January 31
1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
[PREMIUM BADGE REQUIRED TO ATTEND]
PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP:
Google Admin Console Made Easy: Work Smarter, Not Harder
Presenter: Clay Smith, Google for Education, Solutions Engineer
The Google Admin Console has grown significantly over the past few years, and keeping up with new security settings, Chrome policies, and AI controls can feel like a full-time job on its own. In this hands-on, three-hour workshop, we will open up the console together and walk through practical configurations that save time and prevent Monday-morning fires. Rather than running through a rigid slide deck, we will focus on how settings actually work in practice across both Education Fundamentals and paid tiers, build out simple automations for repetitive tasks, and reserve time to tackle the specific Admin Console challenges your district is facing right now.
Participants will leave with:
- Clean OU Structure & Policy Inheritance: How to set a reliable Under-18 baseline at the root domain and structure staff and student OUs so policies inherit cleanly without playing whack-a-mole across hundreds of sub-orgs.
- Practical Security (Prevention Over Remediation): Real-world settings you can turn on immediately to stop common school phishing waves, external Drive and Calendar spam, and unvetted third-party OAuth apps – covering what every district has today in Education Fundamentals alongside where Standard and Plus controls fit in.
- Confident AI, Chrome, and Classroom Governance: Where to find and configure the exact Admin Console and Chrome browser policies that govern Gemini, NotebookLM, Google Lens, extensions, and Class Tools across staff and grade bands.
- Everyday Admin Automation (No Coding Background Needed): How to use plain language in Gemini alongside Google Sheets and Apps Script to automate repetitive admin lookups, reporting, and routine triage instead of clicking through the console one user at a time.
- Live Troubleshooting & Co-Design: Dedicated time to walk through your toughest Admin Console questions, trace issues in the audit logs, and test real configurations together before you head back to your district.
