The environment of online education is changing rapidly. Today, more than 230,000 educational institutions use Microsoft (MS) Teams for Education, providing a secure learning environment for remote and hybrid schools.
Although Teams is powerful on its own, its functionality can be enhanced for the betterment of your institution. This is particularly evident with third-party integrations, which can be leveraged to create better learning outcomes and engage students to a higher degree.
Fortunately, there are many ways to extend your school's Teams investment. Let’s explore how IT leaders can maximize the effectiveness and worth of Teams for teachers, parents, and students.
The many benefits of MS Teams for Education
MS Teams offers several tangible benefits to modern educators. A few of the most well-regarded include:
- The enablement of remote learning. This was particularly useful during the COVID-19 pandemic and is currently instrumental for hybrid or blended learning environments.
- Secure document transfers. Students, teachers, and other stakeholders can safely transmit documents online. Assignments, attendance reports, and learning outcomes are just a few of the most popular use cases.
- A focus on security protocols. Unlike many other learning platforms, MS Teams was designed with security in mind. Two-factor authentication is enforced for every organization, and when combined with data encryption and single sign-on through an Active Directory, the platform creates an airtight seal for teachers, students, and administrators.
- The ability to work with multi-modal settings. MS Teams is an incredibly dynamic platform that enables educators to work with content dissemination tools, video-sharing integrations, annotation adaptations, live exchanges, and automatic breakout rooms.
- Integrations with the Microsoft Suite. Teams users will also have access to Microsoft 365, which adapts Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and many other apps for browser use.
These basic benefits are invaluable to the modern educator. However, there are still ways of deriving additional value from your Teams license, starting with the following three suggestions.
How to maximize the value of MS Teams for Education
Perhaps the most useful benefit of online education is that it can be adapted to meet any workflow. Take your MS Teams functionality to the next level with these three suggestions for IT leaders.
Organize with team types
Teams encourages the use of team types, which are specific sub-groups that can be segmented within your organization. There are four categories available:
- Class: You can use these groups to create discussion boards, assignment groups, and projects for individual classes.
- Professional Learning Community (PLC): Your educators and substitute teachers can be added to a PLC group.
- Staff: Your administrative and development teams are a perfect fit for this sub-category.
- Other: Think about clubs, study hubs, and seasonal school activities.
If you haven't already, set up a few team types that support you and your institution with a logical breakdown of user groups.
Use automations with Zapier and beyond
Implementing Zapier with MS Teams allows you to set up automations that make workflows more efficient. Automate mundane tasks like recording meeting info, quickly gather feedback from surveys, or easily create to-do items by leveraging calendar events.
Dozens of native apps integrate with Zapier and MS Teams, making it a functional tool for educators and their students. However, it's always best to partner with third-party apps that provide more all-in-one functionality, like Beedle.
Partner with third-party apps
Microsoft Teams shines when integrated with third-party apps like Beedle. Built by teachers and for teachers, it’s a tool that bridges the technology gap for educators and their students.
It offers:
- Intuitive planning resources
- Built-in teacher’s calendar
- Classroom tools for student attendance
- Audiovisual teacher’s journal
- Digital gradebooks for every student
- Linked success criteria and objectives
As an all-in-one solution for teachers, students, and parents, Beedle is the best way to make the most of Microsoft Teams.
Enhancing MS Teams for Education with Beedle
Getting started with Beedle is fast, simple, and straightforward. Here's how it works:
- First, sign up for a live demo or download the app straight away. You'll be able to see how the program works within your current workflow.
- Watch videos in the training center to get up and running in mere hours. This will give you additional information about the app's possibilities and capabilities.
- Take the free Beedle certification course to become a verified partner. You'll have even more know-how about the app and have bragging rights as a Beedle Partner!
With Beedle, education through MS Teams has never been more robust.
Beedle is an all-in-one solution for teaching and learning in Microsoft Teams, giving schools the power to leverage Teams for improved resource and lesson planning, class management, insight organization, and more!
If you’re in a Teams district or school and want to unlock the true potential of Microsoft Teams, contact our specialists to maximize the worth of your Microsoft Teams investment today!
