Google Apps

Google Apps has become the technological center of nearly all of our operations. Sharing notes, lesson plans, meeting minutes, and updates has become an indispensible part in teachers’ life. The whole world has become a unified team due to technological developments.

Year ago if I were asked a question what Google Apps is, I would say, it’s the same Gmail. Only after a thorough exploration of this web technology I learned that Google Apps is a collection of web-based programs and file storage that run in a web browser. It doesn’t require users to buy or install software. The only thing the users need to do is to simply log in to the service to access their files and the tools to manipulate them. Google Apps comprises various offerings, such as communication tools (Gmail, Google Talk, and Google Calendar), productivity tools (Google Docs: text files, spreadsheets, and presentations), a customizable start page (iGoogle), and Google Sites (to develop web pages).

So, among these various Apps some of them can serve as an effective tool in an EFL classroom settings.

Google Docs is the first application that I’d like to discuss, because of its flexibility and practicality.   Documents allow the user to create writings anywhere there is an internet access.  Users no longer need to save to a server, carry a flash drive, or worry about working on either a Mac or Windows machine.  With Documents, users can also share their work with others to read, edit, or contribute to the content.  For students, this tool is especially helpful as it allows them not only to work from home, school, or other internet location but also gives learners a chance to share and collaborate with other students.

Gmail is the next important App that is critical for both teachers and students to keep in touch with each other constantly. Gmail encounters lots of advantages, such as speed. It is surprising to see the very fast mail delivery and mail reception in Gmail. Even there is no need to refresh the web page to see the new mails. Besides, Gmail has the ability to label the mails that you get from your friends, professors or other staff. Moreover, powerful search within the mail message is among the advantages of Gmail, because one can find the desired mail easily by doing a simple search.

Blogger is another useful application in education, which allows the learners to write about anything and everything. It’s a free space where one can express their ideas and thoughts freely, without any limits and restrictions. Blogging helps to enhance the students’ self-esteem greatly, because after writing and publishing a post people can leave comments thanking you for a great post.