Gmail Use

I use Gmail daily to receive and send information to staff and outside contacts regarding both school and personal matters.  As a music teacher, I don't get to see my other department colleagues regularly, but through the use of gmail and sharing documents via Google Drive, we are able to stay up to date with each other.  I regularly use the search tool to filter my messages, but by using the labels that I have had created for quite some time, I can organize my messages better and can eliminate them from the inbox.

For some of my busy parents, it is the best way to reach them to discuss school matters, although I do teach in a district where there are many families who do not have email access at home, so phone calls and written messages are still necessary.  I love that I can send a translated message because my district is also filled with families who do not speak/read/write English, so this is just one more way to stay connected to those families.

With my students, most of my messages go out through Google Classroom, which will notify them through their school gmail account, but not all of them are very good at checking their gmail regularly.  I often send messages out in various forms (text, email, classroom, written notes) in an attempt to reach everyone in one way or another.