NORTHAMPTON, MA— Standing before a roomful of 10- and 11-year-olds, technology specialist Andrea Marks pointed to what she calls the “waffle” at the corner of a large computer screen in the front of the room.

The waffle — nine tiny squares that form one larger square — is the icon for Google Apps, a suite of online software programs used for word processing, storage, presentations and other functions.

The students in Michele Andrews’ fifth grade class at R.K. Finn Ryan Road School quickly found the waffle on their screens and clicked on it. A menu appeared with names of the different apps. Marks directed the students to choose “Drive,” Google’s online storage program.

“These files have been shared with you, by me,” Marks said, using a yardstick to point at documents on the screen.

For many teachers, the first few weeks of school involve not only introducing their academic curriculums, but teaching their students to use the technology that will play a critical role in how the class functions. In recent years, a number of area school systems — Amherst, Northampton, Hadley, Belchertown and Frontier Regional — have adopted Google Apps for Education as a way for teachers to manage course material and communicate with their students.