Graeme Rocher introduces Groovy and its corresponding web framework, Grails, followed by a code writing demo intended to highlight the advantages of using Grails over Java EE in order to develop web applications.
http://www.infoq.com/presentations/Web-Development-Grails-Graeme-Rocher

The Google Web Toolkit (GWT) is an AJAX framework that enables developers to create rich user web pages with Java, it makes use of type-checking and code re-use. GWT compiles Java code to generate fast, cross-platform Javascript. The GWT-GRAILS plugin incorporates GWT code into your GSP pages, and it also simplifies the handling of RPC requests on the server. in this session, Peter Ledbrooke tells us more about the grails plugin for GWT.
http://skillsmatter.com/podcast/java-jee/ria-without-the-javascript-gwt-and-grails-1171

In this session, Guillaume Laforge, Groovy project manager, will walk you through a rapid introduction to Groovy, to get you up-to-speed with this popular JVM language. Then, he will guide you throughout demos on how to build some Web 2.0 mashups in a few lines of Groovy code, as well as how to deploy Grails application in the cloud. He’ll then close the session showing you various ways you can leverage Groovy to even further streamline and simplify the development of App Engine applications, thanks to several tips and tricks …

The Java platform has always been strong in providing a rock-solid,
scalable and performing base for web applications. Unfortunately, this 
came at the expense of development pleasure. This time is over. Learn how
 Grails puts the awesome power of the JEE platform right at your
fingertips, standing on the should of giants like Spring, Hibernate,
Quartz and others. Watch how a full-blown, database backed, CRUD-enabled,
 tested and ajaxified JEE web application gets created right before your eyes.

Ted demonstrates how his private MacBook uses Grails to connect to a MS SQL server using the new JDBC 4 driver for MS SQL. We thought we give this some extra footage. Ted demonstrates the Northwind database and scaffolded UI for these tables based on newly created domain classes.

In this session Graeme Rocher, SpringSource’s Head of Grails Development, will demonstrate how the basics of Twitter could have been built using Grails and JMS in a mere 40 minutes. A fast paced and code-driven presentation, Graeme will build a Twitter-like application from scratch using Grails and its rapid application development capability. By bringing together Spring, JMS and Java persistence techniques Graeme will also provide advanced tips and techniques for constructing Grails applications that can be deployed on to the Java EE platform.  …

The demand for increased interactivity with today’s web applications has resulted in a need to bring the familiar UI features of the desktop to the Web. With the availability of mature 3rd party JavaScript libraries, AJAX technology (DOM, CSS, JavaScript) provides a feasible way to fill this need. The presenter will walk through building rich web apps using Yahoo! UI (YUI) and Ext JS JavaScript libraries on the Grails platform. The presenter will also demonstrate ways of implementing basic and advanced features using these libraries.

Benefits of Groovy and Grails. How the dynamic languages and a new approach to web development can improve productivity in the JEE landscape. Have a peek at the power and easy learning curve of rails-like frameworks ported to the Java world. Conference by Davide Panelli at OpenExpo, the Swiss Open Source Software Conference & Exposition.

Presentation slides

Demo of installing GlassFish v3 Prelude, the Grails support and deploying a helloworld application using both Embedded and standalone mode. All in 5 minutes!
https://slx.sun.com/1179271912

Interviews with the core developers of Groovy and Grails.