Google vs. Microsoft apps - which one is best for schoolwork?

Although OIS mainly uses Microsoft applications, it is worth trying other software like Google that offer different features. In this article, i will explore the pros and cons of Microsoft and Google.

PowerPoint presentations

Although Microsoft PowerPoint has been around for longer, I personally find the layout and features of google slides more simple, and diverse in its features. For example, if you google the website Slidesmania, you will find a collection of over 100 free slides templates! This is a fast and efficient way of decorating your school presentations, so that you spend less time on adding colour and changing the fonts, and more time developing the content and information that will be graded by your teachers. Furthermore, Google docs and Google slides are better for group activities where you will need to co-edit documents—when using Microsoft Word or PowerPoints, this is a more complicated task.

Microsoft PowerPoint, on the other hand, gives you the option to draw on your slides, and includes a larger list of font options. It is also better if you want to keep all your work in the same place, or share the file within our school’s email organisation.

Spreadsheets

In this case, we are comparing google sheets, and Microsoft Excel.

Google Sheets is optimal for creating graphs (for science class for example) and editing them as you please. In school, we learn to type equations for the computer to calculate in excel. We can apply this knowledge to google spreadsheets, but excel has a lot more technical features and is recommended by several teachers.

Word Documents

Google docs and Microsoft Excel have many similarities, which leaves you with the option of simply choosing which one you prefer. Google Docs has a simple layout, automatic saving, and a number of sharing features to edit in a group with someone, or for teachers to suggest corrections, so that you can see the difference between their suggestions and your work. A downside of google docs is that it doesn't have an application for computers, so it takes more time to create or access documents.

As an international school, we have many nationalities and languages spoken here so Microsoft Word is a better option in this instance. By simply clicking on the bar at the bottom of the page, you can change the language of the document, as well as the autocorrect and auto-completion settings.

In conclusion, in this article I have tried to present you with both the pros and cons of Google and Microsoft. It’s up to you to find which one works best for you, and the work that you do at school!

By Naya Saraiva-Chardon

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