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Rumor and Myth – GoogleApps in Education Users (please RT)


UPDATE 01/28/2010: Follow-up blog post with an example of a really large district–18th largest in the United States.

ORIGINAL BLOG ENTRY:

Thanks to Lucy Gray for originally sharing survey results about GoogleApps in Education usage, as well as Lisa Velmer Nielson for reposting them on her Facebook page. Both efforts helped spread the information and made it easy for me to locate a week after they posted it! Amazing how many emails and communications are flowing in about everything under the sun, so finding stuff worth keeping–as these survey results are–can be problematic if it takes me long to blog it.

Lisa Velmer Nielsen Lucy Gray just shared a couple places to post where schools are using Google Apps in Ed – http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pfr2_hjQxlJb76nqluop3Gg&output=html

Find out more about GoogleApps for Education- http://edu.googleapps.com/

Finding out the information is helpful for school districts who are considering GoogleApps for Education. One of the pieces of information I wish the spreadsheet collected was the total number of students and the number of schools. One of the complaints I hear is that GoogleApps for Education hasn’t been deployed in LARGE districts.

IMPORTANT: More data is needed, and I would love to have you complete this survey about GoogleApps in Education for YOUR district. I promise to update this post regularly with stats and feedback. If you know of a large district using GoogleApps for Education, please complete the survey. You can access raw data here.


What I would like to see is a school district that has 8000+ users and over 100 schools that is using GoogleApps for Education as a complete replacement for MS Exchange services. I’d also like to see their full implementation plan and how they have dealt with issues such as FERPA, etc.

Robert Alford (blog) recently asked presented a fascinating question that gets at implementation issues that I suspect districts that just “jumped” into GoogleApps for Education haven’t really thought through:

Question regarding staff members/school districts use of Google docs. What is your district’s stance regarding teachers/schools use of Google docs? Would signing up for a Google Apps for Education account and activating the SSL capabilities meet with FERPA laws?

An example: A teacher using Google forms/spreadsheet to keep track of parent contacts made and items discussed. Using Google docs the school’s administrative staff could have access to the information as the teacher complies the data. BUT because we are not in a contractual agreement with Google (as opposed to Fitness Gram or TMSDS) would this violate FERPA law?

Now, some might suggest that we should just call Google and get a response. The problem with that is the last time someone called Google about GoogleApps for Education, the representative said, “GoogleApps for Education are NOT free for a large district with 8000+ users and 100 schools.” Of course, this caused quite a bit of confusion. While early adopter districts can jump into GoogleApps for Education, they should know that other districts are fearful–rightfully so–of abandoning tried and true approaches to services that they can’t just call someone for support.

In many ways, it is this support model that inhibits the spread of free open source solutions…”I can’t just pick up the phone and hold someone accountable [except myself and my small team] for fixing our problem.” Unless GoogleApps for Education can clearly deal with getting information out, no amount of enthusiastic support and endorsement from early adopter districts is going to make it happen.

In reviewing the information in the spreadsheet, here are educational entities that are using GoogleApps in Education. Regrettably, most of the examples cited in the spreadsheet Lucy Gray shared (thanks, Lucy!!) are small campuses, small districts, or virtual schools. In other words, none among them that would convince large district administration to dump a system they’ve invested hundreds of thousands of dollars of time, effort and precious funding for a system that lacks CONTACT US link with real phone numbers, a HelpDesk that can be contacted.

While arguing that phone numbers and helpdesk are part of old support models, the truth is, if you can’t pick up the phone and talk to a real person, then you’re being asked to take GoogleApps in Education on faith. Consider this scathing remark from a technology director in the United States about SunBurst educational software’s support efforts:

I’d just like to warn anyone who may be considering or has already purchased Sunburst products; THE COMPANY NO LONGER HAS LEGITIMATE TECH SUPPORT! They have a toll-free number they mislead you with that they advertise as tech support, but you will not be able to speak to anyone and you will not be able to leave a message for a call back like the “so-called” support site says you can. Also, don’t expect a return email or a legitimate answer through the “supposed” ticket system.

I challenge GoogleApps for Education–the organization, not the users–to speak up and share the toll-free number they have for technical support, knowledgeable support staff to respond to questions, and HelpDesk for their GoogleApps.
Not much of a list, huh? In reviewing the entire list online, it appears the vast majority are individual campuses or districts with less than 10 schools. This is not evidence sufficient to convert a large district.

I did hear rumors of a district “Matt Whacker” is in, have attempted to make contact with him, but to no avail, even via Twitter and/or his blog. Another rumor is that there is a New York district with 1200 schools using GoogleApps for Education but no firm contact there.

Now, while I want to use GoogleApps for Education in Texas schools, I can honestly tell you that unless I can show GoogleApps for Education being used in school districts with 40 or more, it’s not worth bringing up except as a tool for teachers to use for their own personal purposes.

To get more helpful information–from a large district perspective–please complete this new survey. And, feel free to share it with others.

UPDATE 01/24/2010; 10:38 AM: Thanks to Lucy Gray for sharing the following links that are well worth watching:


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14 comments

  1. While not exactly what you're looking for, my district is currently piloting Google Apps for Edu and, if all goes well, will deploy it as opt-out in the fall for grades 5-12. We have about 24 school sites. We are not, however, currently replacing our Exchange system. If you'd like to talk with my CIO, I'm sure he'd be willing – he's struggled with many of these same questions. Here's a link to the FAQ's the district has developed (still a work in progress).

    Reply

  2. While not exactly what you're looking for, my district is currently piloting Google Apps for Edu and, if all goes well, will deploy it as opt-out in the fall for grades 5-12. We have about 24 school sites. We are not, however, currently replacing our Exchange system. If you'd like to talk with my CIO, I'm sure he'd be willing – he's struggled with many of these same questions. Here's a link to the FAQ's the district has developed (still a work in progress).

    Reply

  5. I would love to know of any school using Google Apps in the classroom for students K-2. It would be great to move away from MS Office, but wonder about having to create Google log in for students that young and how kiddos might handle it.

    Reply

  6. I would love to know of any school using Google Apps in the classroom for students K-2. It would be great to move away from MS Office, but wonder about having to create Google log in for students that young and how kiddos might handle it.

    Reply

  12. Miguel:I got permission to record and share a presentation by IT staff from Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland at COSN 09. They migrated over 28,000 users from Exchange to Google Apps for Education. Here's the podcast link, with more links in the shownotes.

    Reply

  13. The Open University announced this week that it's moving everybody over to Google Apps for Ed – that's 200,000 users! I hope that's a big enough number. :-)I'm doing an MA in E-Learning at the OU, so expect to be migrating to using Google Apps as a student in the near future.I'm the Head of Media and ICT at a multi-campus K-12 high school in England and we're about to launch Google Apps for Ed with a view to using it as a complement to Moodle. We imported 2700 names into Google this week from Active Directory, so hopefully we'll be able to start rolling it out soon.Regards, Sacha

    Reply

  14. The Open University announced this week that it's moving everybody over to Google Apps for Ed – that's 200,000 users! I hope that's a big enough number. :-)I'm doing an MA in E-Learning at the OU, so expect to be migrating to using Google Apps as a student in the near future.I'm the Head of Media and ICT at a multi-campus K-12 high school in England and we're about to launch Google Apps for Ed with a view to using it as a complement to Moodle. We imported 2700 names into Google this week from Active Directory, so hopefully we'll be able to start rolling it out soon.Regards, Sacha

    Reply

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