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Two more US States adopt Google Apps for Education |
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Google has announced that after Oregon, which was the first state to begin offering Google Apps to public schools, Colorado and Iowa are joining the movement of Google Apps for Education, which will now be available to more than 3,000 schools across the two states. These state-wide agreements enable schools and districts to benefit from centralized resources such as deployment support and training materials, paving the way for an easy transition to Google Apps—including Gmail, Docs, Sites, Calendar, Video, and Groups—in their classrooms, immediately.  Jaime Casap, Google Apps Education Manager said in her blogpost that the economics of Google Apps is just one of the benefits for educators. Educators and students from JeffCo Public Schools, the largest school district in Colorado with more than 85,000 students, have been using Google Apps to help students collaborate and learn by working together, Casap said. The “anytime, anywhere” availability of Google Apps is apparently a hit with teachers in Colorado and Iowa, who are using the online collaboration tools to teach feedback and revision strategies to students, and are even starting to go paperless on a number of assignments.Google quoted Colorado Governor Bill Ritter as saying, “I’m pleased to see the Statewide Internet Portal Authority (SIPA) continue its tradition of bringing innovative tools to members of the Colorado public. By leveraging the Internet, educators are able to bring new ways of learning to the classroom and connect with students in exciting and challenging ways.” Brent Siegrist, Director of Iowa Area Education Agencies Services said, “As a former teacher, I can see how these tools will engage students, make the classroom a more vibrant place and allow teachers to work together more collaboratively.” Dana Nguyen, Product Marketing Manager, Google Apps Education announced a full spectrum of training solutions that schools can use to develop and enhance their use of Google Apps – regardless of their size or budget – which has three components: a free online training center, a set of qualification exams for teachers, and a Certified Trainer and Partner program. Schools desiring a “self service” approach to mastering Google Apps will have a comprehensive set of resources on using Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Sites, and more in the new online Google Apps Education Training Center. This free online center is designed to take a new user of Google Apps – even someone with no Apps experience – and guide them step-by-step to understanding and proficiency. A step further would be allowing educators or trainers to prove their mastery of Google Apps – a key step in becoming a Google Apps Certified Trainer or Partner. These exams are based 100% on the content in the training center, so everything that’s needed to pass the test is available online, Google said. Exams are administered by an independent third party training organization and can be purchased directly from our new training center. Moreover, Google's training solutions support schools with the training and professional development resources they need to enhance their teachers’ use of Google Apps as a teaching tool. The new Google Apps for Education Certified Trainer and Partner program provides a formal structure for certifying individuals and partners who lead workshops or trainings about Apps, and provides schools with an easy way to find the best partners in their area. Google is also extending its offer to provide Google Message Security (GMS) at no charge to schools who sign up with Apps through the end of this year. Primary and secondary schools that add the GMS service to their domain before December 31, 2010 will be able to take advantage of GMS’s custom email filters, policy management, and enhanced security controls.
Image: Google |
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