“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and go to work.” – Stephen King

According to PC Magazine, the definition of a productivity suite is “a set of applications that generally includes at least a word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation graphics program” (PCmag.com). Productivity suites are available in both computer and online versions. Computer-based versions must be downloaded to your computer, whereas online productivity suites are accessed via the Internet and do not require installation.

A productivity suite is a set of applications that generally includes at least a word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation graphics program. The most common example is the chief products of Microsoft’s productivity suite:  Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

In schools, it’s the software that powers the technology and increases productivity. It also makes it easier for educators to use data to determine student needs, allows students to collaborate beyond the classroom, and powers virtual reality, robotics, and other tools that enhance learning.

Microsoft 365 education AND GOOGLE WORKSPACE

Microsoft 365 is the world’s standard for office suites and runs identically in both online and desktop versions. Online productivity suites can be accessed anywhere that you are connected to the Internet since it is cloud-based. The Microsoft Office suite is also available online. The most common online productivity suite is Google Workspace, which we will discuss later.

According to microsoft.com, Microsoft 365 Education can “Empower educators to unlock creativity, promote teamwork, and provide a simple and safe experience in a single, affordable solution built for education.” Microsoft 365 apps help unlock creativity, promote teamwork and collaboration, and provide a simple, safe learning experience.

The Microsoft productivity suite includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and Pages, Numbers, and Keynote make up iWork, Apple’s productivity suite for the Mac. Workspace is Google’s productivity suite and includes applications such as Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

A school’s choice of productivity suite is often dictated by the devices the school chooses to use. For example, if a school district uses Mac computers, its productivity suite is likely Apple. Teachers should have a general understanding of, and some experience with, all major productivity suites mentioned so acclimation to the system you teach in is smooth. Some school districts use both Office 365 and G Suite for Education.

• The EdTech website has a great video from ISTE20 Live where two educators discuss getting the best of both worlds!

COLLABORATION

MICROSOFT

Sharing a document in Word for Microsoft 365, Word for Microsoft, and Word for the web:

• Share a document with others and give them permission to edit; everyone’s changes are made in the same document. The document must be shared in a shared location.
• The Share icon is in the top-right corner of the ribbon. When sharing a document in Word, you have the following options:

• • Who you want to share it with
  • Can Edit or Can View
  • Link Settings (see images below)

• • You can send the document as an attachment or as a link.
  • Follow this link to Microsoft Support: Learn to share your documents; Create a shareable link, secure your documents to only specific people, and share with someone outside your organization.

Sharing a document from within Word on the desktop version:

• File > Share
  • Share with People – First, save the document to a OneDrive location (Save to Cloud)
  • Email – Send as Attachment, Send a Link (Document must be saved in a shared location), Send as Adobe PDF, Send as XPS, Send as Internet Fax.

• View this page from Microsoft support for detailed instructions on how to:
  • Share a document
  • Collaborate on Word documents
  • Insert or delete a comment
  • Track changes
  • Accept tracked changes
  • Use Word on a mobile device

APPLE

iWork, Apple’s productivity suite, is available as an app for macOS, iOS, and as a web app. According to apple.com, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are the best ways to create work. Templates and design tools make it easy to get started. You can even add illustrations and notations using Apple Pencil on your iPad. Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are included with most Apple devices.

Real-time collaboration can occur on a Mac, iPad, or iPhone, or using a PC.

• Collaboration is built into Pages, Numbers, and Keynote on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and online at iCloud.com
• To collaborate on a PC, you must use Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.
• To send an invite to collaborate by mail: iMessage, a pasteable link, or AirDrop
  • Customizable permissions – Edit and view only
• Changes appear in real-time
• If collaboration isn’t available, you might need to update your apps on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
• To send a copy of the document (send it without collaborating):
  • On Mac, go to Share > Send a Copy.
  • On iPhone or iPad, tap the More button  [insert more button] > Share
  • On iCloud.com, click the Tools button 🔧> Send a copy

An important piece of information when collaborating with documents is the compatibility between productivity suites. For example:

• Microsoft Office applications cannot open iWork documents; iWork applications can export documents from their native formats (.pages, .numbers, .key) to Microsoft Office formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx, etc.) as well as to PDF files. (Wikipedia)
• iWork apps can open, edit, and save files in standard Office format. Default iWork file extensions can be saved as .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, and .pptx as well as .pdf, .csv, and .html.

GOOGLE

When comparing the major productivity suites, Google is solely cloud-based. Compared to Microsoft 365 and iWork, which have desktop and online versions of their applications.

Google’s productivity suite has evolved through a gamut of name changes over the years. First known as Google Apps and later G Suite, Google Workspace is the current name for Google’s productivity suite. It is a collection of cloud computing, productivity, and collaboration tools, software, and products developed and marketed by Google.

Google Workspace for Education: The Google tools for learning make collaboration a breeze. Tools such as Docs, Slides, Sheets, Drive, Forms, and Jamboard make it easy for everyone to collaborate together.

• Sharing documents is simple. In the top right-hand corner, you will find the Share button (see below).

• Add people or groups to share the document with.

• Change who gets the link.

• Set privileges: Viewer, Commenter, or Editor.

Cloud Storage

Cloud Storage is a cloud storage model in which data is stored on remote servers and accessed over the Internet or through a private network login.  Cloud storage can be either free or fee-based. Google, Apple, and Microsoft are a few of the common cloud storage companies.

• OneDrive is Microsoft’s cloud storage.
  • Save to OneDrive and access them from any device, anywhere.
  • Sign in to OneDrive > File > Save As > OneDrive
• iCloud is built into every Apple device. All your photos, files, notes, and more are safe, up to date, and available wherever you are. Works automatically.
  • Sign in to iCloud before trying to share a file from Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and Photos.
  • Free 5GB iCloud storage space (with the ability to purchase more storage)
  • iCloud for Windows is available to download so you can keep your documents on your PC.

Bibliography

Brown, S. (2022, January 5). How to use DuckDuckGo to search the web privately on your phone and computer. CNET. How to use Duck Duck Go

Converting an image PDF to a readable PDF. (n.d.). Illinois State. Retrieved January 6, 2022, from https://techsolutions.illinoisstate.edu/web-interactive-communications/accessibility/acrobat/text-recognition/

Definition of productivity suite. (n.d.). PCMag. Retrieved January 16, 2022, from https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/productivity-suite