Office 2007

[localzuk]

I have today received our office 2007 enterprise dvd and am trying it out on my laptop before deploying it widely. Has anyone else used it yet? What are people's thoughts? or more importantly - what does it break? SIMS.net?

 

Cheers

Tony

[adent]

Been using Office 2007 for a while now. I like it. One major gotcha is backward compatibility. You have to save as office 2k3 format for older versions to read. There is a plug in available for download from the Microsoft Office site for Office 2003 to allow it to read Office 2k7 files and I would strongly recommend you deploy that AND make students aware of it before going ahead.

 

Unfortunately it needs latest service packs etc. to install.

 

Love the self setup feature of outlook. Also like the online collaboration with Windows Live Messenger.

 

As for SIMS - well if you breath it breaks it so no surprise there.

[Quackers]

I've used it my self a bit, and i hated going back to Office 2003. I cannot wait until we have money to buy it. Its the interface i like most, everything is always where you need it, one click away. Not tried it on an Admin machine yet to see how Sims likes it.

[Norphy]

I'm using the trial edition at the moment. It hasn't done anything untoward to SIMS but then I'm not a heavy SIMS user so if it did I probably wouldn't notice it.

 

It's nice, it doesn't seem any slower than Office 2003 but the ribbon thing takes some getting used to.

[Lee_K_81]

Also like office 2007, at first very disorientating but when you get used to it it's great. I uninstalled the beta for a week before installing the full version. 2003 seemed really ugly and difficult to use.

I've not experienced any issues yet with it destroying other apps.

[timbo343]

Hey

 

me and a colleague have got it installed on our systems and i like it, espec the new outlook. Its just a lot easier to use, plus the new ribbon makes light work of things. But the other guys are a bit reluctant to try it out at the mo, but ive noticed that you have to change the default save format to .doc other wise it the doc wont be backwards compatible.

And whats this new program called, groove i think, whats that all about??

Was asked about sims from our admin lot and i said i aint tried yet, but am sure that there will be a post on here to say that it dont work.

[kingswood]

Office 2007 is very nice.

 

I want it :-)

[localzuk]

Well, it does look nice. But I am going to assume that our teachers won't like it because it looks different. How soon should I force it upon them anyway?

[timbo343]

thats the question that we have got too. Trouble is teachers dont like change at all. It means learning something new

[tosca925]

One major gotcha is backward compatibility. You have to save as office 2k3 format for older versions to read. There is a plug in available for download from the Microsoft Office site for Office 2003 to allow it to read Office 2k7 files and I would strongly recommend you deploy that AND make students aware of it before going ahead.

 

Unfortunately it needs latest service packs etc. to install.

 

We'll be looking to do this in the summer term, trouble is i doubt if we can afford to do all 800 clients. We at the moment have 680 clients with 2003 and the rest with 2000. Is there any issues or downloads for 2000 office?

 

Has any one else got more details on 2007 and compatibility with other office versions?

[CyberNerd]

Well, it does look nice. But I am going to assume that our teachers won't like it because it looks different. How soon should I force it upon them anyway? Very Happy

 

thats the question that we have got too. Trouble is teachers dont like change at all. It means learning something new

 

wtf?

Teachers are happy using what they have -because it enables them to teach, you want to force an upgrade that is likely to have a negligible effect on teaching and learning, is known to have backwards compatibility problems (with other schools, LEA, exam boards etc) and the government are currently advising schools NOT to deploy it. sounds masochistic. Dish out OOo and wait a year.

[john]

My phased intro of Office 2007 is to set the default save options via GPO to the "old" .doc, .xls etc which is possible. Put the 2007 file update thingy on all our 2003 machines (Is there an GP deloyable version of this yet as I couldn't find one the other month?) and then put Office 2007 on all the Staff PCs so they can learn and play, then in a few months time let rip with it.

[Ric_]

I'm still dubious as to how well received Office 2007 will be. The new interface will require re-writes of instructional material (and that is after the teachers have learnt to use the software too).

 

I've said it before but now is looking like an idela time to tempt people towards OOo... especially if you don't have a Schools' Agreement.

[Simcfc73]

I'm still dubious as to how well received Office 2007 will be. The new interface will require re-writes of instructional material (and that is after the teachers have learnt to use the software too).

 

I've said it before but now is looking like an idela time to tempt people towards OOo... especially if you don't have a Schools' Agreement.

 

This re-write issue is exactly the reason why our pupils are still using office 2000. Our ICT coordinator refuses to pay for new books.

 

I used 2007 for a while but went back as I was the only person using it and it seemed a waste of time. Took me a while to get used to the ribbon (undo took me ages to find), I imagine it will take the teachers a great deal longer.

 

Didn't like ACCESS, although I never had. like the way that it previews the colours and border when you select them, like the way it opens up a faded toolbar when you highlight something.

 

I'm sure theres loads of clever stuff with sharepoint but we will never use it.

[adent]

Well, it does look nice. But I am going to assume that our teachers won't like it because it looks different. How soon should I force it upon them anyway? Very Happy

 

thats the question that we have got too. Trouble is teachers dont like change at all. It means learning something new

 

wtf?

Teachers are happy using what they have -because it enables them to teach, you want to force an upgrade that is likely to have a negligible effect on teaching and learning, is known to have backwards compatibility problems (with other schools, LEA, exam boards etc) and the government are currently advising schools NOT to deploy it. sounds masochistic. Dish out OOo and wait a year.

 

Couldn't agree more. Teachers have enough to do without us forcing something on them just because it is new and shiney.

 

Better to generate the need by working with the few technical evangelists that always exist in a school to iron out all the kinks and answer those compatibility issues.

 

After all it is going to take a good 18 months before (substitute you well known PC superstore here) has flogged enough cut price PC's with Office 2k7 to the general public for transition to become a major issue.

 

In the short term I would initiate a pilot - say between now and the summer.

 

Ensure that staff have had time to redevelop their material to cater for the new Office interface and test their resources (nothing more frustrating than standing in front of a group of students with PC's not doing what they are supposed to do), then gradually introduce.

 

The GPO set to backward compatibility is a must - certainly for the medium term.

 

Best guess is that you are looking at next year for most schools before staff will be ready. Of course there are some that are more up for the challenge than most but - much as this stuff is way cool - it has to work in the classroom (and at home) or there is no point.

[AshF]

I'm hoping the Office 2k7 rollout won't happen in my lifetime at this job...

 

Certain staff have already seen it, and the reaction is abject horror. I'm getting to know it. Outlook is good and fine. Word is taking a little longer to get used to. I'm taking the plunge and installing Vista on a workstation to try and use 'Live', now I have the workspace (I found a desk under my junk today). See how it goes.

[localzuk]

wtf?

Teachers are happy using what they have -because it enables them to teach, you want to force an upgrade that is likely to have a negligible effect on teaching and learning, is known to have backwards compatibility problems (with other schools, LEA, exam boards etc) and the government are currently advising schools NOT to deploy it. sounds masochistic. Dish out OOo and wait a year.

 

Ah, but you have to realise that I am expected to keep things up to date - I get questioned as to why we are using an old version of a piece of software if we are paying to keep things up to date. Teachers are not happy with what they have. Office 2003 is clunky and slow and inefficient - they are just used to it now. From my look at 2007 so far, it is much more efficient and much more intuitive to an efficient working environment. If we use the 'teachers are happy using what they have' argument then we would be stuck with people using blackboards, chalk and large sticks.

 

I will of course wait until we are ready to deploy it, but we have to be brutal at some point and tell our staff that we are going ahead with it.

[Lee_K_81]

If we use the 'teachers are happy using what they have' argument then we would be stuck with people using blackboards, chalk and large sticks.

 

I will of course wait until we are ready to deploy it, but we have to be brutal at some point and tell our staff that we are going ahead with it.

 

@localzuk: It's chalkboard, be carefully otherwise you'll have the politically correct brigade afteryou! I like the idea of the large stick though. Although i think upgrading to "cattle-prod 2.0" would be recommended. The front-end is shocking but manages to produce results. :twisted:

[localzuk]

Haha, ok. I'm just remembering what it was called when I was at school and we don't use them here so I didn't know that it had been PCified.

 

I am guessing that if I ordered a cattle prod there would be calls from all over school for them - a useful teaching aid! (And then there is the parents who will then want in on it!)

[CyberNerd]

I'm not against technological progress, on the contrary.

I do believe the research of Becta and their advise is valuable, particularly in light of 'noises' from the EU about OpenDocument format, that Office2007 will 'enhance the digital divide', and the massive cost (nationally) on testing, buying and deploying 2007 - just the thought of sending every teacher in the school for training on the new interface for Word,Excell,Outlook makes me shudder. You forget that there are a considerable number of schools and businesses still running office97/2k - it suits their needs. I just don't think its a good idea to jump on the latest bandwagon, when there is so much advice to the contrary. Seems like you've adopted a 'change for changes sake' policy.

[localzuk]

Nope, it has been put on me by the fact that we pay for a schools license and get the latest versions of software through it and therefore the school wants new things - to be at the forefront of technology.

 

Also, as I said - I won't be rolling it out until our LEA advises us to really (which will probably be later this year).

 

I am but a pawn in this game of chess.

 

Personally, I hate the fact that we pay a yearly license to use office when there are perfectly good free options out there but it isn't really upto me.

[kingswood]

I'm not against technological progress, on the contrary.

I do believe the research of Becta and their advise is valuable, particularly in light of 'noises' from the EU about OpenDocument format, that Office2007 will 'enhance the digital divide', and the massive cost (nationally) on testing, buying and deploying 2007 - just the thought of sending every teacher in the school for training on the new interface for Word,Excell,Outlook makes me shudder. You forget that there are a considerable number of schools and businesses still running office97/2k - it suits their needs. I just don't think its a good idea to jump on the latest bandwagon, when there is so much advice to the contrary. Seems like you've adopted a 'change for changes sake' policy.

 

Opendocument format, digital divide, cost of testing and deploying..they are all fairly good arguments against adopting the latest and greatest Office suite from MS. We still run Office 2000 and despite my protestations that 2003 is much better, probably won't be moving over to even that version this year. Eventually though schools will have to either invest time and resources into a new OS and Office suite, or look for alternatives that can maintain the way things have been done to date (i.e. OpenOffice 2x).

 

Even so I have started training myself on Office 2007 in a serious way so that when staff come in with it or want training and advice on it I can give some answers to them. The same with Vista. You see the product doesn't cost that much in education, and the main problem is document format (cured by using the MS Compatibility tool) and training. There's where we as technicians can give additional value and work at helping staff and students adapt to new technology and tools by offering training and classroom support where needed. It isn't ever easy, but if we are preparing students for work where IT rarely stays static, then it shouldn't be that much of a deal. Perhaps a year or so down the road, but not a big deal.

 

Might be pie-in-the-sky thinking, but it's where I'm headed right now.

 

Paul

[Ric_]

Oh yeah... my other reason for not wanting to move to Office 2007 yet is that fact it would cost approx. £8500 in licenses :?

[dave.81]

I have already rolled Office 2007 out across the entire college...

 

I started with just one IT suite and 1 Staffroom PC with it on, leaving Office 2003 installed so they could use either. Within a week i had 75% of the staff and pupils wanting to know when it would be around the rest of the college as they liked it that much.

 

So i did as they asked, rolled it out to all pc's including the Admin Office, some didn't like it for a couple of weeks but now they have no worries about it. Yes we have some problems with backward compatiblity but that is just education. Staff are allowed to have copies at home so they have no complaints about it not working at home either....

 

All in all been a good result from putting it out around the college.

[Gatt]

Rolling Office 2007 to all Pupil PCs over summer

Slowly introducing it to Staff - New PC's get it by default - existing PC's will get it if staff member requests it- or when the PC is rebuilt