Thing #13 The Zoho Writer vs. Goolge Docs Smackdown!

When I started this task my mind set was no competition I love Google Docs. Then I started rethinking that state of mind. I really do like things about the Zoho Writer. At times it seemed straight forward and it is esthetically pleasing. Then came the doom and gloom of trying to share something WOW No. No. NO! that will make you pull out your hair. So, totally frustrated going to take 5 and come tackle this from a different angle.

Ahhh... a sigh of relief, back to the beloved Google Docs and familiar territory. OH look! it's  My Google Doc  and I didn't pull out one hair trying to create a link.

So, after the delibrating the jury says "Google Doc's wins" Zoho is workable with more time spent I am sure things would come together. But Google is known for its accomplishments and I am sure it is not going to let some other online document creator come and steal it thunder.

 I can see the potential for creating online documents in the classroom. There is many times in which a teacher will ask students to collaborate then give them little time to do so. Sharing is a perfect world for this. Students can collaborate on their project and share it with each other without actually having to ask parents to run them hither and yon or trying to find a time they are all available to actually completed the assignment.

Thing #12

Google has always been my browser of choice. I like the way iGoogle is customizable you can even upload your own picture. I just used one of the choice they provide. 

With iGoogle I was able to set the weather, add new daily recipes, add the New York Times, add Music news, and get the TV guide. ( I know that is old fashioned) 

The other google feature that I like is the translator. That is good for use in the classroom. I could bring in news clippings from foreign news agencies and we could translate them to see what is going on around the world. Also, it could be used to help in a foreign language class.

 

Thing #11

My favorite search was topix.net. I like the fact that it was news based and I was able to find the New York Times there which is my favorite news feed. Google search was easy to navigate and contained feeds of more general interest. My least favorite was Syndic8. I found the layout poor and hard to navigate. During my search the only news feed that I added was the New York Times.

Thing #10

The RSS feeds were a welcome relief after the grueling Flikr escapade. I enjoyed searching through the different topics looking for something which I felt would be of use and not totally entertaining. Most of the feeds that I chose were to keep me in touch with current teaching discussions and events in todays education system. I feel these feeds can enhance the knowledge of aspiring teachers as well as current professionals. Technology is a powerful thing. The following are the RSS feeds that I subscribed to: 
Lesson Planet Articles
Trivia Games at Sporcle
Free Technology for Teachers
Psychology Today
Blog
The World's Healthiest Foods

Thing #9

Thing #9 was cool but time consuming. I am not one to just sit and play with the computer. If I was searching for a way to jazz up my picture I would recommend
http://www.imagechef.com/. There is a lot to take in on this site, and other sites I tried didn't contain the quality that imagechef does, and I wasting a lot of time getting errors on other sites. I could see the potential in this site to use it as a classroom tool to get a point across creatively and I like the fact that I didn't have to become a member to use it. So,I would say two thumbs up to image chef and a big thanks for making up for all the Flickr issues.

Thing #8 "more Flickr business still not so sure"

So, on thing 8 and all this Flickr business I am still not sure this is for me. Jumping from web page to web page chasing my tail like a squirrel after a acorn rolling downhill. I am feverishly looking for which site I go to and where I get the URL to upload .. Flickr, Big huge labs, back and forth. Not my kind of fun. Blogging now there is a place I can see an educational use but Flickr and all this other business associated with it....hmmm.. I am still not convinced. With one more photos and imaging post to go we will see if this old dog can learn a new trick; however, don't hold your breath.