Just Google It

JUST GOOGLE IT!

By Stephen J. Brennan and James Bond Pinelands Regional School District

In today’s economic times, business administrators constantly struggle with balancing the technological boom with the budgetary crunch. Accessibility, reliability and affordability never seem to meet at the same intersection. Historically, a district would need to add servers, PC’s, infrastructure and, inevitably, personnel to meet the increasing technological demand in education. Also, taking sides in the commercial war of, “Hi, I’m a MAC” and “Hi, I’m a PC,” introduces another daunting task. But, there is an avenue to eliminate some or all of the difficult technology vs. budget matters that confront us on a daily basis.

Several years ago, Google introduced an alternative line of education applications to make many decisions easier. Google’s Education Apps provides a free, secure, and collaborative environment for educators, with 24/7 accessibility. All it takes to implement is a device with Internet access, the ability to believe it is that easy and a climate that is accepting of change. The rest will take care of itself.

The most relevant benefit from a school business official’s perspective is, IT’S FREE! At the very minimum, it eliminates the need for a Microsoft Exchange Server and the like. It also increases accessibility because very rarely will you see Google encounter down time. In turn, it significantly reduces the time devoted by your tech team (i.e. personnel costs) to manage the system.

In Pinelands Regional we found that moving away from our exchange server and clients with MS Outlook was a no-brainer, the trick was finding a replacement. On average, the team spent more than a few hours a day installing patches, Outlook clients, and fixing corrupt files. Along with that, we had to maintain the exchange server, including fine- tuning our firewall, so our users could utilize email services without concern for hackers, spam, etc. With the implementation of Education Apps, most of that burden shifted to Google and we eliminated the cost. Collaboration through Education Apps

As Bob Marley sang, “Let’s get together and feel alright.”

Another key element included in this package is the ability to facilitate collaborative working environments. Google Docs, Sites and Groups allow multiple users the ability to view, edit and print documents simultaneously, regardless of user location. “Things like IM and video chat are also helping further collaboration among students and faculty or between faculty members. We can be more accessible than ever,” says John Sudia, Google Enterprise Sales Engineer.

I’m sure most will agree the monthly board meeting agenda is one of the business administrator’s most used documents under our area of responsibility. More often than not, this playbook requires input from many people throughout the district. Google Education Apps, gives superintendents, administrators, staff and even colleagues outside the organization the opportunity to provide input on any document, based upon authority given by the author.

A good example of the collaborative benefits of this program occurred while we tested the use of Google Docs for paperless board meetings. We needed the valued input of a fellow business administrator. By merely entering an email address into the document, our colleague was able to view and provide constructive input that we later utilized to perfect the process.

Board members also find the use of Google Docs more efficient. Districts can eliminate the need to copy and deliver board packets by simply creating, uploading or scanning documents into a Google collection shared with the entire board. This practice results in quicker dissemination of information but also protects the BA from the inevitable comment, “You never gave that to me.” By using Google Docs as a platform for paperless meetings, administrators can access information from past meetings and other databases to address issues immediately and most likely prevent a problem from erupting into a much larger storm that sometimes stems from the “I’ll have to get back to you,” response.

Better Security & Reliability

Security presents another key element of concern when implementing an internet-based system. Google designed its apps to provide educational institutions with a safe, reliable platform, with better security and reliability than many schools could achieve on their own. Some of the main points to include:

 The system has obtained a SAS 70 Type II attestation for its data.

 It complies with applicable US privacy law, FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) regulations.  It’s registered with the US-EU Safe Harbor agreement, which helps ensure that our data protection compliance meets European Union standards for educational institutions.  There is no advertising to students or staff.  The Apps content belongs to your school, or individual users at your school; not Google.  Google employees will only access content that you store on Apps when an administrator from your domain grants Google employees explicit permission to do so for troubleshooting.  Google does not share personal information with advertisers or other third parties without your consent.  Google sometimes scans the content for very good reasons, like spam filtering, anti-virus protection, or malware detection. Their systems scan content to make Apps work better for users, enabling unique functionality.

When the BA thinks of security, she or he must also think of archiving records to comply with the Open Public Records Act (OPRA). This is the only fee-based service provided by Google. As you can guess, this cost fluctuates with number of users. Implementation

Lastly, we need to discuss implementation. As with most technology, Google needs complete buy-in from your technology department. Once educated on the benefits of the new platform, they could release usage in a test program with eventual implementation district-wide.

The second level of implementation would include the release to the administrative tier for their use and input. Level three incorporates access to all staff. Finally, you can permit student access to the platform.

Most will agree that levels one through three pose relative low risk. With the onslaught of HIB, sexual predators and such, a district should be cautious about granting student access to Google. It is conceivable, for a district to be held liable for any crimes or offenses occurring on its system. You can be sure your risk manager will warn that a court may declare that a district provided an electronic vehicle to commit unlawful acts. While the same risk is present with employees’ use, you can bet a whole new world will open up with students utilizing such a powerful tool.

Admittedly “JUST GOOGLE IT! “ rips-off a popular brand’s marketing slogan. It’s intended to stir up images of a familiar and seasoned brand, much like Nike does in the field of athletics. Most of us should find comfort in the fact that Google is here to stay and poses a relatively low risk of quick obsolescence.

We encourage you to visit Google’s website that details all it has to offer and continue to visit as advancements on the Educational Apps constantly emerge (http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/edu/).

As you consider migrating to this technology, feel free to contact us at Pinelands Regional School District. And Yes! Pinelands IT Director’s real name is James Bond and he lives up to all the standards that come with it. Stephen J. Brennan, MBA, CPA, SBA at Pinelands Regional School District, can be reached at [email protected]. James Bond, Pinelands IT Director, can be reached at [email protected].

Sources: GOOGLE: Apps for Education (http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/edu/)