Relative Advantage of Using the Basic Suite for Learning

Relative Advantage of Using the Basic Suite for Learning

Basic Suite is a term that I had never heard used when referring to software, so, in case I’m not alone, I’ll start out by discussing that term. A suite of software is a group of software that is sold together as a package, that have similar functions and can be used together. For years, Microsoft Office was probably the most well known of the “office or productivity” suites. For educational purposed in a K-8 school, the Office suite offered everything that students needed to write reports, create graphs, brochures, and presentations. Currently there are many other options available to teachers, and teachers should check out these options, some of them much more economical than others, before purchasing anything.

In my opinion, Google Apps for Education (GAFE) is the greatest suite available to teachers. First and foremost, it’s totally free piece of cloud based software! There are no hidden costs for the Basic Suite of tools, which in the K-8 classroom, is usually all that is needed. The suite includes Drive (cloud storage), Docs (word procession), Sheets (spreadsheets), Slides (presentation), Forms (survey/quiz), Classroom (create and organize assignments), and many free apps and extensions that can do just about anything. If you need something done in Chrome, “There’s an app (or extension) for that!”

The Google Suite offers advantages to students, teachers, schools, and towns. As I mentioned earlier, the fact that it’s free, is a great advantage in this tight economy. I’m not familiar with other states’ budget processes, but in NH, everything is voted for at the town level, making the submission of a tight budget imperative if it’s going to pass. So for the school and the town, free is always a positive attribute.

When students have access to a GAFE account, because it’s cloud based, whatever they are working on at school can be continued at home. GAFE is also great for collaborative work because of its sharing feature. Students can work with a partner whether together or at different locations. All partners can be working on a document at the same time, facilitating the group collaboration process.

Working in the Cloud is beneficial to parents in a couple of key ways. First of all, parents no longer have to purchase software for the students to use at home. Second, there’s no need to purchase flash drives to transport assignments, and software compatibility is no longer an issue from one computer to the next. Parents can easily monitor what their child is working on and will not have to drive to school to pick up a paper left behind. It's all in the Cloud.

Teachers benefit from GAFE in so many ways, other than the elimination of  the "dog ate my homework" excuse, that it’s difficult to choose the features that are most beneficial.

1. Google Classroom would have to be top on the list. Classroom provides a platform in which teachers can create assignments, share assignments, and collect assignments, in a simple to use environment. The assignments are delivered directly into students' Classroom folder, ready to be worked on. When an assignment is complete, the student submits it at the click of a button. Teachers no longer have to carry stacks of papers home for grading.
2. Google Docs can be used to create assignments and to communicate with parents.
3. Google Sites is website development software. It does not require the use of HTML, so anyone can use it. Although it does take some time to figure out how to navigate the program, it is a very useful tool. We completely redesigned our school’s site this fall, using Google Sites. After creating this site, I’m very comfortable using Sites and training others at the school in developing their own sites. One glitch that we did discover was with the Safari browser on iPhones. The newest version of Safari will not open some of the links. Apple customer service did not know why this was happening and the only fix that they could come up with was to change the view on the phone from mobile to desktop. Hopefully Apple will resolve this problem.
4. Google Forms are great for surveys and quizzes. Surveys are a great way to ascertain where students are academically and customize the curriculum accordingly. Forms can be used with co-workers in planning programs, determining what training is needed, and for interest questionnaires.

One of the areas that I feel needs improvement in the Google suite, is the artistic capability within the software. Students love to create their own illustrations, and as a teacher I feel that it is much more meaningful when students create their own artwork. Google drawings is an app that can be used within the suite, and it’s great for illustrations and diagrams, but lacks in painting features. Mini Paint and Digital Paint are two apps that I have experimented with, but I still prefer Microsoft Paint.

Max's Toolbox is the productivity suite that I prefer for my K-4 students. When they are working on a project in which they need to include original artwork, MaxPaint is the perfect piece of software. Fable Vision's description of this software is, " "Training Wheels" for Microsoft Office" (1), which is a great description of this software because the interface is simple and will not overwhelm young students, while giving them experience on a type of software that they will continue to use throughout their educational career. This software was originally created by Scholastic, and was called Scholastic Keys. It "attaches" onto the Microsoft Office Suite, making Office more "kid friendly" by enlarging the icons and creating an easy to navigate environment. A painting program is embedded into the software making it an all-in-one working environment. The suite includes Paint (MaxPaint), Word (MaxWrite), PowerPoint (MaxShow), and Excel (MaxCount).

Having access to a suite of productivity tools such as Google Apps for Education, Microsoft Office, or whichever product best suits the needs of the users, has the potential to open up many doors for parents, students, teachers and administration. Although these groups have a variety of needs, the versatility of the tools along with the availability of apps and extensions that can be added on, make them a good fit for all. Anyone using Google software can completely customize the suite by adding on the tools that are most beneficial to their personal needs.

Work Cited:

1. Roblyer, M.D. (2016). Integrating Educational Technology Into Technology (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

2. (2011). Demystifying Cloud | Scholastic.com. Retrieved February 7, 2016, from http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3755252.

3. (2012). Cloud computing in education - ComputerWeekly.com. Retrieved February 7, 2016, from http://www.computerweekly.com/tip/Cloud-computing-in-education-How-moving-to-the-cloud-can-help-schools.

4. "Max's Toolbox - FableVision Learning." 2011. 3 Feb. 2016 <http://shop.fablevisionlearning.com/maxs-toolbox/fa/shop.detail/productID/2771/>

5. (2014). The Benefits of Google for Education in Higher Ed ... Retrieved February 7, 2016, from http://www.universitybusiness.com/article/benefits-google-education-higher-ed.