1st of 5: Leadership and Google Apps in Your District

At the NJ Google Apps for Education Summit this month, we had the opportunity to briefly present and discuss the role and impact of Google Apps in K-12 Education with administrators and leaders from several districts.  This post is the 1st of 5 on Leadership and Google Apps in Your District.

Google Apps is a Platform, not a Solution

While this statement seems obvious, we work with many school districts that become so focused on the near term goal of getting Google Apps up and running, and their users and data moved over, that they neglect to consider what comes next.

If your moving to Google Apps simply for email and calendaring, then yes, for the moment, your deployment project is the end of your journey.  If, however, you expect to use Google Apps in the classroom to foster innovation and education results, than your Google Apps deployment is the prep work for your journey.

Yes, Google Apps provides a suite of apps and tools.  How you use these apps and tools is what makes the difference.

Google Apps is also the base of a managed ecosystem.  Through Google Apps for Education, you can manage access to applications, web sites, learning tools, educational content, and services.  You can manage devices — tablets and Chromebooks, with extensive control over the students’ user experience.

Most importantly, Google Apps provides a platform for innovation.  Be it flipped classroom, web-based learning, student portfolios, or self-directed learning, Google Apps provides the core tools, administrative platform, and security envelope you need.