Among many other changes this year, the school district has changed our email system from FirstClass to Gmail.
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FirstClass provided a simple email and bulletin board forum for students and staff. Gmail is much more versatile. Along with the new email system, students and teachers now have access to Google drive, Google plus and calendar functions that are accessible anywhere with Internet access.
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“Gmail has more functions than FirstClass, which only had email and a newsletter,” said sophomore Kyra Reu.
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“I can share a PowerPoint presentation with all of my students [by sharing] on Google docs instead of an email to each and every student,” commented social studies teacher Karissa Piper.
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Librarian Jennifer Flaherty has spent the last few weeks assisting students and teachers to make the transition to the new technology.
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“It’s so much more intuitive for the students,” said Flaherty. “Students and teachers are able to edit and review a paper without attaching and sending multiple emails back and forth. Gmail has open access to let people comment and highlight the document.”
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FirstClass, primarily an email system, was simple to use, but occasionally had problems. Some users complained of FirstClass running slowly, and deleting emails after the inbox space was full. Piper mentioned that if she had a class of students send her emails with Power Points attached, she would fill up her allocated space and other emails would be blocked.
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The strong filter on FirstClass kept out many junk emails, but sometimes excluded parent emails as spam too.
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However, FirstClass did have a news section that was updated by the principals of each school, or the numerous main offices throughout the district. Some students and staff preferred this method for keeping track of announcements. Gmail does not offer a bulletin board for announcements.
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Another issue with FirstClass was accessibility. The application did not have a direct or convenient URL, which meant that without downloading the application, students and staff could only access it through the school website.
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With a growing number of people using technology for more than just email, Gmail offers a dynamic online companion to the classroom.
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Teachers and students can also upgrade to Google+, a social platform with functions that can allow teachers to make more of their lessons available online. Google Docs and “Circles,” a social group, provide a fun way to do peer review and collaboration on projects and assignments. Many feel that Gmail will be more user-friendly, more versatile and will offer more learning opportunities.
