Google’s State & Community Impact Project

friEdTech is proud to be a part of the Google State & Community Impact Project, serving educators from all around the country to participate in no-cost professional development designed to help them build their digital toolkits as they work to effectively integrate technology into their K-12 classrooms.

The project involves synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities and is ultimately designed to prepare educators to achieve Google Certified Educator Level 1 certification. “Workforce development and education are two top priorities of Google’s Data Center communities.  This program creates an opportunity to invest in teacher and student success, thus supporting both issues. We know that teachers who complete the L1 certification course feel more confident and capable when using technology in their classrooms, which makes for better student learning experiences in both remote and in-person learning environments,” says Kate Franko, project lead from Google. 

“I passed the test!  Thanks for helping me prepare for it!  The curriculum was thorough and the videos were a life-saver!”

Cheryl M.

GCE Level 1 Certification areas of study include:

• Latest features of Google Classroom and all applicable tools from Google Workspace
• Workflow efficiency and the creation of paperless classrooms
• Growing data and feedback collection from students and colleagues
• Connecting and collaborating with educators around the globe  
• Building students’ digital literacy

“We’re excited to welcome back all Oregon students this fall, and digital learning is now an even larger part of our education system,” said Oregon Department of Education (ODE) Digital Innovations Lead Carla Wade. “At no cost to teachers, this training can increase their effectiveness at using online tools in the classroom, improving learning outcomes and saving time.” (Cascade Business News, 2021)

This summer, friEdTech Learning Guides met with educators from locations across the US while several more statewide projects will be taking place in Fall 2021. “Our team believes the learning material should be fun, relevant and helpful in preparing our participants to pass the GCE exam, so we begin each state cohort with a kickoff event and end with a ‘prep rally’ to help build participant confidence in achieving Google Certified Educator Level 1 certification and reflect on our learning,” says friEdTech CEO Amy Mayer.

“Passed the Google Level 1 exam.  Thanks to ALL the friEdTech personnel who worked to create such a creative, engaging, and informative platform for my introduction into Google For Education.  I appreciate the opportunity provided to receive this professional development training.”

MOLLIE J.

As part of our dedication to success, friEd Learning Guides also designate time for open-ended Q & A sessions for learners who may struggle with concepts, software, etc. We feel the most help we can provide is “just in time” support for participants who are moving along at their own pace.   

At friEdTech, we feel privileged to be a part of the team of professionals helping our educators reach new milestones and gaining better understanding of the technology tools provided by Google to support digital learning and collaboration, whether we are together face to face or learning virtually.