Why Google Apps? Why not Word, Powerpoint?

As we are a Google school, it is important to understand just why using Google tools is a good thing, and why we will eventually move away from using Microsoft products like Word and Powerpoint.

There are three main reasons why Google Apps for Education are the best choice for most education tasks:

1. Mobility. Since the application and the product are both online, any document can be worked on or viewed from any device with an internet connection. This means that work that is not completed in the lab setting can be finished at home, projects begun at home can be finished in the media center, and people can move from computer to computer and back again without loss of information. Another key part of this is the auto-save feature on most Google Apps, such as Docs. With an open internet connection, what is input is automatically saved every few second or so, which means that there is far less chance of losing unsaved work in the event of a computer glitch, power outage, or forgetting to save. There is no need for auto-recovery. Just need to get logged in again, and all set!

2. Collaboration. The greatest power in Google applications is that more than one person can edit a documents, spreadsheet, or presentation at once, in real time if desired. Students can easily collaborate on written projects, or make a presentation with several people making slides at once. Just about everything can be shared with multiple users. Teachers can co-own a document with a student, and assist them without transfer of file or paper. The revision history feature allows for anyone to see a color-coded record of changes that were made by different people, allowing teachers to see who has contributed and what they have contributed.

3. Cost. The entirely of the Google Apps for Education suite is free for educators. That comes with generous cloud storage and a host of interconnected applications that work together well. Because of this, a majority of public school districts and post-secondary institutions have adopted this set of tools for their staff and students. In addition, access for students is more equitable. Since there is no paid application, students need not have a powerful computer or current applications at home, just an internet browser.

As we continue to support these tools in our district, we will continue to see the benefits of more and more people collaborating with these tools. The best result is when teachers can integrate the use of these tools in their instruction to offer rich, collaborative learning experiences for their students.

For more info, please see the following video: