In a move intended to boost students' access to high-tech tools for better education, Google (News - Alert) announced that the state of Oregon is the first to adopt its Docs, Sites, Video and Group tools.
As such, students in Oregon will soon have the option to embrace homework, lessons plans, and lectures in the cloud. The state is the first to adopt Google Apps for Education in all of its public schools, Google reportedly said Wednesday.
Starting today, under a five-year deal, all school districts in the state will offer access to the aforementioned to all teachers, staff, and students, PC World reported. The suite will also include e-mail filtering and protection from Postini (News - Alert), shared contacts via Google Contacts, Google Calendar, private online discussion groups via Google Groups, Google Talk, and iGoogle.
"Growing up in the late seventies in Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan, technology wasn't really a part of my educational life," said Jaime Casap, Google Apps Education Manager, in a blog posting. "My teachers graded printouts and the idea of collaborating with my classmates on a project anytime, anywhere just wasn't possible. Not to mention, we didn't have a computer at home and working on the Internet was still a pipe dream for a middle schooler."
Today, "there are people working hard to bring technology into classrooms to help students learn and teachers teach … With Google Apps, students in Oregon can build websites or e-mail teachers about a project," Casap said.
Marisa Torrieri is a TMCnet Web editor, covering IP hardware and mobility, including IP phones, smartphones, fixed-mobile convergence and satellite technology. She also compiles and regularly contributes to TMCnet's gadgets and satellite e-Newsletters. To read more of Marisa's articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by Marisa Torrieri