Over three million K-12 students in New York State will now have access to the same collaborative suite of online apps that many businesses use.
Google (GOOG) has now enabled schools in five different states to use Google Apps in their education departments, statewide. New York was added to the list today. Those three million students in New York State will be able to send and receive e-mail, share calendars and documents and build websites using Google tools.
Today, New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), in partnership with the New York State Teacher Centers and associated Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), the New York State teacher unions and New York State professional organizations, will offer Google Apps access, training and support to 697 public school districts, as well as all non-public and charter schools, across New York. We’re excited that NYIT is committed to providing schools the deployment and professional development resources they need to make Google Apps for Education—including Gmail, Docs, Sites and Calendar—a powerful tool for teachers and students across the state.
Feel good video below:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jf3ZzxfaVw&w=600&h=375]
Google has built out incredibly scalable Cloud suite of applications. The cost to Google per user is so insignificant, it is offset by the opportunity of getting a future customers ready for Google Apps for Enterprise. Or at least their college version of Google Apps.
Kids also share the Google experience with their parents and siblings. Should Microsoft (MSFT) be worried that a generation of kids is being brought up with knowledge and experience of Google Apps, rather than Microsoft Office? They have their own effort called Live@edu, which they quote as having 11 million users as well so they are in the same league as Google.