New Google Apps education community sites launched

Having just made it through a successful rollout of Google Educational Apps, I was looking for interesting sites and easy training materials for teachers to ponder over the summer. Along comes @jkeltner on Twitter and points me towards two community-driven sites devoted to Google Apps, Education Edition.

The first, the Google Apps Education Community, was just launched on Sunday. It includes discussions, tutorials, tips, and other useful resources for educators deploying or using Google Apps.

The second is really centered around the use of Google Apps in the classroom. Providing a variety of searchable lesson plans and lesson templates, the site gives examples ranging from a choose-your-own-adventure story to a data collection and analysis project on human dimensions.

I've been a champion for Google Apps for some time and am really excited to see a creative bunch of teachers in action looking at ways to exploit the power of Edu Apps. Sometimes, however, even the best of teachers struggle to use new tools in the classroom; these sites from Google provide a great resource to get those creative juices flowing. Can you say "Professional Development" in the fall?