Gmail in the Classroom

Unfortunately, the district I work in does not use gmail so I won't be able to use it as a means to communicate with students and parents of students in my classroom. However, I do have a personal gmail account and after watching tutorials and learning more about all the organizing features, I plan on switching to primarily using gmail. My own children use gmail in their school district and I see the many benefits that it brings. They are able to communicate easily with their teachers and also work on projects with their peers. After I have a chance to switch my primary email use to gmail I hope to discover ways that I can possibly use it in my classroom.