Google for Education Available for Homeschool Families

Google for Education is now available for Homeschool families and in Florida through their co-op and umbrella schools!

A small team of Googlers and Trainers had the super fun job of sharing the news and opening up the possibilities within Google for Education to homeschool families. We met thousands, dare I say closer to 10,000 people at the recent Florida Parent Educator Association (FPEA) Homeschool Convention.

The team arrived Thursday morning to set up the booth with 7 pallets of Google Cardboard and informational flyers. We attempted to disguise the Cardboard behind a Google for Education Banner, ready for what we anticipated would be a warm reception. As the doors opened at 4 pm the homeschool families were released into the exhibit hall. For those who’ve attended traditional school conferences, the layout is similar to most, as well as the hunger for knowledge.

We learned that homeschool families may or may not be associated with larger groups and are always hunting for tools and curriculum to enrich their homeschool experience. Since this was Google’s first homeschool event they had rented a small booth along a typical row in the exhibit hall. Once homeschool families saw the crowds at the booth and the curious Google Cardboard devices on the table, they stopped and had to learn more. Many families search the exhibit hall for new curriculum and were surprised that we weren’t selling anything and that in addition to being free, GSuite for Education is a framework to help families organize their schoolwork life. That was just the first day.

The consecutive days we had gaggles of folks excited to learn how to get started with GSuite with their Co-ops. As we all refined our pitch, and I lost my voice, we could see the curious excitement about the impact GSuite will have on homeschool families. More and more leaders of Co-ops stopped by the booth to learn more about GSuite for Education, pick up Google Cardboard, Google for Education maps and to grab the information link to get the sign-up process started.

Those of us that have used Google for Education in traditional schools know how impactful it has been in solving the everyday hurdles of school life. You may remember how excited your teachers were the first year they started using Google for Education. That same excitement rippled through the crowds of homeschool folks at FPEA.

FPEA is just the beginning of reaching homeschool families. FPEA is the largest parent education organization group in Florida.

Google for Education is working with HSLDA, the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, to distribute verification codes to the state level homeschool organizations like Florida’s FPEA. The state-level groups will then share the verification codes with their homeschool co-ops, umbrella schools, and all home-based education groups that are recognized at the state level.

If you are a part of the homeschool community, connect with your local co-op or umbrella school to sign up for GSuite for Education today! bit.ly/GoogleFPEA

We fielded similar questions over and over: How is this free? Is there curriculum built in? How do we sign up?

A big thanks to FPEA and all the families that stopped by the Google booth to learn more about GSuite for Education and Google Cardboard VR headsets.

All of us hosting the Google Booth at the recent Florida Parent Educators Association FPEA Homeschool Convention experienced how excited families are now that GSuite for Education is now available for Homeschool families through their Co-ops and umbrella schools.

Chris, a father of 3 world-school boys, loves designing classroom
culture and environment. He is a Google Certified Innovator Google
Certified Trainer and BreakoutEDU game designer. Chris is the
President of Woven Learning and Technology that runs STEM Gaming
Minecrafter Camps for students and educators to empower students in
their learning. He loves to help others in their education journey.
You’ll find Chris at international conferences presenting on classroom
culture, technology and design.