The Google Teacher Academy is coordinated by CUE and WestEd

The Google Teacher Academy for Administrators is a FREE professional development experience designed to help K-12 educational leaders get the most from innovative technologies. Each Academy is an intensiv e, one-day event where participants get hands-on experience with Google's free products and other technologies, learn about innovative instructional strategies, receive resources to share with colleagues, and learn how to apply examples from our innovative corporate environment. Upon completion, Academy participants become Google Certified Teachers who share what they learn with other K-12 educators in their local region - and around the world. This GTA will be held in San Antonio, Texas, on March 5, right before the ASCD conference.  If you're already planning to attend ASCD, we hope you'll also consider applying to the GTA for Administrators. 

Apply here by midnight on Jan. 25, 2010!

About the Academy

50 innovative educational leaders are selected to attend the GTA for Administrators based on the merits of their online application. Potential applicants include educational leaders or decision makers including (but not limited to) school principals, assistant principals, state, county or district superintendents, technology directors or coordinators, and CTOs who actively serve K-12 teachers and students.

Participants are selected based on their professional experience, their passion for leadership in education, and their successful use of technology in K-12 settings. Since the program relies on a "train-the-trainers" model, we are particularly interested in administrators who actively provide technology-related mentoring or training for other educators.

Participants must provide their own travel, and if necessary, their own lodging. We've changed our format based on past feedback, so that we may include interested applicants from regions all around the world. This Academy is designed to create a strong professional learning community of administrators who support each other over the course of a year, so if you are not local, you must be willing to be resourceful with all technologies to facilitate communication and collaboration with your fellow Google Certified Teachers. 

Google Certified Teachers

Educators who attend a Google Teacher Academy for Administrators become Google Certified Teachers.

Google Certified Teachers are:

• Exceptional K-12 educators with a passion for using innovative tools to improve teaching and learning.
• Creative leaders who understand their local needs and can spread innovation as a recognized expert.
• Ambassadors for change who model high expectations, life-long learning, collaboration, equity & inclusion, and innovation.

Google Certified Teachers are expected to:

• Develop a "Personal Action Plan."
• Lead at least three professional development activities over the course of 12 months.
• Successfully deploy one school on to Google Apps for Education.
• Actively participate in the Google Certified Teacher Online Community.
• Share the impact of their work with other Google Certified Teachers through an end-of-year reflection.

In addition to a free day of training, Google Certified Teachers get:

• Access to the GCT Online Community
• Access to additional free ed tech resources
• Opportunities to give Google feedback on educational uses of tools
• Invitations to join Google at special events
• The right to post their Google Certified Teacher web badge on their website or blog.

Application Requirements

All applications to the Google Teacher Academy for Administrators must be submitted using our online form. Only completed applications submitted before the deadline will be considered.

NOTE: Each applicant to the Google Teacher Academy for Administrators is REQUIRED to produce and submit an original one minute video on the following topic: "Innovative Education Leadership in the Age of Google." Be as creative as you like. 

Once you create the video, you must post it on YouTube for us to view, then paste the specific URL for your video into the appropriate field on the application. We will not accept videos by email, and we will not watch more than one minute. So, make your minute count!

This video is a very important part of your application. The task is designed to demonstrate your technical ability, your resourcefulness, your commitment, and your unique personality and interests. We realize that you may have never produced a video before and that you may not own video equipment, but through perseverance we are confident you can find a way to meet this requirement. You do not need to be in the video, but please do not submit videos produced for another project or videos created by others. We're specifically looking for leaders that creatively address the above topic in an original way.

WHO QUALIFIES AS AN ADMINISTRATOR?  

Educational leaders or decision makers including (but not limited to) school site administrators (principals or assistant principals), district administrators (coordinators or directors), superintendents, school board members, and representatives from county, state, national, or international agencies. Applicants' jobs focus may include (but is not limited to) instruction, professional development, or technology.

The Google Teacher Academy is coordinated by CUE and WestEd