Today is the last day of the 31st ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) annual conference. The 5 day Denver event has 14,000+ attendees, visiting from 59 countries. ISTE represents more than 100,000 professionals worldwide.
The conference was also opportunity for Colorado to show its leadership in education. It announced any Colorado school can now be part of Going Google as the state has become one of three (Oregon, Colorado, Iowa) to make Google Apps for Education available to all state school districts.
Colorado Governor Bill Ritter said it best,
I’m pleased to see the Statewide Internet Portal Authority (SIPA) continue its tradition of bringing innovative tools to members of the Colorado public. By leveraging the Internet, educators are able to bring new ways of learning to the classroom and connect with students in exciting and challenging ways…
Saving money is just one reason schools are moving to Google Apps. Educators and students from JeffCo Public Schools, (county I’ve lived in for 25 years) the largest school district in Colorado with more than 85,000 students, have already been using Google Apps. Since early 2010 I’ve encouraged Jeffco Public School teachers I know to investigate getting a GCT (Google Certified Teacher) accreditation. It not only helps them better use the tools for the students but brings their technology skills to a much more current level.
These state-wide agreements enable schools and districts to benefit from centralized resources such as deployment support and training materials, paving the way for an easy transition to Google Apps—including Gmail, Docs, Sites, Calendar, Video, and Groups—in their classrooms, immediately.
Techen enterprises llc, via our www.GAFYD.net offering, has also obtained the Google Apps Education level edition for multiple non-profits (Colorado Rural Development Council, Parental Alienation Awareness Organization, Veterans Chamber of Commerce and others). It does require an application and screening process, but once approved it provides extraordinary technology resource at low cost. Even small IRS certified 501-C3 non-profits can operate with commercial quality technology tools. If you would like more information about this option contact me directly – Tom Smith 303-932-8146.
