Set Up Pear Deck for Your District

IT admins control district-wide deployment: approving Pear Deck in Google Workspace or your identity provider, configuring your network allow list, and rostering students through Google Classroom. Teachers control their own lessons, sessions, and class rosters within the access you grant.

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Configure Google Workspace

Google Workspace setup covers 3 areas:

• Installing the Pear Deck for Google Slides add-on across your domain
• Approving Pear Deck as a trusted third-party app for students under 18
• Enabling SSO for teacher and student sign-in

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Install the Add-on Domain-Wide

1. Sign in to admin.google.com with a Google Workspace super admin account.
2. Navigate to Apps > Google Workspace Marketplace apps > Apps list.
3. Click Add app to domain install list.
4. Search for “Pear Deck” and select Pear Deck for Google Slides.
5. Click Domain Install and follow the prompts to complete the installation.

Verify the result: Ask a teacher to open Google Slides. The Pear Deck for Google Slides add-on should appear in the Extensions menu without any additional install steps on their part.

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Approve Pear Deck for Students under 18

Google Workspace requires explicit approval for third-party apps accessed by users under 18. Without this, students cannot sign in to Pear Deck sessions. See Approve Pear Deck as a Third-Party App in Google Workspace for the full steps, including how to add Pear Deck by Client ID if it does not appear in your configured apps list.

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Enable SSO

Pear Deck uses Google OAuth for SSO. Pear Deck does not require additional SSO configuration once your teachers and students authenticate through Google Workspace. Teachers sign in at app.peardeck.com using their Google Workspace credentials. Students join sessions through joinpd.com and authenticate with their Google accounts.

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Configure Your Network Allow List

Pear Deck requires outbound access to several domains. If your district network uses a firewall or content filter, add the following domains to your allow list before deployment. Run the Pear Deck Network Test to identify any blocked domains on your network before teachers begin using Pear Deck in class. For the full list of network requirements, cookie domains, and Client IDs, see Technical Requirements.

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Access the Pear Deck Administrator Dashboard

Subscription managers can access plan information and the Administrator Dashboard from the My Account page.

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Find the Dashboard

1. Go to Pear Deck Home and sign in with the Google or Microsoft account associated with your subscription.
2. Click your profile picture in the upper-right corner.
3. Select My Account from the menu.
4. Verify the result: Your plan information and the Administrator Dashboard appear on the My Account page.

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Use the Dashboard

Depending on your subscription, the Administrator Dashboard lets you:

• Review teacher and student engagement and usage data
• Manage teachers on a school-wide subscription
• Restrict student session access to approved email domains
• Configure Canvas or Schoology integrations for a district subscription

For a complete overview, see Understand the Subscription Manager Role. For steps to add, remove, or transfer teachers on a school-wide subscription, see Manage Your School Subscription.

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After Setup: What Teachers Need to Know

Once you complete district setup, share these resources with teachers to help them get started.

• Get Started with Pear Deck Slides: first-use steps for creating and presenting a lesson
• Use the Google Classroom Add-On: how teachers connect their Google Classroom rosters in Pear Deck
• Technical Requirements: device, browser, and network requirements to share with teachers before they begin

If teachers encounter sign-in issues after you complete setup, ask them to clear their browser cookies and attempt to sign in again. Most sign-in issues resolve after the first successful authentication.

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Contact Support

Contact Pear Deck Support for:

• Resolving sync errors that persist after 24 hours
• Confirming or transferring the Subscription Manager role
• Any deployment issue that cannot be resolved through self-serve steps

Reach support at help.peardeck.com or by contacting your Pear Deck account representative.