I teach first grade and we do use Gmail in my district. I had been using it just for incoming and outgoing emails, but I have learned so many important features that will make my job much easier. First of all, I did not know about Google Translate, and with most of my students speaking different languages I need this tool to better communicate with families.
I have not taught my students how to use gmail, but now I see the need for this because our learn-from-home model has been a big hurdle for such little ones to cross. I will teach them, but the videos used for adults are too complex. Instead, I will either create my own (most likely option) or use this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZUPNeBy1bQ . Once children know how to use gmail, I can have them chat with classmates and myself, or create pen pals with students in the other classroom. Us teachers can easily monitor contents and provide instruction when it is not used appropriately.
I also liked the contacts/group option. This way I can send emails to my students' families, and they can translate them quickly; however, when playing with it I found that it doesn't translate correctly and some translations are funny or don't make sense.
While there are many other tools and featured I can use, I will need to further explore them to see what is beneficial for my situation. Being an older teacher, I still like using paper; I remember better when I write things down.
By the way, LABS needs to be better explained. I had no idea what it meant! I believe the video needs to be updated.
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