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Lately, I have been thinking a lot about GAfe vs Office 365, as it is a hot topic of discussion within our tech integration team and some adminstrators at our school. There are many CIS schools using Google Apps, and I’m trying to figure out how my school can maintain a hybrid system using both Google Apps and Office 365.
We have been using Office 365 for a couple of years now. Here are a number of benefits of using Office 365 that I believe both faculty and students enjoy at our school, and would be very disappointed to see go.
Microsoft Outlook 
– this really is a sophisticated and user-friendly interface. We consistently use mail, calendar and task functions A LOT. There has been such a change in productivity when we started using Outlook. Here are some of the functions that I love:
- Timetables are built into our system by IT for both students and teachers. Click a button on our portal and your individual timetable is built into your Outlook for you. Genius.
- Delivery receipt options in email. Delayed email delivery and Requesting a “Read Receipt” has saved my bacon numerous times.
- Calendar invites – seriously. Hands down such an improvement in productivity. If I need to make a sitting with a student or a colleague – just send them a calendar invite and set the reminder to anytime from 10 days before to 10 minutes before the meeting. They click accept or decline or suggest a new time, and it’s put right into their own calendar. I just used it before the break where I invited my whole Grade 8 class to four calendar reminders so that they would remember the days in the next few weeks where they need to have sections of their monologue memorized by. They loved it! And…they can’t ever say…”I didn’t know we had to have it memorized by…”
- Shared Calendars – we use them for tracking assessments by Grade levels, meetings by departments, and our tech integration team uses one to track our integration meetings, workshops and one on one sessions with teachers.
Microsoft OneNote 
– I really can’t say enough about it (and I have said A LOT about it over the last couple of years). I won’t go into all of the awesome things about it, but I know that there would be an uprising at Branksome if we ever stopped using it (WE WILL ALWAYS USE IT!). The one thing I can say is that my assessments and checking in on student work has never been so efficient. It will be the one product that I will indoctrinate every school into using for the rest of my career. 🙂
So then this leaves me to exploring all of the AWESOME Google apps (ones built by Google and the copious amounts of third-party GAfE apps) that are out there. As far as collaboration tools goes, I’m sorry Office 365 still has a ways to go. So many steps, so many failed syncs, failed collaborations when we use OneDrive and Office 365 syncing. I have had syncing problems with OneDrive for Business pretty much from day one (and being a tech teacher …I have given it many hours and months (!) of patience as I try to sort through the issues with our IT department. It’s hard to encourage students to use it, when I have been tempted to pitch my laptop out the window because of my own syncing and collaboration problems using it!
I can find many sites out there debating one against the other…but I’m wondering are there any other independent schools who are using both? What successes or advice can you give me about navigating a hybrid model?
Hi Erin,
You’re timing with this post couldn’t have been more perfect! I am looking to come down to Branksome and meet with Joe about the very quandry you’re exploring. We have both, and I’m exploring making a choice between them…that is, I am exploring whether or not we have to make a choice at all. If yes, then which one (that seems like the simple part). But if we don’t have to make a choice, then how best to integrate the two systems…
I’d love to hear more from you, and maybe loop you into the conversation with Joe!
I posted on a Microsoft Educators forum that I’m a part of, looking for other schools who are in the same situation as us. Will pass along any information or contacts I glean from that. This is a common conversation in our department, so I’m sure that Joe will loop me in on your convo. Would be great to see you when you come visit us. Maybe we’ll be able to grab a latte with our new barista in our new Athletic & Wellness Centre?! 🙂
In the meantime, I sent this link to Joe over the holidays. You may want to check this discussion out here. No answers, but some good points. 🙂
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/K-12-BYOD-4831691?gid=4831691&mostPopular=&trk=tyah&trkInfo=tarId%3A1420482042232%2Ctas%3ABYOD%2Cidx%3A2-3-4
Barista??? This I have to see 🙂 That new center looks amazing!
The AWC opens at the end of the month. Joe & I would be happy to show you around and treat you to a latte. Let us know!
Erin
Hi Erin. Good analysis of the benefits of Outlook — I’m especially curious about how your IT department is able to put everyone’s schedule into Outlook. We don’t have a good way of doing that, right now.
I also agree about O365 lacking or collaboration. At SCS, not only are we running O365 and GAFE, we are also a mixed Mac and PC environment. Our IT department has chosen Active Directory to run accounts and permissions and network access, etc, and we sync out to Google Apps, almost as an accessory toolkit. I spend 80% of my time in Google, but return to Outlook for email and Shared calendars (though I prefer the Mac OS calendar app for my own calendar). I also use Outlook and Apple Mail as a way to keep my personal and school accounts separated.
Can you share about how your school accomplishes the outlook calendar – schedule sync? Sounds like a gift!
Hey Adam,
I’m emailing you with more of the details of this. It sounds like the three of us are all in the same boat right now.
That’s a lot of calendars you’re using! It can be overwhelming moving between all of these applications.
I’ll be in touch shortly via email.
Erin
Hey Erin,
We’re moving to GAFE, using Edsby as our LMS. I really love the GCal and Gmail integration but we haven’t figured out a way to integrate timetables yet – which is one feature that 365 does.
I’d be interested in hearing about how you’re using tech to get at SAMR & TPACK at Branksome. We’re always looking for new ideas out here at Lakefield.
Thanks for the post!