It's a new year! Why not learn something new? Microsoft 365 (M365) has loads of tools and features that are useful for teaching and learning. So many, in fact, that it can be a bit daunting, so we thought we'd share a few we've had our eye on.
Quick hits from Daniel Janicki
Online Instructional Technologist
Check out a few potential M365 tools for teaching and learning.
Microsoft Whiteboard
Like other whiteboard apps, Microsoft Whiteboard provides a blank space for you to add content and comes with tools like shapes, different writing utensils, and a ruler. It can be found in the M365 app or in Microsoft Teams and can be downloaded to most devices.
What makes it special:
- Integrates with PDFs and PowerPoint. Users can insert single slides from PowerPoints as well as single pages from PDFs. This feature is potentially useful for collaborative annotation.
- Supports alt text. Microsoft Whiteboard supports alt text for all objects: images, gifs, sticky notes, text boxes, shapes, lines, and inserted PDF pages and PowerPoint slides.
- Features enhanced ink shapes. When this feature is turned on, the free-form shapes users draw will automatically convert to preformatted shapes (e.g., a hand-drawn circle will become a proper circle)
Microsoft 365 Sway
Sway is a Microsoft 365 app that allows you and your students to quickly create text or multimedia e-portfolios, stories, reports, and more. Sway is a basic web page development tool you can use to incorporate text, images, and video in a linear presentation. You can embed a variety of media into a Sway, including Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, Excel charts and graphs, videos from YouTube, Google Maps, and Google or Microsoft forms. All student work is saved in their OneDrive, which reduces the risk of compromising student privacy and intellectual property.
What makes it special:
- Makes it easy to create presentations and newsletters quickly. Sway is a lightweight version of PowerPoint, offering easy-to-use templates and fewer customizations so your work comes together faster.
- Capable of embedding other Microsoft 365 files. Create a presentation that draws from your existing data and files.
- Allows for collaboration. As part of the Microsoft 365 suite, your Sway is easy to share with others to create and edit collaboratively.
Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft OneNote is a digital and collaborative note-taking program available to IU students, faculty, and staff as part of Microsoft 365 services. When signed into your Microsoft 365 at IU account, OneNote notebooks can be synched and accessed across devices. OneNote is available on personal computers (Windows and macOS) as a desktop application, via web browser with Office Online apps, and on tablets and smartphones with Office Mobile apps. We recommend you use the web browser option for quickest and easiest access.
What makes it special:
- Integrates extensively. OneNote integrates with many other Microsoft 365 products.
- Syncs across devices. OneNote syncs well across laptops, desktops, smartphones, and tablets.
- Shares easily. Make collaborative work easier with OneNote’s sharing capabilities.
These are just a few of the great tools and features that Microsoft 365 has to offer. These tools can be easily integrated into your class by using the Teams Classes Canvas Integration. You can find out more about the Teams Classes Canvas Integration on the Knowledge Base. UITS IT Training also offers training on a variety of M365 topics throughout the year.