Productivity Software - What's the Fuss?

Productivity conjures images of people working in isolation at their desks, trying to complete multiple tasks simultaneously. I imagine sweat flying off workers' brows with their faces alternating from looks of concentration to horror as they realize they have too much work and not enough time to finish. But what if we could change that image to make productivity seem less scary?

(Kelly, n.d.)

Let's start this discussion with a standard definition of productivity software or applications (apps). Daraio et al. (2018) defined productivity software as a category of application programs that help users produce presentations, spreadsheets, graphs, databases, or documents. Simply put, productive software is apps or programs used to create digital materials. Simple, right? 

There is a plethora of productivity software to choose from. However, your task or need should narrow down your choices. For instance, if you need to create a flyer or digital poster, you can use Google Slides, Canva, or Easil. Of course, other apps can fulfill your purpose; they are just one Google search away. These apps aim to simplify your task by providing you with professionally designed templates for you to use. 

You might be asking yourself, how does productivity software fall under the creative use of technology integration. Great question! Productivity software integrates into learning, and it can be collaborative and fun! For example, apply the idea of creating a flyer or digital poster to an assignment. Students can work together to communicate their understanding of the content. Let's look at some examples.

• If you want students to demonstrate their learning about writing persuasive arguments, they can create a flyer using a call to action. Some fourth-grade students I work with did just that. They made flyers using Canva to advertise the school's collection of canned goods for a Thanksgiving food drive.
• Second graders used Google Slides to create collaborative posters showing different types of severe weather and how global warming affects the weather. They added voice-overs to their slides after writing their script in Google Docs, adding another layer of creative tech integration.
• Third graders used WeVideo to create a stop-motion video documenting the detrimental effects of pollution on the world's oceans. They collaboratively wrote an information script using Google Docs and created their opening image using Google Drawings.

The examples provided were all from student-generated ideas. The productivity software personalized the students' learning experience, allowing them to deepen their understanding (Gatwood et al., 2021). These different apps allowed students to collaboratively display their knowledge in creative, fun ways! How can you use productivity apps to increase your students' innovative learning applications?

(CoSpaces Edu, n.d.)

References

CoSpaces Edu. (n.d.). Student reactions to CoSpaces Edu [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fdOdXLgWTQ&t=7s&ab_channel=CoSpacesEdu

Daraio, C., Kerstens, K. H. J., Nepomuceno, T. C. C., & Sickles, R. (2018). Productivity and efficiency analysis software: An exploratory bibliographical survey of the options. Journal of Economic Surveys, 33(1), 85–100. https://doi.org/10.1111/joes.12270 

Gatwood, J., Hohmeier, K., Kocak, M., & Chisholm–Burns, M. (2021). Acceptance of productivity software as a course management and collaboration tool among student pharmacists. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 13(4), 361–367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2020.11.019

Kelly, F. (n.d.). Productivity [Online image]. Magpie Recruitment.
https://www.magpierecruitment.com/blog/2021/04/productivity?source=google.com