Google Docs vs. Office Online

The task of comparing the above leaves me feeling a little out of my element. But I suppose that is the point of the Integrated Technology AQ course that I am taking and creating this blog for :)

So how do I go about conducting a professional comparison without much prior use of either tool? Well, I certainly do not wish to pretend I am any expert. However, I am a new teacher and as such, I am always looking for innovative ways to get my students to collaborate with one another and getting comfortable with using Web 2.0 tools. Therefore, I will do what any teacher would likely do in this situation and turn to the ever knowledgable "Google". Upon a quick Google search (I typed in "what is the difference between Office Online and Google Docs"), I found a few blogs with just such a comparison.

The first I read is a blog called "How-to Geek" where the differences between Office Online and Google Docs was very simply explained. I encourage you to take a look if you are unfamiliar with either:

http://www.howtogeek.com/183299/a-free-microsoft-office-is-office-online-worth-using/

For a more detailed look at the two, I turned to a second blog called "PC Pro". Here, the various functions of each are broken down (note: I had to answer a survey question to see the full content of the entry but I didn't have to enter any personal information):

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/features/391192/office-online-vs-google-docs-which-free-online-office-suite-is-best

One final blog entry I would like to share in this comparison is by "Tech Republic" where the author offers 10 comparisons between Office Online and Google Docs:

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/google-in-the-enterprise/10-comparisons-between-google-apps-and-office-365/

So where do I go from here. I've now read all I need to read about the two, and have played around with the various tools offered in both. Personally, I still gravitate towards Office Online in a professional capacity based on its ability to integrate with my desktop version. However, in a school setting, where many schools are still using Open Office which, let's be honest here, is not all that great, I think that Google Docs is probably more familiar to the students. What I like about Google docs is the additional add-ons you can use and add to your documents:

The Add-on tools are incredibly diverse and mostly free, which is a word that as teachers, we totally love.

I think that both of the above have their merits in the classroom. I really don't think you could go wrong in either situation. I just find that most students seem to have more knowledge with Google Docs. That being said, I think there is merit in using Office Online as most students have access to Office at home (both on PC and Mac) and most professional businesses turn to MS Office. Ensuring that students are familiar with this software will certainly set them up for future success.