Remote Groupwork Tools
It can be especially challenging to work in a group when you are not physically getting together on a regular basis. The following tools are available to you and it’s strongly suggested you take advantage of them.
Chat and Messaging
Microsoft Teams
This tool is good for text messaging or video/audio calling other group members directly as well as for an ongoing group text chat where you can all check in with each other. It’s available as a Website, Desktop application, Android, and iOS application. To make the best use of it you are encouraged to have it installed on your computer as well as a smartphone.
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Get instructions for installing the latest Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus apps on your computer which includes Teams.
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Or sign on to the Teams web app at office.com with
<YourStarID>@go.minnstate.edu. -
Or sign in to the Microsoft Teams mobile app with
<YourStarID>@go.minnstate.edu.
Video and Audio Group Meetings
Zoom
This tool is good for holding group video and audio meetings which you should have on a weekly basis. You will also be using it to check in with your professor regularly. It is much better than Microsoft Teams for meetings with more than one other person and supports screen and control sharing for actively working with other people. It’s available as a Desktop application, Android, and iOS application but the experience is usually best on a computer, especially for screen sharing.
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Log in with
<YourStarID>@go.minnstate.eduand password to create your own private Zoom meetings. -
See the connecting with a computer and connecting with a mobile device pages for additional information.
Collaborative Editing
Microsoft Word for Office 365
This tool is a good option for collaborating on your SoW, Group Meeting Minutes, and Final Written Report. It’s also a good option for keeping your Individual Work Log and Peer Evaluations. It is more fully featured than other collaborative document editing tools.
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Get instructions for installing the latest Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus apps on your computer and/or sign on to the web-apps at office.com with
<YourStarID>@go.minnstate.edu.
Microsoft Excel for Office 365
This tool is a good option for tracking the hours worked and summary of work done by each member of the team. It is more fully featured than other collaborative spreadsheet tools.
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Get instructions for installing the latest Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus apps on your computer and/or sign on to the web-apps at office.com with
<YourStarID>@go.minnstate.edu.
Microsoft PowerPoint for Office 365
This tool is a good option for building slides for your presentation. It is more fully featured than other collaborative presentation tools.
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Get instructions for installing the latest Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus apps on your computer and/or sign on to the web-apps at office.com with
<YourStarID>@go.minnstate.edu. -
Instructions for collaborative editing of PowerPoint presentations.
Storage
Microsoft OneDrive
This tool is a good option for sharing a folder or files with group members. 1 TB of storage is included in your IHCC account. You can use a web interface to save and download files or you can use the OneDrive client installed on your computer.
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Sign on to the OneDrive web app at office.com with
<YourStarID>@go.minnstate.edu. -
Or sign on to the OneDrive desktop client with
<YourStarID>@go.minnstate.edu.
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