I love a company that devotes so much time and energy to provide the educational community with amazing tools all for FREE. I personally think that a law should be passed that requires every district to adopt (and use) Google Apps for Education (GAfE). Okay, so maybe a law is a bit extreme, but I do feel strongly about it. If districts truly understood the power of GAfE I really believe they would run, not walk, to sign up. Oh and did I mention it is free?
Here are some awesome features available only to GAfE districts.
- District issued domain
- Access to Google Classroom (not available with personal account)
- Every member of a GAfE district has unlimited storage in Drive with the ability to upload a file 5TB in size (personal accounts only get 15GB of storage space)
- Ability to create appointment slots in Google calendar (not available on personal accounts)
- Free web-based district email for staff and students with the ability to turn on/off based on grade-levels
- FERPA compliant (personal account is not FERPA compliant)
I know there are many more reasons, but for the sake of not losing you with too long of a blog, I will stop there. If I can't sell you on Google Apps with those six bullets, well seven if you take free into account, then I am afraid I have no hope.
Also, there are over 1,000 Authorized Google Education Trainers around the world. The group I am a part of has 1,125 members (trainers) to date and more are getting added everyday. Districts can hire trainers to come help get their systems up and running, train staff, train students, and so much more. Here is a link to the Google Education Directory to help you find a trainer near you.
Oh and no Google is not paying me to write this blog. I really feel strongly about Google Apps and I had to give a shout out. Not that I would turn down a check from Google...;-)
Google Apps is the way to go. You should get on the bus now because you don't want to get left behind.
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