The 'disposable' email solution may not be necessary. We use Google Docs without student email at all. Here's how.
We signed up for 'Google Apps Team Edition.' This is a slightly different offering that is aimed at businesses. To use it, all the participants need to have an email address at the same domain. (Or DO they...?) This is a problem for schools that don't provide student email. We don't.
To get around this, I used my school blog domain NCS-Tech.org (which I own personally) to create email redirects so that a student's account could be validated at signup. I essentially created 140 email ailiases (for our entire 8th grade) which were routed to me. When I created the accounts, the activation emails were sent to me, I activated them, and then deleted the email alias.
The result of this was a working Google Apps account that did NOT have a functioning email address attached to it - GMail or otherwise. To access their stuff, they go here to log in:
Now, granted, they are missing a big chunk of the power of the tool - everything having to do with email collaboration - but, it's a small price to pay to enable us to use Google Apps at all.
Here's the best part: recent changes to how Google Apps Team Edition works means that verification emails are no longer sent. When you create the first account, as the administrator for the site, you will get a captcha code when creating new user accounts. Enter that and the account is activated. Done!
There are some differences between Team Edition and the others - most notably, the user account management functionality is greatly reduced - but this was the PERFECT solution for us. Google Apps and no messy email!
I'd write more but am running to catch a flight. Talk to you all soon!
-kj-
Lisa Thumann wrote: > Hi all, > > I've been asked for suggestions on how to create e-mail addresses for students so that they can use Google Docs and other Google apps. The only thing is that the schools don't want their stundents really using the e-mail accounts for personal communications because they don't want to take on the liability issue. > > Do any of you have any suggestions? I would really appreciate any help you can provide. I am also going to post this question in the GCT group. > > Thanks! > Lisa Thumann