I am so glad, that I had been through such an informative presentation on Productivity suites and role of Presentation tools in our today’s online session, presented by Ayushi Rana, Gagan deep Kaur and Mohammad Aatif and I would like to thank them. I would also reflect on my learning through this presentation in this blog post. The concept and utilization of Productivity suites started with emergence of computers in between 1970 to 1980. Initially emerged productive suites included software like WordStar and WordPerfect, used to create, edit and format the documents. With the advent of educational technology, new productivity suites developed like, Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, cloud-based Productivity suites, Prezi, digital notes etc.
Nowadays, these digital tools or productivity suites are universally applicable, in every sector and education is not an exemption. Microsoft was updated by induction of Office 365 in late 2011. Cloud-based Productivity gained popularity as Google Workspace and Office 365. Later to this mobile productivity suites were allowed for mobile devices in form of Microsoft Office Mobile and Google Docs. Thus, these Productive suites were made accessible through mobile devices. Most of the productivity suites are dependent on internet connectivity. These tools are way more beneficial for learning as they made education easy, impactful and remote. It has made it easy for teachers to deliver their content and keeping records of their students. Learning is also made interesting using productivity suites. Furthermore, remote learning or online learning is made possible through productivity suites only. It was evident from application of these tools during Corona Pandemic that how important these tools are for us. Group presentation, as experienced while our previous session, was carried on successfully using Prezi, an IT tool. Collaboration features are integrated into productivity suites for team work. Other component of digital tool also provides Artificial Intelligence to grab knowledge and information about various topics and for detecting Plagiarism.
But there are some limitations of it such as, it demands user to be technology savvy and proficient on it as not everyone is good at it. Additionally, sometimes it costs a lot of money to access some online source or for internet connection. Apart form this, internet connection can not be made available in some areas, hence these can not be applied to those underdeveloped areas. While accessing these sources, learning has to suffer sometimes, due to distractions caused by internet tools.
It is clear from above said reading that these resources have become an integral part of education system, applied in administration sector, teaching and demonstration and there is still ongoing evolvement in these services. In near future, we can expect more possibilities. We can expect much more from AI and machine learning to shape future generation productivity suites. AI can take up role of instructors, serving as virtual assistant and freeing some liabilities of teachers.
This lecture ended up by streamlining and choosing right productivity suites. In the end, I would like to say these software has made remarkable influence in education system and made teaching learning process easy and effective. Although, IT tools are used at full swings, yet there is a lot more scope and need in its advancement.
I have been through Revolutionary Software: Milestones in the Development of Productivity Suites | History of Computers
I have also watched https://youtu.be/xbdCT_tiq5M?si=Fg7FacAOD02x4cro
Hi Gurjinder
I like the way how you started your post with the introduction of productivity suites followed by historical background, limitations and suggestions for improvement. It is an informative blog.
Thanks
Ayushi Rana
I think your point about users needing to be tech savvy is an important one. For people who are not very technologically literate, the integration of productivity suites presents a problem and may lower accessibility. Often, this is because of money or age. For someone who does not have access to their own personal device, even if they are able to access a public device (perhaps at a library), they will be less versed in using productivity suite programs. This makes me think that it is important that we teach our students in school how to use basic programs for education so that they are able to use them moving forward if they need to.
Hi Gurjinder,
It’s wonderful to hear that you learnt about the productivity suites from our presentation, and I’m so glad you found it informative!
I completely agree with you that while these tools offer huge benefits, they also come with various challenges, such as the need for technical proficiency and reliable internet access, which can be difficult in underdeveloped areas.
Thankyou for sharing your ideas !
Thanks
Gagan deep kaur
Great post, Gurjinder! I really enjoyed how you summarized the evolution and impact of productivity suites in education. The role these tools played during the pandemic, making remote learning possible and more engaging is really praiseworthy. Your reflection on the presentation tools like Prezi was insightful, especially how they enhance collaboration and make group work more effective. It’s apparent that while these tools have transformed education, there are still challenges like accessibility and the need for technical proficiency. Your point about the potential of AI and machine learning to further enhance productivity suites is really exciting and opens up a lot of possibilities for the future of education. Well done!