What Is Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 is a subscription based service that gives users access to the familiar, desktop office applications through the web browser, and access to it’s cloud storage solution: OneDrive for Business.
Issaquah staff and K-12 students all have Microsoft 365 accounts through Issaquah School District. This means that staff and students can create and store documents through a browser, and, if set-up correctly, sync files across devices, and access them from multiple locations (see below for directions.)
Microsoft 365 also allows for real-time collaboration through both the browser versions of the tools, and the desktop version (must be 2016 or newer.) Utilizing this feature of Microsoft 365 can support development of 21st Century skills in students and support powerful collaboration between teachers.
What You Need To Know
Logging In
To login to Microsoft 365 through a browser visit the Office 365 Portal and then login using:
Username: School District Email Address
Password: ISD Network Password (this is the same password used to login to district computers at school)
OneDrive for Business
To begin using OneDrive for Business, click on the OneDrive tile (picture of a cloud and says OneDrive.)
The site will then take you through a quick activation process, that will ask to enter your account information again (make sure you are choosing ‘School or Work’ account if given the option.)
After finishing the process, clicking on the OneDrive tile will take you to the file view in OneDrive for Business, where you will see files you create, and manage those files, including sharing them.
Office 365, Office Online and Office 2019
One point of confusion for many people is the differences between Microsoft 365, Office Online and Office 2019. As you can see in the graphic above, Microsoft 365 refers to the whole system, including the interaction with OneDrive for Business.
Office Online exists entirely in the browser, so if you are editing a Word document in Chrome, you’re in Office Online. You will probably notice that Office Online is not as fully featured as the version you are used too.
The Office 2019 applications, are the latest desktop versions of the Office products you know and love. They are programs that reside on your computer. Simply put, if you opened a document after opening Word from the start menu or task bar, you’re in Office desktop version.
Here’s where things get a little confusing. Thanks to OneDrive for Business you can edit the same documents in the Microsoft Online version of Word or the Office 2019 version of Word. If you are editing a document in Microsoft Online, you can always choose the Edit button at on the menu bar. This will give you the option to open the document in Office 2019 on the desktop. If you want to open and edit a document from Office 2019 desktop version, you have to do a little set-up. Read on to find out how.
Setting Up Office 2019
In order to get to the documents you’ve saved in OneDrive for Business from the desktop version of Office (Office 2019) you will need to point the application to the proper OneDrive account. To do so follow these steps the first time you use an Office 209 application on a computer.
- Open the Office 2019 application
- Create a new document
- Then choose click on the File button at the top
- Choose Save from the menus on the left
- Choose + Add a Place
- Choose Office 365 Sharepoint from the two options that appear
- Follow prompts to sign into your Office 365 account using your ISD account info
It will then add two places your options for saving your documents. Always choose the one called OneDrive-issaquah.wednet.edu.
You are now set-up to save and access files from your OneDrive for Business folder.
Helpful Hints
Don’t confuse OneDrive and OneDrive for Business. You can easily tell the difference, because when choosing where to save or open documents, your ISD OneDrive for Business account looks like this:
When sharing a document or file with someone else (or if one is shared with you) it will generate an email and send a link.
This link always opens the document in Office Online. If you want to edit it on the desktop version, you will have to choose the Open in Desktop or Edit Document>Edit In Word button.
Where can I get help with Microsoft 365?
You can also learn more about Microsoft 365 and other applications by taking an online Kyle Learning course or you can contact any of the Instructional Technology Specialists in the Ed Tech department as well. We are here to help.
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