Google Apps

The more I learn about Google Apps, the more I wonder how a teacher could live without it! There are so any practical and effective applications available for free through the Google Suite that just keep getting better. I believe Google Apps are going to have a very large impact on the standards and quality of our school from teachers being about to communicate with parents better, to students collaborating in and out of school efficiently, to teachers being able to finally collaborate on units and curriculum in order to refine our programs so that our students can be able to make connections across the disciplines. Google Docs will be one of the main apps that will allow all of this to happen. Having all students and teachers as Google Account members has made communication 10 times easier than ever before. Students are able to contact me from home or from school and ask questions about an assignment on Google Talk at any time. They can have their questions and concerns followed up on almost immediately rather than waiting for an email to go through. Google Docs is another way that the learning environment will be improved because students can collaborate and share documents as well as have my feedback either in school or out of school. I look forward to learning more about how Google Calendar and Google Sites can also be used in the classroom!