Now that Microsoft has released a new version of Office with a different default file format, we’re starting to have kids show up at school unable to open a document that they created at home. The version we have at school is now one generation behind, and with the cost of buying new licenses and the training necessary to get our staff up to speed on the new interface, it’s going to stay that way for a while.

We’ve identified a couple solutions. First, the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack will add compatibility with the new format to the older versions of Office programs on Windows. It also patches the Microsoft “Viewer” applications.

Another approach, and one that works for Macs, is to use Zamzar. Zamzar is a really cool online file conversion utility for dozens of document, image, music, and video formats. To use the site, you upload your file, select what format you’d like to have it converted to, and wait for them to email the new file to you. It really works.