Google for Teachers proves a disappointment so far...

Andy Carvin's October 13th article, "What's Up With Google For Teachers?" in PBS teacher sources' learning.com caught my attention today. Apparently Carvin is not the only one who thinks that Google for Educators is a disappointment. He discusses several people in his article who feel that the new Google site is superficial in its educational context and does not provide adequate opportunities for collaboration or discussion. While an Educational site at Google may have some exciting potential, at this point it is more of a re-packaging of tools that have already been offered. In the site's current state, Carvin writes,

"Google for Educators seems more like a promotional stunt, lacking in any new resources tailored for educators. Given Google’s superpower strength in the Web 2.0 universe, one might expect them to focus their resources a bit more on developing tools and services that teachers and students could really use. I’m holding out hope that these projects will evolve into something bigger, more meaningful and more engaging. Until then, I wonder if educators will see this as more as a half-hearted dog-and-pony show rather than a leap forward for interactive learning.-andy"

Some of the responce comments painted the problem in a little less sinister light. Jeremiah McNicoles, for instance, explained "I honestly think Google starts most of their Google Labs projects off in this way." In a second post, Steve Hargadon praised Google's user friendly yet cutting edge qualities and exclaimed that "they don’t have to start out providing the best of all services, because they have the resources to stick around and keep working at it until they do."

Point taken on both sides. Google for Educators probably can't even hold a match to other teacher resorce sites out there currently, but they're just starting out. All things considered, I'm glad Google is explicitly considering teachers, even if their efforts translate into a repackaging of current material for the time being. I do agree with Steve Hargadon's comment that Google's "products are generally simple to use. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to use them, but you feel that you are on the cutting edge. Teachers have so much that they have to juggle already that it must feel great to find technology that helps in practical ways and is simple to use." Hargadon is right. I don't have a ton of time to be on the cutting edge of technology, but Google does a great job of giving educators tools that empower us for free. I'm sure "Google for Educators" will progress in many capacities even if it will take sometime.

What’s Up With Google For Teachers?

October 13, 2006 2:12PM

by Andy Carvin

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