There are many features regarding Gmail that have me seriously thinking of switching my current email provider. As a future teacher, I can see how well it can keep me organized and in sync with fellow educators in an increasingly team-based environment. It works hand-in-hand with Google Calendar to quickly communicate and keep track of important dates.
Three features I like about Gmail are the ability to create hyperlinks, filtering options and labeling features.
The ability to add a hyperlink to any email is great when team planning. I can quickly add my resource web sites for any lesson plans and share those with my fellow teachers. My students can also quickly reference web sites I have used for their assignments.
The filtering options of Gmail are great because it can automatically organize my mail into folders for me...I especially like this feature because I am very bad about doing this myself on a daily basis. I usually wait and end up sorting through hundreds of emails to pick out the ones I need to keep. Now by entering some keywords or phrases in the filter drop box Gmail will do this for me.
The labeling tool also is a great organizational feature and can work in conjunction with the filters. I can create folders to hold my correspondence from PTA to parent conferences. Everything in its proper place...
Gone is the traditional calendar...a huge blotter taking up most of my valuable desk space. Now with Google Calendar I can stay organized easily and efficiently while accessing my to-do list anywhere and share it quickly with others.
Three features I like about Google Calendars are the syncing features, sharing features and ability to send invitations.
Being able to access my calendar via my smart phone is a great feature. Instead of keeping up with multiple calendars I can access one main calendar anywhere I am...less room for error and missed appointments.
The sharing feature is great for team planning. Now I can look at my fellow teachers' schedules and plan my own accordingly. We can quickly and collaboratively plan out our schedules in advance and save time while doing it.
I can quickly invite others to various events straight off my calendar and they in return can RSVP at the click of a button. This is especially attractive to me as PTA president of my children's school. Now I can quickly share meeting and event dates as well as keep a record of those who plan to attend.
Anything that makes our lives easier and more efficient is GOOD and that's why these two great Google Tools, in my opinion, are a teacher's best friends.
Well done!
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