Google Apps

Searching your emails is fast and easy.
Use Gmail search to find the exact message you want, no matter when it was sent or received. Don't spend time sorting your email -- simply search, and let Gmail do the rest.

The chat feature is built-in.
Chat with your Gmail contacts with just one click. Or, use Gmail voice and video chat to hear or see them -- all you need is a webcam and a few seconds to install the program.

Labels and filters help you organize and manage your emails.
Labels do all the work folders do, but with more flexibility; you can apply more than one label to any conversation. Filters can be used to automatically label, archive, delete, or forward messages.

Getting your email on the go means you're not stuck at your desk computer.
Gmail on your mobile device means you can access your email wherever you are.

Documents can be shared in real time, without the hassles of attachments.
Share your work with your colleagues by inviting them to view or edit your documents.

Share a Google Doc with the whole class to coordinate group projects and presentation signups. Or, create a venue for interactive brainstorming. Encourage students to share their work with the class to allow others to see their ideas and get feedback. Several students can collaborate simultaneously, so there's no need to keep track of multiple versions and attachments. The revision history features allows one to revert to previous versions of the document, if needed. This also encourages more accountability since each “collaborator” on the GoogleDoc can see exactly what they contributed. The auto-save feature ensures their work will never be lost.

The comments feature, you can add feedback in-text or in the margin of the document. This way, you can give feedback in your own time frame and don’t have to worry about coordinating group meetings. You can also hold “online office hours” using the chat function if you wish to talk to students about their work.

Access your documents from any computer.
There's nothing to download; you can access your documents online from any computer.

Existing files can be uploaded.
Google Docs accepts most popular file formats, including DOC, XLS, ODT, ODS, RTF, CSV, PPT, etc. So go ahead and upload your existing files.

Give or view a presentation, even if your colleagues aren't in the same office.
Anyone who has joined in a presentation can automatically follow along with the presenter on their own computer. Presenting to multiple people is just as easy.

Safely store your work.
Documents are stored online, with periodic auto-saves, so you don't need to fear local hard drive failures or power outages anymore.

Technical skills aren't required.
Creating a site won't require any web programming skills -- it's about as easy as creating a document or spreadsheet. You can customize the site to include calendars, presentations, attachments, and more.

Customize your site.
Templates can help you get started. Or, use the customization options to give your site your group's own look and feel.

Invite people to collaborate on the site.
Invite colleagues to share the site as owners, collaborators, or viewers -- each with different viewing or editing controls.

Search your site efficiently.
By entering a term in the Sites search box, you can search across all the site's content and attachments.

Access the site from any computer.
Since the site is stored online, you don't have to be at your desk to access the site.

Keep all your discussions in one place.
All discussions are kept on the easily accessible Group page.

Share files with your group.
Share your Google Docs with a Google Group and all members of the group will have access.

Control Access to the Group.
You can control who has access to your group and make it as open or closed as you like. You can also edit individual members control.

Use groups with other Google Apps.
Use your Google group to allow/restrict access to other applications such as Google Docs or Google Sites

Customize your Group site.
Use the simple customization option to give your Group site its own look & feel.