Google has yet to launch Chrome for Work but the Internet giant has done a lot for education already. There’s the Drive for Education made free for students and educators October last year. Even before school started in September, Google Play for Education has added support for tablet sharing between five students. Soon after, it became official on Chromebooks. Google values education. It’s not just about work, entertainment, or games. After it went live in 2013, the Google Play for Education program has been helping a lot of people, mostly the education sector not only in the United States but especially in other developing countries.
This time, the program has arrived in Canada. More Canadian schools can now take advantage of Google Play for Education plus Android tablets to aid teaching and learning. Both students and teachers can greatly benefit from this “one-stop shop”. Google Play for Education features hundreds of classic books available for free download, educator-approved content for classrooms, and more educational and interactive apps approved by teachers. Google Play for Education also lists five models of Android tablets ready for classroom use.
The first group to use the program in Canada is the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) in Ontario. The UGDSB believes in the universal design for learning philosophy that aims to give students equal opportunities to succeed in life. This also brings empowerment to educators so they could respond to the learning needs of the students.
The Canadian district believes that with access to more learning resources and technology, these students can be well-educated and be able to express their ideas in more ways than one. With Google Docs, Chrome, Gmail, and Google Earth loaded on the tablets and Chromebooks, these students and teachers now have more access to a lot of things.
“Teachers noticed that the students felt comfortable using the devices and that it made the classroom more interactive. The technology and breadth of resources has accommodated the different learning styles of our students,” noted Bill MacKenzie, UGDSB IT Liaison, when they introduced the Android tablets to the students and the staff.
One Android tablet can hold a maximum of five student log-ins. Students can control their content even if they don’t really own the tablet. K-12 students can use the numerous Google Play for Education apps available. From Mathematics to English Language Arts to Science and World Langueages, teachers and students can use those tools for learning. Teachers can share ideas with other teachers using the program as well.
There are some Canadian schools already using Chromebooks. They just need to visit the Google for Education website for more information and help in setting up the program for Android tablets.
SOURCE: Google Canada
