Microsoft is not taking its school and student users for granted in its Microsoft Office 365 for Schools and Students cloud-based software for free.
We all know that although Office 365 is a great productivity tool, it can also be expensive. We actually discuss this in our other blog comparing Office 365 vs Office 2019 A subscription fee of 99.99 USD/year for a regular Home edition can already be hard enough for mere students to produce, let alone for a public school with pretty decent funding to provide for all of its students. Microsoft made it possible for schools and students to enjoy the company’s new Office flagship. Thanks to Microsoft Office 365 Education.
It’s complete with the basics, and it’s for free!
Anthony Salcito, Microsoft’s vice president of worldwide education, called the move a “game-changer for teaching and learning.”
We know that Microsoft promised to make Office 365 Education available for all teachers, students, and schools worldwide. But it remains accessible only to those who are eligible under Microsoft’s conditions.
Here are ways to avail Microsoft Office 365 for Schools and Students.
How to Determine Your Eligibility
It is now simpler to determine whether your school is a qualifying institution.
Checking for eligibility requires a school email address. If you do not have access to the email account issued by your school, you should first ask and secure a school email ad. Your next step will be to visit the appropriate website to further investigate the possibilities for your school. You can check your category link from the Microsoft website.
Administrators of eligible institutions can then just give their students login credentials to start using their own Office 365. Microsoft’s offer, as described on their Office in Education site:
What about non-eligible students or teachers?
Your interest may prompt important conversations on behalf of the other students or teachers at your school. If your school is not eligible, you can contact your school’s administration to contact them about failed eligibility.
If they can’t approve of you, then you can take advantage of the lowest prices on Office 365 Home at Softvire.
Apps In The Office 365 Suite That Are Useful to Schools and Students
Students and teachers want secure but completely usable apps accessible from any computer. The exact tool that will deliver this is Microsoft Office 365.
The 365 Suite expands the ability to learn in and out of class with its new and creative sources. Let us discuss the many ways in which Office 365 can support students and teachers.
The suite includes all of the Office applications as Microsoft innovations from the last few years. They include:
- Microsoft Word – Microsoft Office suite’s flagship word processing program.
- Microsoft Excel – For graph and spreadsheet creation and where you can arrange data.
- Powerpoint – For slide deck presentations.
- Outlook – Microsoft’s protected email platform.
- Exchange Online – A cloud-hosted exchange server.
- OneDrive – Microsoft’s cloud storage application.
- OneNote – a note-taking application.
- Publisher – A desktop publishing application.
- Microsoft Access – A database management application.
- Skype for Business – Yes, Skype is now under Microsoft. Use it for instant messaging and video conferencing.
- InfoPath – Your tool for creating, designing, and distributing electronic forms.
- SharePoint – Organizational file sharing tool that allows groups to post updates and access important files.
- Microsoft Teams – Collaboration tool that combines chat, meetings, notes, and attachments to help organizations communicate.
Some of these cannot be found in most Office suites. The best thing about Office 365 is not the application but how users can access those applications. Most of these applications and data can be used in cloud-based applications and everywhere. These things make learning more conducive for students.
6 Benefits Of Using Microsoft Office 365 In Schools
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Learning on the go
Since the suite is cloud-based, Office 365 helps users to modify and restore documents saved from any device anytime they need. It is necessary to be connected constantly in this generation. Tasks are now available through school applications or portals, and students can simply access them online.
Office 365 makes it easy for students to add ideas to a text draft or modify a PowerPoint slide at the very moment when a new idea comes to them.
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Access to premium apps
Let’s face it. Some cannot afford to buy premium versions of Microsoft Office for their home computers. Office 365 Education bridges the gap by giving free access to these apps that are already stored apps internet, and any student can now experience these resources.
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Collaboration at its best
Team projects don’t have to be demanding of time with Office 365 Education. With Microsoft Office 365’s collaborative tools, projects will have more structure by allowing small groups to work on their projects at various times throughout the day. Teachers are also able to meet them online to provide guidance on their activities.
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ePortfolios
The OneNote app makes it easier for students to build an ePortfolio. This app supports a variety of formats for text, audio, video, drawing, and handwriting. This encourages more creativity out of students. means you can encourage more creativity from your students. Bring your ePortfolios to life with Office 365 and the OneNote app.
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Endless communication and sharing
I mentioned earlier that it’s connected with almost everything in our generation, so why not make learning work the same way? In fact, it is good to improve both student’s and teacher’s skills development. It provides lessons not only inside but also outside of the classroom. The conversation about education can improve with instant messaging and video conferencing.
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Cloud Storage
The data that are stored on Microsoft products by faculty and students can be saved into the cloud. It greatly reduces the number of data storage facilities that the school has to power, cool, and maintain in its own environment. There might be no more need for notebooks and papers in the future too, hence being economical and environmental at the same time.
Getting Microsoft Office 365 for Schools and Students for free
The most compelling reason for a school to subscribe to Office 365 is that a version of it can attain for free. It’s called “Office 365 for Education,” and it is a distinct offering from the standard Office 365. It provides all of Office 365’s applications available and is free for teachers and students in an academic institution.
The free services include:
- Word
- PowerPoint
- Excel
- OneNote
- Unlimited OneDrive storage for subscriptions with five or more users
- Yammer
- SharePoint
Office 365 for Education has a few stipulations and limitations, but it provides the solutions above to qualified academic institutions free of charge. This is valuable for students attending University if their resources are limited.
How to Avail Microsoft Office 365 for Schools and Students for free
Eligibility Requirements
Office 365 is accessible for part-time or full-time faculty members as well as students. However, they should have a school-specific email address that can receive external emails, have internet access, and be of legal age. The school can apply for younger students.
Length of Subscription
Users can access the Office products for as long as they work or study at their respective institutions. After the plan expires, the applications enter in a “reduced-functionality mode.” They can view documents, but they can no longer edit the docs or create new ones. On the other hand, some apps like OneDrive will not function at all.
Promotional Kit
After registering your school, Microsoft will give promotional kits to students and teachers to explain the software and promote its use. The kit includes posters, flyers, and advertisements, and it includes a faculty flyer and a faculty poster for higher education institutions.
Office Resources
Microsoft offers various resources to users to help them make the most of their Office products. This includes training, tutorials, an educator community, and free tips. These are all available on Microsoft Office 365 for Education webpage.
Not eligible for Office 365 Education?
No problem!
Softvire got you covered. Avail of the most affordable Microsoft Office 365 licenses from Softvire today! You can also check Microsoft Office Home and Student 2016, one of the helpful Microsoft products for students as well as for home use.
So, check the other Microsoft digital products we have on sale to make your purchase more worthwhile. You can also bundle your Microsoft products with our other online software on sale now.
