Malaysia's Ministry of Education goes gaga for Google, adopts Chromebooks and Apps for Education

In the past, "going Google" was something only cities or state and federal governments did -- transitioning entire systems to the tech giant's cloud. But now, entire countries are making the leap and to do it, they're getting a giant Mountain View-assist. Following in the footsteps of the Philippines, Malaysia's Ministry of Education is embracing Google's Apps for Education nationwide, while also doling out Chromebooks to its entire school system. The initiative, part of the government's Education Blueprint, should go a long way towards reducing the barrier to the web in developing countries, while simultaneously reinforcing its use as a crucial learning tool. It's a smart move for a cash-strapped country like Malaysia, since Chromebooks are simple to use (there's no real OS), boot instantly and are relatively low-cost -- not to mention, GApps are free. And for Google, it's a really great way to bolster adoption.

Source: Official Google Blog

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By: Unknown On 10:06 AM

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Google Chromebooks now in 2,000 schools, usage doubled in three months

Google has really ramped up its education efforts lately, and it looks like it's paid off: according to the Mountain View company, its Chromebooks are now in use in 2,000 schools, which is twice as many as there were three months ago. Three of the more recent participants include Transylvania County Schools in North Carolina with 900 devices, St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Florida with 2,200 and the Rocketship Education charter network in the Bay Area with 1,100. The education team has been making efforts in the global community as well, with cloud-promoting appearances at various education conferences such as the Florida Education Technology Conference in Orlando and the British Education Training and Technology show in the UK. We're not sure exactly which flavor of Chromebook the students are getting their hands on, but we're sure no matter what they use, they'll grow up well-versed in what could be the future of computing.

Via: The Next Web

Source: Google Enterprise Blog

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By: Unknown On 7:56 PM

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Google partners with charity to supply schools with $99 Chromebooks

Google has partnered up with an online charity to provide classrooms with low-cost Chromebooks for the holidays. From now through December 21, educators can request discounted Chromebooks through DonorsChoose.org, a Kickstarter-like charity that focuses on projects submitted by public schools.

According to the promotion rules, teachers can apply for up to 30 Chromebooks, which are priced at only $99 each. This request is posted online where it may (or may not) be fulfilled by donors, just like Kickstarter. DonorsChoose has a FAQ page that provides a decent scope of how the service works.

Although this is intended to be a charitable exchange, we imagine teachers could submit their requests and then fund their own projects, effectively purchasing their own devices. Google's $99 asking price includes management and support ($30 alone), while the Samsung Series 5 typically goes for $399.

The Series 5 offers a 12.1-inch 1280x800 display, a dual-core 1.66GHz Intel Atom N570 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 16GB SSD (Chrome OS is largely cloud-based), a 4-in-1 memory card slot, dual-band Wi-Fi and optional 3G, a micro-VGA port with a VGA adapter, two USB 2.0 ports and up to 8.5 hours of run time.

Although Chromebooks haven't exactly been a hit among consumers, Google notes that more than a thousand schools have adopted the systems, including three districts who have deployed thousands of Google's notebooks. They're a little light on horsepower, but Chromebooks are sufficient for basic tasks such as researching, word processing, building presentations and collaborating with others.

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By: Dilusha On 1:21 PM

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