Student+E-mail

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The following solutions are being considered: gaggle.net (paid subscription) or google (free). Here is the response from gaggle with an informal comparison:

The key differences between the two solutions will primarily relate to online safety. Gaggle provides both access management as well as content management tools to help protect students while working online. You can create lists in the Postini spam filter to accomplish some of this, but nowhere near the level that Gaggle provides. Gaggle filters are active throughout the apps, not just the email. If a student is trying to send something inappropriate and hide it in a shared doc, there is nothing to catch that in Google. We even filter the digital lockers and live chat sessions for complete protection. Keep in mind that Google Apps was developed for Corporate use, then for higher education. They are making good progress on expanding into K-12, but there is a completely different set of rules when working with minors.

Some other key features such as filtered YouTube access, Social Wall, and SMS texting options are not available through Google at this point. Above all, the feedback on customer service has been a major difference. I always welcome potential clients to call Google Customer Service and Gaggle Customer Service and see which is easier to contact as this makes a major difference should a problem ever come up.

These are just a few key differences but if there are any key areas that you would like me to focus on just say the word. I would also be happy to provide a formal quote for our services as well as a full demo if you would like. I hope that his helps and am happy to assist in any way that I can. Thanks again Doug!

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Free is a very attractive word. Do the benefits of gaggle outweigh the costs? What about classroom facebook accts (just thinking outside the box)? That combined with google covers much of what we want. Free, this day and age, speaks volumes. jc