Tool Evaluation 7 – Apache OpenOffice (productivity)

Download the Software Here!

Overview:

Type of Software: Downloaded Software

Cost: FREE! There is no cost for users to access and then download this software right to their computers.

Primary User: Teachers and students can both use this software as a means of organizing and producing classwork and homework. Teachers would most likely use the spreadsheets and drawing options while elementary students are more likely to use the text documents.

Features:

• Users can access a variety of applications from the software including text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, drawings, databases, formulas, and templates.

• Users can open documents from OpenOffice as Microsoft documents as well as through OpenOffice.

• Users can save documents to the software or directly to the computer being used.

• Users can add more features and get new templates through the software.

• There is a help/assistance program directly linked to the main page of the software for any issues or needs.

Prerequisites: If users have ever used Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc., then they will find OpenOffice to be very familiar. However, if users are not familiar with Microsoft in any way, the software is very user friendly and would not take much effort to figure out.

Intuitiveness: The software is very straight forward and gives a tutorial when you first download it about all of the features and how to access them. There is also a help center right at the main page for any issues or needs that may arise.

An Alternative: Microsoft is the most similar software to the OpenOffice program. They have almost all of the same features except Microsoft has more options underneath each of the features than OpenOffice does.

As a Resource for the Classroom

Benefits:

• Easy access to text documents that are simple to maneuver and have many different extra applications such as galleries, themes, and a navigator to assist users through the application.

• Use of drawings in order to create a table, chart presentation, etc. Drawings is something different from Microsoft that OpenOffice has to work with.

•  The ability to create spreadsheets, formulas, and templates

• The use of databases and creation of presentations that are much more detailed and engaging than those of other applications.

• Easily saves creations from the software directly to your computer in the form of either a OpenOffice document or a Microsoft document.

• There is no cost to download the software or access any of its material.

“The tool bar is a simple thing, but it is what keeps this Office Suite top of the rest. We don’t need super fancy stuff. What we DO need is what works and looks pleasing to the eye. A.O.O. has managed to do that.” –Micklail

 “The layout and design options are flexible, but not quite at the level of Word 2007.” -Review 

Drawbacks:

• Users must download the software to obtain it and the download took a good amount of time and a lot of clicking through the installation process.

• There are no extra features as compared to Microsoft applications.

Tips:

• I would honestly suggest that people use Microsoft instead of OpenOffice if they are just looking to use Word. Most computers come with Microsoft installed so there is no wait time.

• However, if users are looking to create presentations or drawings, then OpenOffice is worth the download. Especially if they do not have Microsoft downloaded yet.

Problems to Solve and Possible Uses:

• Organization of Documents

This software allows for users to save and organize all of their documents into an OpenOffice folder that will keep the documents in their OpenOffice format. Users can then make the choice if they want to open the document through Microsoft instead.

• More Engaging Work

If students are given the option to work on OpenOffice, I think that they would enjoy something a little different but that is still easy to use. The effects that are offered are also more entertaining than those of Microsoft, especially on PowerPoint.

Overall, I would suggest this web source to future and current educators.