Google Apps for Education Growing Everyday

Google and the educational systems of Iowa and Colorado shared some exciting news on Monday – that the two states would be the next to sign on to Google Apps.  This means that the states will be extending Google Apps to the more than 3,000 schools between them.

This partnership seems to make sense as the influence of Google Apps on productivity growth at both schools and colleges is becoming more and more apparent.  Aside from simply being a huge market, schools and colleges are where people go to learn and get trained.  This is where they begin to rely on brand allegiances – Google is obviously aware of this.

Back in April of this year Oregon became the first official state to adopt Google Apps.  It’s looking like a trend.  Google Apps for Education really does have some serious benefits, most importantly its price point.  Most schools today are on a tight budget and Google Apps for Education is quite affordable.

In the coming months, Google Apps for Education is going to get even savvier.  The guys at Google are about to roll out a new tool set for teachers that will help them transition to the new cloud-based productivity suite.  This comes with free online training, qualification exams, and both a Certified Trainer and Partner program.  Furthermore, the tool set itself will help clarify how to use Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Google Sites as well.

So far about 8 million students, faculty, and staff across the globe are using Google Apps.  Of course, security is a constant issue, but Google is working to mitigate that challenge by providing Google Message Security (GMS) for free to schools that sign up before the end of 2010.

Source – techcrunchit.com