Recommended Apps for Teams and Microsoft 365

Questions

  • What Microsoft 365 apps can I use with my team to improve collaboration and productivity?
  • Which Microsoft 365 app should I use to manage tasks?
  • What can I use to take shared notes, run a survey, or brainstorm as a group?
  • What is Microsoft Planner, Lists, Forms, or Whiteboard?
  • Which Microsoft apps can I add to a Microsoft Teams channel?

Environment

This article applies to Bowdoin faculty, staff, and students with a Microsoft 365 account. Each app described below can be added to a Microsoft Teams channel tab or used on its own from your Microsoft 365 account.

Resolution

Five Microsoft 365 apps are especially useful for working with a team. Step-by-step guides for each app are linked in the Additional Resources section.

Microsoft Planner

Microsoft Planner is a task management tool that helps you organize work visually. It uses a Kanban-style board where you can create tasks, assign them to team members, set due dates, and track progress.

Microsoft OneNote

Microsoft OneNote is a digital note-taking app that gives you a single place to keep notes, research, plans, and information.

Microsoft Lists

Microsoft Lists helps you track information and organize work. It is highly customizable and works well for managing events, tracking issues, or keeping an inventory.

Microsoft Forms

Microsoft Forms is a web-based app for creating surveys, quizzes, and polls. It is useful for collecting feedback, measuring satisfaction, and gathering responses.

Microsoft Whiteboard

Microsoft Whiteboard is a digital canvas for collaboration, brainstorming, and learning.

Bowdoin Bot

Bowdoin's very own AI chatbot, built directly into Teams to answer all of your questions without needing to go to a web browser.

Additional Help

If you need further assistance, you have several options:

  • Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
  • Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
  • In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
  • Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.

Additional Resources

Print Article

Related Articles (4)

Instructions for adding an approved app, such as OneNote or Planner, to a Microsoft Teams channel, and for requesting approval when an app is restricted. Explains what happens after a request is submitted and how to get help. Applies to Bowdoin students, faculty, and staff.
Explains how Bowdoin faculty, staff, and students install the Microsoft 365 (Office) apps — including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint — on a Bowdoin-issued device using Self Service or Company Portal, or on a personal Mac or Windows computer from the Microsoft 365 portal.
Explains the two most common ways to sign in to Microsoft 365 at Bowdoin — through the Bowdoin login portal and directly at the Microsoft 365 portal — and why desktop and mobile Microsoft apps redirect to a Microsoft page and then back to Bowdoin's sign-in page.
Step-by-step instructions for importing a Power Automate flow that was shared or exported as a .zip package, configuring its connections, and turning the flow on. Also explains how to verify the imported flow runs correctly.