Tool name: Google Suite

Web address: https://drive.google.com

App: Multiple (Docs, Sheets, Slides) by Google LLC

Google Workspace (formerly 'G Suite') is a collection of Google productivity and communication tools available for use when you sign in using your University of Michigan credentials and uniqname. Some tools included are:

Application	Description
GMail	Official Google Mail app to read your UM email. This app is easier to use than the mail app because it creates threads, making it easier to read emails with many responses.
Calendar	Syncs with your other Google Workspace tools and can also include integrations with other UM tools such as Zoom (from the web browser version of the calendar).
Docs	Word processing application built on an easy-to-use collaboration and sharing platform.Stored in Google Drive.
Sheets	Spreadsheet application built on an easy-to-use collaboration and sharing platform. Stored in Google Drive.
Slides	Presentation (like PPT or Keynote) application built on an easy-to-use collaboration and sharing platform. Stored in Google Drive. You can also download these files as a PPTX or PDF.
Google Chat	Google chat is a great communication device you can use to instantly chat with anyone via UM individually or via a group (room) you create. It's very similar to "Slack" and "GroupMe."

Sign in using your @umich.edu account and password.

Google Workspace tools are made to allow for easy storage and collaboration in the cloud. They can also generally be accessed from any computer or mobile device. Each of these different tools has its own iPad app.

What if I already use Google?

You probably already already have a Google account. What does that mean for your University of Michigan account?

Your University of Michigan Google account should be used for all University-related business. This will help make collaboration and communication more consistent and reliable so that you do not need to remember which account a file or email chain is associated with. All messages from Canvas or other University tools will come from your University account and you are responsible for checking these messages.

A good way to keep your University work separated from your personal work may be to choose two different web browsers and split your work between them. For example, you may choose to only use Chrome to sign into your University Google account and only Firefox to sign in to your personal Google account.

Collaboration

Any file stored within Drive has a variety of sharing options that can be applied to it. You can share files both within and outside of the University community.

Files created or opened through Google Workspace applications can support live collaboration. For example, a small project group could share a Google Doc and a Google Slides presentation with everyone inside the group having "edit" access. Each person in the group would be able to collaborate at the same time on those documents, seeing who else is working on the document and what changes are being made.

What is the difference between Google Suite and Office 365?

Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 offer similar types of products: productivity tools with capabilities for online collaboration. While both of these services are free to U-M students, Google Workspace is the preferred tool set recommended to students, staff, and faculty.

There are a few differences, as noted below:

Google Workspace	Microsoft 365
Preferred platform Single Sign-On with other U-M tools Includes Gmail integration with Docs, Sheets, Slides, and more Completely cloud-based and requires internet connection Can open/edit work created using Office	Sign in with U-M credentials to gain full access to these apps Includes Office applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and more Downloadable applications can run without internet connection once installed You're allowed to activate up to 5 different versions of Microsoft 365

Because Microsoft 365 subscriptions include the ability to download and use desktop versions of the familiar Office Suite, many choose to use the stand-alone version of Word, PowerPoint, and Excel to create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, especially for work that is not expected to be collaborative. These programs can also be downloaded as apps on your iPad.

While many may be more familiar with content creation using Office, collaboration tends to be easier with Google Workspace. Files initially created with Office apps can be uploaded and converted to Google Workspace files to benefit from Google's better integration of collaborative tools.