Microsoft wants OneNote to be the go-to classroom app

Microsoft has been quietly focusing on the education market with its OneNote app for some time now. It's offered free Office 365 subscriptions for students, an integrated math tutor and a classroom-centric add-on called OneNote Class Notebook. The company has just updated OneNote with even more educational extras, including improvements to Notebook, new learning tools and some fun new stickers that teachers and students can use to spice up their collaborations.

The update includes improvements for both teachers and students. OneNote Class Notebook will now connect with even more learning module systems (LMS), including Edsby, Schoology, and Skooler, with better integration with the respective assignment and grading tools. The Learning Tools add-in now has improved Syllables for English and has added four new languages: French, German, Italian and Spanish. The team has also rolled out a new Researcher tool, available for Office 365 subscribers as well as Word on Windows and Mac. Students and teachers can also save a copy of their notebooks to their personal OneDrive to make it easier to move schools or classes. Stickers can make OneNote a lot more fun, and OneNote now has two new packs, called Silly Supplies and Cacti Friends.

Ultimately, all of these functional and cosmetic improvements will help both kids and teachers in their digital classrooms. It's hard not to also see it as a way to create a whole generation of future adults who see OneNote as an indispensable part of their lives, which is a great way to compete with the other options out there like Evernote and Bear.