Gmail in the classroom

As a substitute teacher and one that works in the office frequently at our school I have found gmail to be a crucial part of communication between the teachers, student and staff. It has also been a great way to keep students informed. While working in the office I had a substitute teacher miss passing out a crucial end-of the year assignment to one of the first classes of the day. It was easy for the teacher to send out an email to the class letting them know that they still needed to pick up the assignment especially since it was the end of the year and due the next day! Instead of having delays it can be used as a way of communicating to students throughout the day instead of just during the class time provided.