During the Monday night presentation, Ayushi, Gage, and Mohammad asked a thought provoking question regarding the use of productivity suites. They asked whether we felt the use of these software programs enhanced creativity or suppressed it. It took me a long time to answer and I continued to think about this question throughout the evening.  While I do believe some aspects of the productivity suites do foster creativity, I also think they have worked against creativity in many ways. Productivity suites are better suited to preparing young adults for certain aspects of the work, there are gaps in many areas not filled by the productivity suites.

 

First of all, we’ve reached a point where the productivity suites are simply embedded in each of the academic subjects and their use is no longer explicitly taught. No longer do students spend time learning how to word process, create formulas in excel spreadsheets, and learn additional features in word processing or presentation software. I have witnessed this over the past decade with the removal of computer labs and introduction of chromebooks and carts. While more work than ever is completed on a laptop, there is less intention than ever on its basic uses. Students struggle to type more than 15-20 words per minute. Students struggle to use any features in Microsoft excel, Apple numbers, or Google sheets. Students struggle to design anything creative in word processing and presentation software. I often wonder if this is more attuned to apathy and our own focus on the outcomes rather than the overall presentation of their products or if this is a product of a lack of explicit instruction to their use. Perhaps, a combination of both. 

 

The productivity suites have increased creativity in a number of ways. The ability to collaborate with the cloud based documents have allowed students to work together and share their ideas. These programs have increased their capabilities and the speed at which they can process information to make working on them more seamless. These programs provide quite a few opportunities for students to be creative, if they choose. 

 

Productivity suites have decreased creativity in a number of ways. Gone are the days of doodling in the margins of a notebook or honing your cursive skills. Even for myself, my penmanship has decreased and word processing software has become a neat means to an end. Canva and other programs have decreased my creative skills in the sense that most of the creations are made via pre-set templates that I simply plug the information into. 

 

Productivity suites have prepared students for the workforce by allowing them to create simple documents, prepare presentations, and digitally collaborate with their peers. The vast majority of careers today require basic computer skills. Those careers which require a more advantage skill set will either 

 

Productivity suites have created gaps due to our lack of explicit teaching and the increase of other third party software apps that are better suited for many tasks. Products like Prezi and Canva have become as commonplace in my school setting as our Google or Microsoft programs. These thor party programs foster creativity much more than the standard productivity suites we use.