If you are like most teachers your experience with email has been limited to Outlook and possibly Yahoo or Hotmail. After getting up close and personal with Gmail do you think it has any advantages over the email provider you are currently using? What are some features that Gmail has that make it very different from other email? In your opinion, what is the BEST feature that Gmail offers?
Gmail definitely has advantages over FirstClass, which is what our district uses now. One of the biggest for me is the spam filter, because our FirstClass has it, but you have to call or email certain people and they have to do it for you. Basically, Gmail allows me to be in charge of my email account. I can customize it as I choose instead of staying within the constraints of the email system that someone else sets up for me. It is also more user friendly on my mobile phone than the FirstClass.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, just because I haven't spent enough time with gmail, I again have to say that the spam filter is the best for me!
I like the labeling option. There were times last year that some emails had to be put on the back burner since I didn't have time to deal with that one or that it was something coming up in the future but I had done all I could for the moment. I made a file for these items and sent the email to that file - only sometimes I would forget to look back at the file and forget to follow-up.I am kind of a pile person. I need things in a certain order neat and tidy or I get flustered and don't accomplish as much. I like this set-up because is seems like more of a neat and orderly mark it for this pile type of system. There are a lot of features offered - not sure that I would use them all but I like the fact that I could.
ReplyDeleteI like the ability to have my gmail account accessed easily on my Droid phone. To get my regular school mail, I had to let the tech guys have my phone for half a day.
ReplyDeleteI'm not in a classroom with computer access all day long, so to be able to stay in touch through my mail has been a great advantage.
The ability to set labels to specific addresses, or subject matter makes it easy to find specific messages in your inbox.
My school district has gmail but until this class I have not made good use of what it can do. I added labels and made it customized to suit me.
ReplyDeleteI also want to check with our tech person to see if my students are able to have gmail. I think it be a great way to communicate and send school news.
I switched from the panesu to the gmail last year when we joined the GNENC and I have loved it ever since. Biggest problem now is getting my colleagues on the bandwagon. Some of them still rely on the older platform and don’t want to change. I wish they could see all of the advantages to the gmail tools and google apps. One of the tools that I enjoy most is the conversation view. You don’t have to search all over your inbox to find last reply it is all organized into one. Another cool thing that I like is the ability to check your mail on your mobile device, use it all the time.
ReplyDeleteA former district used Gmail and the tech suggested that we get personal accounts and recommended Gmail, so that’s the way I went. I’ve been using Gmail for over four years and I love it. The one thing I didn’t like was the ability to see all the messages from one person. Now that I’ve found the search feature I have no complaints. I love being able to save drafts, and organize into folders (labels) and more. One of my favorite features is the instant messaging. This was great working in my large former district. A quick look to the left to see if the person I wanted to talk with was on-line and I could send a quick note. Even if their color was yellow or red I generally got quick responses. And if they didn’t respond it was finally sent as an e-mail. My current district has used SoGo and I have nothing positive so say about it.
ReplyDeleteGmail is definitely more than just email. Gmail has proven itself to be extremely user friendly as well as helpful. I've heard people say Gmail is the best and they wouldn't use anything else, but until exploring it I really thought all email was basically the same. Our district uses Outlook which has calendar built in (which I didn't use that year)but am now confident I will be able to take full advantage of the application. I have set up my own Gmail account which I plan to use as my personal email. But I am still looking for a way to use both account and not have to put everything in twice. With all things it just takes time to figure out how it all works and some trail and error.
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