During August of 2023-24, Norwin’s technology department announced major changes to the technological landscape of the school district. The district moved from Google to Microsoft as its main service provider going forward. For this school year 2024-25, students have access to both platforms–Google and Microsoft applications, although email is only in Microsoft Outlook.
On February 27, Norwin Director of Secondary Education and Assessment Dr. Rocco Telli issued an email to Norwin faculty and staff providing an outlook for the future of technology services at Norwin. The email listed important dates that services will be added and removed, and served as a follow-up for the district technology announcement prior to the start of the 2024-2025 school year.
The recent email sent to faculty members contains critical information necessary for preparing technology for the future at Norwin. The most important takeaway from this message, however, is that Google services for students will be shutting down in July of 2025. Students will need to back up their Google Drive if they wish to keep their documents and files after high school.
The district provided the following list of critical information for its technology plan:
There are many ways that Norwin students can prepare for the upcoming changes to their technology platforms, especially for underclassmen to be prepared for next school year.
”In the meantime, the best way for students to prepare for this change is to start utilizing the Microsoft tools on their iPads. Students have access to the OneDrive, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel apps as well as a direct link to Office 365 web,” said Mrs. Laura Swick, the Secondary Level Instructional Technology Support Teacher of Norwin School District. “The more students practice using these applications, the easier it will be next year.”
The district states that the integration of Google and Microsoft into one Microsoft-based learning platform serves to improve the technological efficiency of Norwin.
“Resouces within Google and Microsoft overlap greatly, causing inconsistencies in learning platforms and IT challenges,” said Swick. “Students and teachers will benefit from using a unified platform as there will be fewer compatibility issues among district-approved apps and software.”
Despite the school district’s beliefs that this integration will benefit the school, many Norwin students disagree.
For many Norwin High School students, the change is a struggle. In a fall poll of students by the Knight Krier, 97 percent of students polled preferred the Google Classroom platform over Microsoft Teams or Schoology for online instruction.
”I don’t feel like moving all my files to OneDrive; my Google Drive is already organized,” said sophomore Nicholas Peters.
Peters is one of many students who has been using Google Drive technology at Norwin since he was in Kindergarten. Since most students learned the Google technology as children, the new OneDrive technology can be complex and difficult to navigate. However, if students follow district instructions, the transition from Google to Microsoft will be seamless.
Additional information about the Norwin School District Technology Resources for Norwin Students can be found here: https://sites.google.com/norwinsd.org/studentfamilytech/home or by scanning the QR Code.
Bottom line is that Norwin students must take proper measures to prepare for the upcoming technology changes in the district that will take full effect throughout the summer. Students will no longer have access to the Google platform as of July of 2025.
