Full disclosure I love google. I understand the search and security implications and the scandals, however, between Google, Amazon, and Navient (formerly Sallie Mae) I am already owned. So I figure.....why not.
Around 15 million elementary and secondary students uses Google in the United States. Google. the silicon technology giant, has taken control of the educational software game from other previous giants like Microsoft and Apple. As a native to the state of Maine's MLTI initiative (Maine Learning Technology Initiative) which provide funds for school districts to place devices into students hands in a 1:1 capacity. The state choose to go with Apple, who at the time, was at the forefront of education apps and curriculum for students and teachers. I had already graduated when the program took effect but had several younger relatives who graduated under the MLTI flag. The program was a success in some districts and a less than stellar distraction in others. In the end it all came down to professional development offered for MLTI, administration buy in, and implementation of the devices as learning tools not just something student type on.
It also created Apple zombies. The definition of an Apple zombie is the the same as a Google zombie, or an Amazon zombie. Through the total brand insertion (i.e. Apple, Google, etc.) at a elementary or secondary level creates fierce brand loyalty. So much so that students, in this case, ONLY purchase/want/long for certain particular branded products. A perfect example of an Apple zombie would be when an individual camps out, for days, in line, outside, in February, for a chance, only a chance, at owning the newest iPhone. Many of my relatives are 100% Apple zombies and only purchase Apple products.
Many worry that because of Google's total educational take over that this will become the case for the next generation. Student will ONLY use gmail,
"Google is helping to drive a philosophical change in public education — prioritizing training children in skills like teamwork and problem-solving while de-emphasizing the teaching of traditional academic knowledge, like math formulas. "
"whether the purpose of public schools is to turn out knowledgeable citizens or skilled workers."
Mr. Rochelle of Google said that when students transfer their school emails and files to a personal Google account, that account is governed by Google’s privacy policy. “Personal Gmail accounts may serve ads,” he said, but files in Google Drive are “never scanned for the purpose of showing ads.”
“Teachers really helped to drive adoption of Google in the classroom, while Apple and Microsoft continued to leverage traditional sales channels,” said Phillip DiBartolo, the chief information officer of Chicago Public Schools.
Parents and educators should be questioning Google’s pervasiveness in schools, he added, and examining “how those in the public sector are carrying the message of Google branding and marketing.”
Mr. Casap didn’t talk tech specs. Instead, he held the audience spellbound as he described the challenges he had faced as a Latino student growing up on welfare in a tough Manhattan neighborhood.
His message: Education is the great equalizer, and technology breaks down barriers between rich and poor students.
“I didn’t want us to be vendors in the space,” he said of Google’s education philosophy in an interview last year at the SXSWedu conference in Austin, Tex. “I wanted us to be thought leaders, to have a point of view.”
Today, about 15 million primary- and secondary-school students in the United States use Classroom, Google said.
It also created Apple zombies. The definition of an Apple zombie is the the same as a Google zombie, or an Amazon zombie. Through the total brand insertion (i.e. Apple, Google, etc.) at a elementary or secondary level creates fierce brand loyalty. So much so that students, in this case, ONLY purchase/want/long for certain particular branded products. A perfect example of an Apple zombie would be when an individual camps out, for days, in line, outside, in February, for a chance, only a chance, at owning the newest iPhone. Many of my relatives are 100% Apple zombies and only purchase Apple products.
Many worry that because of Google's total educational take over that this will become the case for the next generation. Student will ONLY use gmail,
"Google is helping to drive a philosophical change in public education — prioritizing training children in skills like teamwork and problem-solving while de-emphasizing the teaching of traditional academic knowledge, like math formulas. "
"whether the purpose of public schools is to turn out knowledgeable citizens or skilled workers."
Mr. Rochelle of Google said that when students transfer their school emails and files to a personal Google account, that account is governed by Google’s privacy policy. “Personal Gmail accounts may serve ads,” he said, but files in Google Drive are “never scanned for the purpose of showing ads.”
“Teachers really helped to drive adoption of Google in the classroom, while Apple and Microsoft continued to leverage traditional sales channels,” said Phillip DiBartolo, the chief information officer of Chicago Public Schools.
Parents and educators should be questioning Google’s pervasiveness in schools, he added, and examining “how those in the public sector are carrying the message of Google branding and marketing.”
Mr. Casap didn’t talk tech specs. Instead, he held the audience spellbound as he described the challenges he had faced as a Latino student growing up on welfare in a tough Manhattan neighborhood.
His message: Education is the great equalizer, and technology breaks down barriers between rich and poor students.
“I didn’t want us to be vendors in the space,” he said of Google’s education philosophy in an interview last year at the SXSWedu conference in Austin, Tex. “I wanted us to be thought leaders, to have a point of view.”
Today, about 15 million primary- and secondary-school students in the United States use Classroom, Google said.
Resources:
Singer, N. (2017, May 13). How Google Took Over the Classroom. Retrieved May 15, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/13/technology/google-education-chromebooks-schools.html