tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856512141307582603.post3864176261359544780..comments2024-01-10T01:02:17.686-06:00Comments on To Learn Twice: Roadblocks in deploying Google Apps: FUDDr. Henry Thielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16589985520636806337noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856512141307582603.post-57694433099601826712010-11-05T11:18:03.347-05:002010-11-05T11:18:03.347-05:00I can certainly appreciate your problems with FUD,...I can certainly appreciate your problems with FUD, and would agree that often such problems keep good technologies from being adopted. And to be sure, some of Jackie's points are less than valid (the HTTPS point, for example). On the other hand, some of the points she makes do seem to be valid. For example, it seems as though you are ach missing the others' point in some cases: the agreement does leave the option for Google to require payment for Google Apps for Education in the future, but the FAQ you point to also says that they "plan" to keep the "core" of it free. I think both are valid points: there's always the chance that the Google service will go away or require payment, but the odds are that it won't. (I'm also not convinced by your "core" justification: just because they are currently offering those services doesn't mean that they are all "core" services. This is especially true given that Google Apps for Education was launched with only a few services, and more have been added over time.)<br /><br />Similarly, I know that the privacy issues are not necessarily trivial. While Google seems to have a reasonable privacy policy, I know that some of the special education and social work staff at my high school wanted to have a secure, encrypted system that *nobody* outside their group had any access to, in order to protect the privacy of the people with whom they worked. Whether those concerns should be allayed by Google's privacy policy or not, some people will still feel uncomfortable with giving their confidential data to any third party.<br /><br />All that being said, none of those are particularly reasons to keep schools from implementing Google Apps for their students, and maybe making it an option (or the only option) for some staff. There are confidentiality issues where some people have valid concerns, and there are reliability concerns (which remain valid, although odds are that Google's services are more reliable than most schools').<br /><br />It may be possible, in fact, to assuage some concerns by having a somewhat blended solution. For example, the university I currently attend is requiring undergraduate students to set up either a Google Apps account or a hosted Microsoft Exchange account. On the other hand, graduate students and staff are (as far as I can tell) prohibited from doing so, because of concerns about confidentiality, data storage, and contractual obligations (both with private companies and the government) to not give data to third parties. While it seems as though this would add complexity, it appears as though the university is in a position to save money by reducing the load and maintenance on their own systems, and give a number of new features to their undergraduate students.<br /><br />So, while I'm not convinced that Google Apps for Education is the best choice in all cases, some of your points are certainly correct, and it is certainly a good idea to consider the service as an option.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09560480997959254669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856512141307582603.post-87595645934466622952010-11-05T10:26:59.245-05:002010-11-05T10:26:59.245-05:00Hank
What a great answer to questions that I am s...Hank<br /><br />What a great answer to questions that I am sure are coloring decisions about GAE across the country.<br /><br />I will be sure to share it with everyone I know that is considering GAE and meeting resistance.Anne Trugerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16608173398584992771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8856512141307582603.post-55416359798220104752010-11-05T07:22:22.389-05:002010-11-05T07:22:22.389-05:00Beautiful Hank!Your concise and direct response is...<br>Beautiful Hank!<br>Your concise and direct response is "must read"> for any school or ditrict looking to adopt Google Apps. In many situations I think it's becoming less about FUD and more about fear. And you hit it on the head right here, "Perhaps it is fear of losing one’s job, eroding their area of expertise, not knowing the facts, or not knowing where to go to get the answers."<br>Thanks for taking the time to shed some light on these issues and also for modeling what a strong ed tech leader can look and sound like!<br>Michael Wackerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18107262651754470657noreply@blogger.com