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Original poster

To be SO CROSS about fecking Microsoft Teams? RANT warning!

253 replies

HerselfIndoors · 11/01/2021 09:52

It doesn't work! It's complicated, confusing and all over the place, then when you finally find some actual content from school, an actual assignment for your child to do or video to watch, it doesn't download or open - presumably because the system is overloaded. It's also not designed for Mac users so there's a whole load more dicking about to get that to work (if it's working at all).

I have my own work to do but just like last time, I'm going to be spending hours struggling with this stupid software. WHY don't school just make up a simple word or PDF document with reading and worksheets/assignments for the week, and email it to us? Then we could email back the completed work once a week. I could organise that myself, it doesn't take a genius. Instead everyone - teachers, parents and kids - is spending vast amounts of time trying to use an unnecessarily complex system.

I mean it's not as if losing hours of my work time every day MATTERS, it's only earning a fucking living in a pandemic! Oh and what a great idea to add a layer of extra stress and hassle to the kids' homeschooling day. FFS.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR I'm so pissed off. I emailed school (politely) last time to suggest doing it a simpler way - totally ignored.

Is it just me? It's not that I've done it wrong - both techie ex and techie teen DS cant make it work this morning. But I need to calm down so having a rant here.... Angry

OP posts:
Penistoe · 11/01/2021 17:15

WHY don't school just make up a simple word or PDF document with reading and worksheets/assignments for the week, and email it to us?

Because schools are obsessed with blended learning and teachers would be blasted for ‘just sending a worksheet’

TheLetterZ · 11/01/2021 17:36

@HerselfIndoors

Honestly live lessons is not something I ever expected or asked for. Of course in a dream world that would be lovely, but all I want is some basic written-down tasks for each subject (write an essay about blah, do these maths questions, make a roman mosaic, do this experiment, watch this history video, read this article) that I don't have to spend all day trying to find, download and upload.

I can't understand why that can't at least all be emailed to us even if teachers don't want emails back. I'm not suggesting kids should be allowed to email the teacher all day long and expect replies explaining everything.

Again it depends hugely if you are talking secondary or primary. For secondary this would not be simple.

The students are in different sets so will probably be doing different work and post year 9 they will have selected their options as well. How can 1 email cover all of that and not be an incomprehensible mess? Unless you want it tailored to the individual child which would be a different headache.

Also an email doesn’t cover how to submit the work, teams does. So yes it has its downsides, and today is does appear to have fallen over, but it is worth the learning curve.

BadTattoosAndSmellLikeBooze · 11/01/2021 17:48

We’ve been using it last week and today for live lessons for the kids and for work for us. The kids have been using it when they’ve been off school last year too. We haven’t had any problems at all so reading about all these issues, I do think it must be how the school have set it up. My kids have between 15 and 30 kids on each live lesson with them and they’re not experiencing problems either according to my kids, other than the occasional person not being let in and a couple of kids couldn’t hear on one lesson but that’s been solved quickly.
For those having issues editing documents, try using the insert comments function.

BadTattoosAndSmellLikeBooze · 11/01/2021 17:50

I meant to say my OH has been using it for work meetings since March and very rarely has had any issues. It must be how it’s set up.

Original poster
HerselfIndoors · 11/01/2021 17:50

Yes this is for my primary aged child - my teenager does handle his work himself, using Teams, though it often goes wrong and is confusing, but it's a different school and doesn't have the same issues.

OP posts:
Original poster
HerselfIndoors · 11/01/2021 17:52

So I agree it's probably how it's set up and used - and also that I don't like it, but I don't like it because it's confusing and it's not the only thing I'm trying to do. That's why I need it to be simple really - if I had all day to do nothing else, I'd get to the bottom of it eventually (when it's actually working).

OP posts:
Useruseruserusee · 11/01/2021 17:55

The government guidance has been updated and schools actually have to have a platform now, they do not have a choice.

The school I work at is using Teams and my own child’s school is using Seesaw. I think Seesaw is much better personally.

Lougle · 11/01/2021 18:04

I haven't seen seesaw. I have 2 children at the same school. One is at home doing live lessons. They've just cut them down from 1 hour to 50 minutes, so there is a 10 minute 'stretch your legs and use the loo' window between lessons. The other is at school. They are all in a classroom, all doing their own timetables, so accessing different lessons at the same time. It's working brilliantly in both situations.

Today was the first day using Class Dojo. It went down at 2.30pm, but I won't hold that against them.

MeredithGreysScalpel · 11/01/2021 18:12

The government are making schools provide live learning, so no, they can’t just email you a PDF with some activities on, much as they’d probably rather do that.

BadTattoosAndSmellLikeBooze · 11/01/2021 18:18

I don't like it because it's confusing

My kids school/college have obviously made it very simple. They go to calendar and ‘join’ each live lesson. The teachers put the powerpoints, documents and homework under assignments. They can hand things in on there or email the teacher their work if they’ve handwritten things. If they have questions they use the chat box or can email the teacher if they prefer.

bobbojobbo · 11/01/2021 18:19

I think Seesaw is much better personally

Seesaw is great for the younger kids anyway. Only my 5 years old school uses it. We also have gsuite and studyclicks and teams for the older ones.

cansu · 12/01/2021 17:23

When schools did what you suggested, they were roundly criticised as being completely inadequate and letting children down. They were told that they should be teaching live lessons on Teams or similar.

aspoonfulofyourownmedicine · 12/01/2021 17:23

My 11yo DS is using it for school and has no problems other than it glitching yesterday, but think that was a combination of poor Internet connection and sheer amount of people trying use it. Other than that, his work is easy to find, complete and return. School is using it to teach via video call, which has been great.

Leedsfan247 · 12/01/2021 17:26

Why would Microsoft software work well with Macs - they’re in competition.
But a cheap laptop for school work

Nissandriver · 12/01/2021 17:27

MS Teams is a daily disaster with our school!

DanceItOut · 12/01/2021 17:29

I’m on both sides of this one. My son has been using it and MOST of the time it’s fine and works. However sometimes it just keeps crashing and kicking him out. I use it for Uni and again MOST of the time it’s fine (though I do only understand the basics) then other times it crashes or glitches and I miss bits.

GintyMcGinty · 12/01/2021 17:31

I use Teams for work so am quite comfortable about it.

But completely pissed off with the disaster that has been Glow in Scotland this week.

We have had to resort to education by Horrible Histories and Newsround etc but we can't access the worksheets school have been posting on Glow.

BBC reporting it will be weeks before its resolved.

Giningit · 12/01/2021 17:47

I use Teams for work, my teen DC have been using it for live lessons since last year and nobody has had any major issues with it. However we don’t use Macs, although I sometime use Teams on the iPad which isn’t as good. Buy a laptop OP.

PhilCornwall1 · 12/01/2021 17:49

It's also not designed for Mac users so there's a whole load more dicking about to get that to work (if it's working at all).

Teams is web based and works fine on a Mac. The application you download is not a dedicated Teams app, its just wraps the web app to appear as if it's installed on your machine, nothing more.

mumwalk · 12/01/2021 18:05

I feel you pain but have the opposite problem. Both WFH FT and need some form of live lessons or the kids won't engage. Maybe it's just my kids but the worksheets are just not working for us. Kids are spending all day on YouTube all day again. The provision at primary is really poor in my experience.

mistletoeandsigh · 12/01/2021 18:07

My daughter's school asked us to not use the app but to log in online. That wouldn't work at all on dd's iPad, kept saying refresh page and never moved on from that. So we use the app and that's been fine, so far...

Theonlyoneiknow · 12/01/2021 18:10

Each lockdown that happens the gulf between kids and their education just gets wider and wider. Can they push kids (some - not all) up a class if they are no-where near ready, both educationally and socially? Makes me so stressed. Poor kids, where is the future plan from the government to deal with the gap in their education.

FreddieMercurysCat · 12/01/2021 18:12

My DS’s school (primary) are using zoom. I’m still working so my DH (technophobe) is doing the zoom home schooling. The poor duck is about to have a breakdown with the tech problems. Bless him. 🙈

Notenoughchocolateomg · 12/01/2021 18:12

I had to get laptops from school as my children only hand kindle tablets which teams won't work on. Teachers just using teams for registration and a few vids. Any work set is on seesaw which can be a pain in the arse too.

ivykaty44 · 12/01/2021 18:15

YES! Just when you work out where one teachers has decided to randomly put stuff, another has done it totally differently. 10 minutes of training to tell them to all to the same thing wouldn't be that hard!

I struggle at work with this and thought it was just me - Im normally reasonably ok with tec stuff

glad it not me then