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Another one of Google’s I/O announcements, Google Play for Education is a new initiative that aims to make it easier for schools to implement mobile learning in classrooms. Google Play for Education is a customized, curated version of the Play Store designed for K-12 needs. Announcing the launch at the I/O event (Google’s annual developer conference), Google said the education-centric Play Store will launch this fall.

Google Play for Education will contain apps organized by subject and grade level, so when looking for a specific app (e.g. a Math app) for a specific grade level, it will be easily discoverable. The apps will come with recommendations from teachers to ensure quality. App purchases by schools will also be streamlined with app purchases charged to a common school credit card which Google will have on its files. The most interesting feature, however, is that the new Play Store will allow schools to simultaneously download the same app to multiple devices —Google’s cloud infrastructure will push the apps across the board and help schools scale up rapidly.

Large scale distribution could enable Google to gain traction in the trending area of educational technology. An it won’t end with Android apps, as Google will surely follow this move up with videos and books as well. With Android devices like Nexus 7 on hand, Google could easily cut into Apple’s pie in the education sector. Could it be a win-win situation for schools that can avail of cheaper teaching aids thanks to Google’s push? This remains to be seen.

What do you think of this new initiative? Will you use it?