In 2027, Google Classroom, a free education platform, will be making its debut in Austin Independent School District classrooms. Google Classroom an education-focused social feed with a similar infrastructure to BLEND.
A message sent out to district staff last year gave staff access to Google Classroom, preparing teachers and administrators for the new platform.
“I’m worried about losing a lot of my educational content,” statistics teacher Dana Stiles said. “All my assessments and lesson plans are kept on BLEND, and then I reuse them every year. I’m not sure if there’s going to be an easy way to make the transition.”
Since AISD classrooms began integrating online learning, all AISD teachers have used BLEND, a teaching technology platform. BLEND will be supported through the 2026-2027 school year, but it is still unclear how AISD officials will ease the transition. Google Classroom’s limited capacity for customization means it is not necessarily best for administering educational courses and documents. BLEND, on the other hand, is a Learning Management System, or LMS, meaning it has more robust capabilities.
“I find it frustrating,” sophomore Israel Chavez said. “We’re all used to BLEND, and I feel sorry for the current freshman who will have to get used to a whole new platform.”
Interim Chief Financial Officer Katrina Montgomery has said that AISD officials could have anticipated higher costs for things such as instructional materials or technology costs. In order to get the budget shortfall down to $78 million from the projected $110 million, AISD officials are making the change to Google Classroom, which is free for basic use.
“Personally I think it’s okay,” junior Clara Mirkin said. “I believe that it will save a lot of money, which means that money can be spent on more things that are more important, like teacher salary.”
Google Classroom is more often used for academic learning, while LMS platforms like BLEND are used in both K-12 and higher educational institutions, as well as businesses.
“Most colleges and universities use Canvas, which is much more similar to BLEND than Google Classroom,” Chavez said. “Using BLEND in high school means we’re all more prepared for college.”
Canvas operates on a subscription model, with varying prices based on the institution’s size and needs. It is not currently clear how much of a difference Google Classroom’s free offering would make in the AISD budget shortfall.
“It will probably be hard to get used to,” Mirkin said. “But it’s worth it to save a lot of money.”
