Google Apps for Education

As I've been thinking more and more about the benefits of having a 1:1 classroom, I have begun exploring possible ways to make this happen.  The first step is identifying the type of equipment I would like to use, then the next is to acquire the funding necessary to purchase the equipment.  Then the largest challenge likely comes once I have the devices - implementing them in a way that enhances learning.

After doing some research, and trying to decide between laptops and tablets, I am going to pursue a classroom set of Google Chromebooks.  These laptops are very cheap due to the Chrome OS, the lack of software, and the use of cloud storage.  Google also has very good support for using these devices in education.  In researching the Chromebooks, I came across Google Apps for Education, which I had heard about but hadn't looked into seriously.  While early in their development, Google Apps seem to have a tremendous amount of potential.  They can provide email, cloud storage, learning management systems, and more for schools and school systems.  I decided to explore getting a Google Apps account, and quickly discovered that Montgomery County Public Schools already has accounts set up for all teachers, although they have yet to make any attempt to implement these tools.  There will be a significant addition to the tools this fall with Google Classroom, and I am eager to see the impact this can make if I am able to use this feature:

Chromebooks taking advantage of Google Apps can't happen without funding, however.  I have explored grant options to secure the necessary funds, and will be pursuing a community grant through the Best Buy Children's Foundation.

Hopefully this will be a successful effort and I can use this technology to improve outcomes for my students and reduce the achievement gap.