Bring Buzz to Edu Apps
Google Buzz has been out for a while now and has been slowly making its mark on the social-networking scene.As I've been investigating Buzz (a.k.a. playing with it...but investigating sounds so much more important!) and how it changes social-networking, it hit me the other day how this might just be the communication tool I've been looking for in schools ever sense Twitter came out.I'm hoping that Google brings Buzz to the Education Apps soon. There are a lot of schools (including mine) that are embracing Google Apps and taking a serious look at using the set of tools as the default mail, calendar, contacts, docs application for the school. Doug Johnson has been writing about Google Apps a lot lately and his latest post is a must read if your district is considering the move.I don't know about your school but at my last two schools the ALL MAILS that get sent around are frustrating to many. Like a lot of schools teachers already get close to 100 e-mails a day and adding a couple ALL MAILS that are someone looking for this book or that supply, someone who lost their keys, or a jacket for a trip to cold weather (OK....this one might be Bangkok specific). You name it, it's probably come through in an ALL MAIL.
There has to be a better way to handle these right? Like many schools ISB created a "Public Folder" that was suppose to be a place for people to post such requests. The problem is nobody goes there unless they know that something new is there to look at, but how do you let people know there is something new.....you got it....you send an ALL MAIL.It's a frustrating circle that Google Buzz might just solve. Think about having a Buzz type program running at your school. A place that you check off and on to see the "back channel" of your school. The latest social gatherings, the 1st grade teacher looking for Paper Towel tubes for a project. or the high school teacher sending a reminder about the art show. What if the school used Buzz as a social back channel. That was there, but not in your daily inbox. A place to share resources, links, and have conversations as a school community.As excited as I am to see Google Groups get added a couple weeks ago, I hope we're not to far away from seeing Google Buzz. I really think this could be a communication channel that schools have been missing for awhile.
