Google Apps for Education = Endless Learning Potential

Google Apps are becoming more and more popular, and with good reason.  Schools and businesses are finding the value of transitioning to the use of Google Apps.  I am not currently a teacher, but have been substituting and completing field experience hours in different schools and districts.  What I have found is that there is a big mix of technology levels among schools.  Some of the schools I have been in have high levels of technology use while others barely use it.  Those who are actively using technology have found Google Apps to be very beneficial. Some of the teachers I have talked to in the schools that have less technology use are using Google Apps themselves and are advocating for the use of them in their school.

I was introduced to Google Apps last year, and from the minute I started using them I could not understand why a school would not use them!  The applications are similar to the Microsoft Office Suite, but are FREE!  That is a huge cost savings to the school when they can have a suite of products that has the same capabilities, with the addition of collaboration capabilities. 

 A friend of mine works in the office of a school that is currently transitioning to Google Apps.  She was 

frustrated with the transition to Gmail accounts.  I assured her that although the transition may be frustrating, the end result would be much more beneficial.  The advantages are worth the struggles in the beginning.  For example, she writes a school newsletter every month, and gets input from the teachers and other staff members.  Rather than having to gather the information and cut and paste from emails or retype from a hand written document, there can be a live document that everyone adds to.  This is a much more efficient way to create the newsletter, and it saves time!  In addition, the newsletter can be shared with the staff, parents and community by sharing the link.  By not having to print and mail hundreds of newsletters, that saves money.   Schools that are struggling financially can benefit greatly from these cost savings.

From a professional development perspective, teachers can collaborate and provide presentations on different technologies, for example.  Google forms can be used by the administration to survey the teachers about what types of professional development they want.  Google offers free online webinars and tutorials for professional development. Go to this link for more information:  Google Education   

Teachers can connect with other teachers all over the world by joining Google Communities.  This is a great way to exchange ideas and learn from one another. Google Docs can also be used for discussions.  What you type in a document is seen instantly by whoever else has that document up. This allows for teachers and students to communicate with each other without having to be in the same room (Solomon & Schrum, 2010).  Here is a link for more information about Google Communities.

Students can access Google Apps from almost any Internet enabled device. They no longer have to be sitting together to work on a group project.  Students can access their portfolios anytime, anywhere.  That means they have many more opportunities for learning than just their classroom time.  Students can receive instant feedback, which is great for peer editing projects. 

A quote from a teacher in Warminster, Pennsylvania summarizes the benefits she has seen using Google Docs:

“While it has taken me a little bit of time to get this project moving, it has been VERY EASY and I am beginning to see myself as more of a facilitator to my students’ learning while they are collaborators to each other and myself!  It is exciting to see them engaged in their own learning – heads aren’t down anymore and they are doing work outside of the school walls” (Solomon & Schrum, 2010, p. 75).

There are so many opportunities through Google for Education, including virtual field trips:

When I have my own classroom, I hope that the school I am in will have implemented Google Apps and that I will be able to create portfolios for each of my students.  I will use Google Apps for collaboration projects, peer editing reviews, and presentations, just to begin with.  I can see the advantages to Google Forms for teaching students how to create surveys and gather information and compile into a spreadsheet to present to the class.  For assessments, I’ll use Google Forms to create quizzes that can be graded automatically, giving students immediate feedback.  I will participate in the online training opportunities as well as join Google Communities to enhance my understanding and broaden my knowledge of what Google Apps has to offer, and share with my colleagues.

The advantages to using Google Apps for Education are almost endless.  One thing to keep in mind, however, is that the school’s network infrastructure must be secure, and be able to handle the additional bandwidth.  Security policies must be in place and antivirus software is a must have, and also must be kept up to date. “Pupils need protection from inappropriate material just as much as the school network needs protection against data leakage” (Winder, 2010).  Different age groups have different security risks, and security policies can be set to cover all of them.  The IT department has to take into account the age groups in the school and what the best way is to protect them.  Wireless networks should be secured and restrictions placed on what applications can be installed.  Students and guests have to understand the acceptable use policy (AUP), sign it, and abide by it.  By explaining to students what the AUP is, what it means and why it is important helps prepare them for seeing these policies at work or college. “Children will rise to the expectation set before them if it is explained to them in language they understand, if it is reasonable and if it is enforced” (Winder, 2010).

I didn’t intend for this blog post to go on as long as it has.  There is a lot more to be said about Google Apps, but I will close now and encourage everyone to explore Google Apps in depth and utilize it in your classrooms. 

References:

Solomon, G., Schrum, L. (2010). web 2.0 how-to for educators. Washington, D.C.: ISTE.

Winder, D. (2010, December 20). How to Secure a School Network. Retrieved from PC Pro: http://www.pcpro.co.uk/features/363853/how-to-secure-a-school-network/3