Gmail is the best!

Not only is gmail the best way to get students into the google ecosystem, it also shows them the world of communication workflow necessary to be successful in whatever they do post-secondary.

I love introducing students to sorting email, filtering, and send response rules and times for themselves. They're so used to being dogged by an adult, that strategic communication seems silly to them at first.

What I love about Gmail as well is its focus on good user interface design. The students can get a good idea of what making a power user fast and efficient should really look like. For example, hot keys for archiving, enabling archive-on-send and using plug-ins like boomerang.