MS Teams

– Microsoft Teams is a collaboration app built for hybrid work, so you and your team stay informed, organized, and connected — all in one place.

Microsoft Teams is an app that facilitates communication and collaboration in a virtual workspace. It is part of the Microsoft 365 suite of products and is included in the free Microsoft package available to all Montgomery College professors and students.

MS Teams was originally developed as a business app, but due to its versatility, Teams makes a superb tool for educators. Professors can create a team for each class as well as groups within classes. The video conferencing feature allows for whole-group discussions, and breakout rooms can be used for group work during class. The teams for which the product is named offer numerous features which enhance the learning experience. Instructors and students can easily share documents and links in the files area within a team. The Class Notebook, Assignments, and Grades features allow for interactive lessons and quick feedback.

Since Microsoft Teams was designed for collaboration, the application lends itself to collaborative learning, allowing for a constructivist approach to instruction. The constructivist learning theory maintains that students and teachers work together to build new understanding. From the constructivist viewpoint, learners are not passive recipients of knowledge but rather co-creators of new knowledge with the teacher. Thus, learners gain a greater degree of ownership over the learning experience. This helps students develop learner agency and become more autonomous learners, and Teams can provide the technological foundation. It should be noted, though, that Teams is not a learning management system (LMS) and should be employed as an addition to Blackboard rather than a substitute for it.