Googlization!

photo credit: Kalexanderson via photopin cc

How can we make JSU into a better 21^st century learning environment?

One problem I have with campus is the online program we use to check grades, submit assignments, view class updates, etc. BlackBoard is what we at JSU use to do the previously mentioned tasks. Only 1 out of 8 of my classes used blackboard this semester.  I personally found BlackBoard to be confusing and not very efficient on the go.

One thing I found that may be cheaper for our campus to use is Google Apps for Education. Google has many apps that come free from just having a Google account. I created a    Prezi    to present most of this information. The below notes are footnotes for the presentation after the video.

photo credit: Spencer E Holtaway via photopin cc

Gmail:

•  Comes right out the box with 25GB of storage space, no need to add on.
• Syncs easily with smart phones. )Apple, Android  ect.)
• Not just email, chat with contacts in real time will online (IM, video chat,etc)
• Schools can get emails in the form of "you@yourschool.edu" so they can keep the .edu suffix.  

photo credit: Brian Sawyer via photopin cc Gmail:

Calender:

• Create and overlay multiple calenders from different friends to see how schedules match up
• Already integrated in Gmail.
• Syncs to your phones calender when signed into a Gmail app.
• Educators can create class schedules and send then to all their students easily.

Docs:

• A live document that can be edited in real time.
• Can be both private and public.
• Easily allows classes to share ideas in one place.
• Has administration controls.

Drive:

• Works just like DropBox.
• Instantly yours from having a Google account. (Free)
• Accessible from different devices (Pc, Mac, Smartphone)
•  Can share documents with other Google account (Can be used to turn in assignments much faster)

Sites

• Can create your own web page (mainly for teachers)
• Easy to setup 
• Personalize however you choose and add whatever you want.

And there are many other apps that all start off free form having a Google account.

Google Apps for Education is completely secure for colleges and other schools to use when setup right and has many benefits. Making the switch to Google can save our school money and frustation, can add more interaction between students, teachers, and administrators, and can make classrooms flow more smoothly.

photo credit: CK Wong via photopin cc

LET'S MAKE THE SWITCH TODAY!