Google Play for Education expanding to the UK w/ Android tablets

Google first announced its Google Play for Education program in mid-2013 at Google I/O with the program launching to K-12 schools in the United States later that fall, and today the company shared that it’s now bringing Google Play for Education to schools in the UK using Android tablets…

We built Android tablets with Google Play for Education to make it practical for schools to find and share tools that help students achieve their potential… Today we’re bringing Android with Google Play for Education to UK schools, giving more schools access to hardware and apps designed for the classroom, many of which have been customised for the UK curriculum.

Google says it has been piloting Google Play for Education using Android tablets at select UK schools already which has resulted in increased engagement from students and teachers.

Specifically, UK schools piloting the Google Play for Education program can choose from the Nexus 7 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Education tablets with access to Google Apps including Docs, Drive, and Classroom.

Through the Google Play for Education program, educators and students also get access to a curated selection of apps designed for the classroom, some of which are “designed specifically for the UK market”, Google says.

For institutions interested in piloting Google Play for Education in the UK, Google is directing users to the Google for Education UK homepage.