Google Apps

Google Apps is a free, web-based suite of applications to support collaboration and communication, including Office, presentation, and email tools, a customisable start page, and a website creator. Google hosts your content, saving files and tracking changes.

Google Apps Education Edition is offered free to educational institutions and allows them to use their own domain name and create a customised look for applications, to support their own familiar learning communities. Teachers and students can be given their own domain email address, and each can create and add files and content to their own home page, and personalise their own start-up page. Permission levels can be set to allow other users to read, amend, and add content to files from any computer, requiring only a web browser and Internet access.

Google Apps services include communication tools (email, Google Talk, and Google Calendar), productivity tools (Google Docs: word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations), a customisable start page (iGoogle), and Google Sites (to develop web pages).

Features include:

• Email application has messaging, voice, and video capability. Emails are organised by allocating labels, replacing the folder system of filing, and emails are archived rather than deleted, to enable them to be retrieved. Instant messaging is incorporated within the email, and chats can be filed and stored in the same way as emails.
• iGoogle start pages allow easy access to your email, calendar, and other important online content. RSS feeds can be added, which make new content from your favourite websites available on your browser start page. This can include news services, blogs, and wikis. Available widgets are restricted to Google Widgets, so inappropriate content can be screened out. Other widgets can be added by using their code.
• Google Sites allows the user to create a website without needing to have knowledge of HTML. Much like a wiki, it is easy to share the website with groups or individuals. You can subscribe to receive notifications of change, insert videos, spreadsheets, and calendars, search the website, and share with a group or individuals.
• There is no advertising on the Google Apps Education Edition.

Go to the Google Introduction page to get a comprehensive overview of Google Apps. The Google Start Page provides a complete map of all services and information about Google Apps services, including information for users and adminstrators.