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University of York hosts international Google Apps event

Posted on 17 June 2014

A Google Apps for Education event at the University of York has attracted delegates from Higher Education Institutions, businesses and education-related organisations from across Europe and the UK.

The Google Apps for Education European User Group (GEUG14), taking place at the Ron Cooke Hub from 23 to 24 June, aims to further the understanding and use of the Google Apps Suite, improving its use for students and staff. 

Many Higher Education Institutes across Europe have “gone Google” and now use Google Apps for Education. York was one of the first UK universities to move to Google for both students and staff, and has previously hosted smaller groups to share experiences with other institutions. 

GEUG14 is following on from the success of two previous events - GEUG12 at the University of Portsmouth and GEUG11 at Loughborough University. 

The event will feature sessions from a number of universities, the Association for Learning Technology (ALT) and Google. Sessions will focus on using Google Apps in learning environments, business procedures and from the support side. Topics will include cloud computing, Google Analytics, Google Apps Script, Google Drive and Google Mail. 

There will also be sessions covering the struggles and triumphs of transitioning to Google, examples of use in the academic world, and how to take an active approach to user engagement. 

All sessions will be streamed via Google Hangouts on Air (Google Hangouts is being replaced by Google Chats on the 1 November 2022) and will be available to watch on the GEUG14 website. 

Heidi Fraser-Krauss, Head of IT Services at the University of York and the conference organiser, said: “The University of York is delighted to be hosting GEUG14, the third Google Apps for Education User Group.  The programme includes talks on everything from using Google tools to support teaching Journalism to managing Estates projects. 

"It is really exciting to see so many innovative and imaginative ideas gathered together in one place. The University of York has embraced all the tools Google provides and it is fair to say that I cannot imagine how we would manage without them now. I'm really looking forward to hearing about what others have done and learning from them."

One of the highlights of the meeting will be the “Google Roadmap”, a closed session only open to current customers of Google Apps. Presented by Ross Mahon, Strategic Partnerships Manager for Google, the Roadmap will cover some of the things in store for the Apps suite. 

Ross Mahon said: “Google is excited to support the GEUG14 at the University of York. The event will bring together 90 delegates from 36 institutions across the UK and Europe to share best practice on the use of Google tools to support teaching, learning and research in Universities.” 

ALT Award winner Gary Wood will give a presentation and workshop on how he used the Google Apps suite to facilitate authentic learning opportunities and build inclusive communities of learning. The session will demonstrate the work on allaboutlinguistics.com, with the workshop offering delegates the opportunity to learn more about the tools used. 

GEUG14 is supported by Google, with exhibits by Ancoris and Paperpile. Ancoris will demonstrate Appogee Leave and provide an opportunity for delegates to try Chromebooks. Representatives from Paperpile, a reference management tool, will be on hand to answer questions about Paperpile’s Add-on. 

The Google Apps for Education European User Group Meeting will take place from 23 to 24 June at the Ron Cooke Hub, University of York. For further information visit www.york.ac.uk/geug14 or contact Kimi Smith, event organiser,  geug14@york.ac.uk; @GEUG14; Tel: 01904 323842.

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