GAFE: An Overview

What is GAFE?

Google Apps For Education, or GAFE, is a series of applications that Google provides to students and educators for use in the classroom. These apps allow for students and teachers to share and collaborate through the cloud. In other words, all of the work done with these apps is stored online and can be accessed from any computer, allowing multiple people to work on the same project from different places. Below are overviews of the most widely used apps in our district.

Google Docs

Google Slides

Google Docs is an online word processor similar to Microsoft Word. It allows you to create and edit typed documents, but because it is an online software, multiple students (users) can edit and collaborate on a single document at once from different locations. This also allows for a teacher to add comments to a student’s work as it is being written.

Google slides is an app similar to Microsoft’s Powerpoint, that allows users to create and edit slideshow style presentations. Once again, because it is online students can easily collaborate and share ideas, as well as insert videos that they have found online into their presentation.

Google Drive

Google Drive is an online file storage system, where users store any work made through Google Apps. This is a place to organize all your work in one place so you can easily find it later. This is also where you can find any documents that have been shared with you, meaning they were created by another person, but you have access to them.

Google Classroom

Google Classroom is a virtual classroom. Teachers can post assignments for students to do through other google apps, grade their work online, and then “return” the work to the student with teacher comments and grades. This use of online homework allows students to be able to access work and to collaborate on group projects from anywhere. Many teachers also choose to post notes and helpful reminders in the classroom that then can be accessed whenever a student needs them.