outcomes. To fully utilize the power of the Chromebooks, we would need to also need to use the G Suite tools. The main tool necessary to facilitate powerful collaboration between students and teachers is email. So, to best meet the needs of our students, we need to change email programs.
Q: When will we be changing?
A: We will switch to Gmail on 6/17/19. This means that all email on or after this date will only show up in your new Gmail inbox. So, you will need to check this account after that date to see new email messages.
Q: What is my new email address?
A: Your email address will end in @crschools.us. Everything before the @ symbol will be exactly the same as your @cr.k12.ia.us address.
Q: What is my new email password?
A: Your password will be a combination of our district name (CRCSD), a period (.), and your personal timeclock number with enough zeros add to the front of the timeclock number to make it six digits long. Here’s an example CRCSD.001234 This example assumes the timeclock number is 1234. If you have trouble, reach out to the technology help desk (558-2900) with any questions.
Q: Where do I go to login to my GMail account (@CRSchools.us)?
A: Go to https://www.gmail.com Once there, you’ll need to enter your @CRSchools.us username and password. After 6/17/19, we will put a link to this login page on our district website.
Q: When can I login to my new @crschools.us account?
A: Anytime! While we ask that you wait to send email from this account until after 6/17/19, it’s strongly recommended to login and access the account before school is out.
Q: Does the change to CRSchools.us mean that I need to let all of my email contacts know I have a new address?
A: No. Once we make the full conversion on 6/17, we will set up automatic forwarding for all users so that any email sent to an @cr.k12.ia.us address will automatically go to the corresponding @CRSchools.us address.
Q: Will all of my email in Outlook be moved to Gmail?
A: No. But, all of the old email in Outlook will stay there as long as we continue to purchase the Microsoft tools. I anticipate we will do this for the foreseeable future. So, you will be able to open Outlook to view your old email for reference. If you feel you need some of this older email in your Gmail account, you can forward them to your new account. Unfortunately, this needs to be done one message at a time.
Q: Will we have the same email groups (building/department lists)?
A: Yes. The same group names with the same sending restrictions.
Q: Does this change mean we are not using any of the Microsoft Office tools anymore?
A: No! We plan to keep the Microsoft products around for the foreseeable future. All of the MS Office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) will still work after the switch. The only exception to this is Outlook. While Outlook will still open and have all of your old emails, it will not work to receive new email. You will not lose access to anything you’ve created before using the MS Office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). You will still be able to access these files saved in OneDrive or on any of our district shared drives. We are asking that starting in the 19-20 school year all collaboration done with students should be done with Google tools. But, the MS Office tools can still be used for staff to share files with other staff members.
Q: How will this impact me? What will I need to do differently?
A: This will depend on your role within our district.
- All staff will need to adapt and learn a new email and calendar system this summer: Gmail and Google Calendar.
- All staff will continue to have access to all MS Office programs (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, OneNote, etc..) and files. The one exception is Outlook. Once we change to the new email account (the @CRSchools.us) address, Outlook will open and all email and calendar content received before the change date will be there. But, it will not function to receive new email or calendar invitations.
- All certified (teachers) staff will be expected to use the G Suite tools (Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc…) when collaborating with students. While all staff are invited to use the G Suite tools, this is not a requirement.
CRCSD DOMAIN & GOOGLE Update 3/13/19
We are very excited to announce that, as part of our student device rollout next fall, we will be transitioning to a new CRCSD email domain:CRschools.us! This will eventually replace our current CR.K12.IA.US brand. We will also be transitioning from Outlook to Google Suite and we understand that change—especially related to technology—can elicit feelings of anxiety or excitement or some combination of the two. This announcement serves as an initial communication of much more to come as we ease through this transition together. For instance, there will be a great many opportunities for you to engage with PL to support this work and familiarize yourself with Google Suite in the spring, summer, and fall. To get a preliminary start, you can access this linked flyer for the Google learning Ryan Rydstrom is offering. Again, this will not be the only PL offered — much more is planned for this spring, summer, and next fall.
We also want you to know that, for those of you who want to start playing the G Suite sandbox, so to speak, you may start at anytime on your own. However, please understand that you must not use Gmail yet. While you should not use Gmail yet, feel free to begin familiarizing yourself with other features in G Suite following the guidance and support of this initial FAQ below:
Q: How do I access my new G Suite account?
A: Your CRSchools.us account will have the same userID (everything before the @ symbol) as your cr.k12.ia.us account. For example,cbarnum@cr.k12.ia.us will be cbarnum@CRSchools.us. To login into your new Google account, go to a Google login page and enter your CRSchools.us account name. Your password will be a combination of our district name (CRCSD), a period (.), and your personal timeclock number with enough zeros add to the front of the timeclock number to make it six digits long. Here’s an example CRCSD.001234 This example assumes the timeclock number is 1234. If you have trouble, reach out to the technology help desk (558-2900) with any questions.
Q: What will happen to all of the content I have in OneDrive and Office 365?
A: We plan to keep the Microsoft products around for the foreseeable future. So, you will not lose access to these files. We are asking that starting in the 19-20 school year all collaboration done with students should be done with Google tools.
Q: Do I need to convert all of my Office 365 and OneDrive files to Google?
A: If you wish to do so, but it is not necessary. OneDrive and Office 365 will be around to use for the foreseeable future. So, you can access them at any time. However, if you have documents that will be used frequently or documents that students will need to access, you can convert them as needed. The conversion process is quick and easy. The Office of Digital Literacy will provide documentation on how to transfer files between systems.
Q: Can I use Gmail now for email?
A: No—you should NOT use Gmail yet. While Gmail can be accessed, using it will cause a great deal of confusion at this time. Pleasewait to use Gmail until we publicly launch the new CRschools.us domain and officially give the green light in the summer to begin using Gmail.
Q: Does the change to CRSchools.us mean that I need to let all of my email contacts know I have a new address?
A: No. Once we make the full conversion this summer, we will set up automatic forwarding for all users so that any email sent to an @cr.k12.ia.us address will automatically go to the corresponding @CRSchools.us address.
Q: When can kids start using their CRSchools.us Google accounts?
A: Student accounts will be set up over the summer and ready before the start of the 19-20 school year. They will not be ready for use this spring.
Designed Disruption 