REVIEW of GOOGLE and ZOHO
My school utilizes Google as an interface for sharing. I use
this limitedly at school and have used it as a platform for collaborating with
groups in other classes (it has appeared to be the “go to” web based interface
to use). As I said, I have used it limitedly and am discovering more and more
what it can do. I know that Google has an outreach directed towards educators, Google Education, and this is a plus as support.
So, my immediate question was why would anyone choose to use
another web-based platform with the intention to work both personally and
collaboratively when Google is so familiar and used by so many? Another
platform would have to offer advantages. After reading some online reviews of
Google vs. Think Free vs. Zoho, I chose to further explore Zoho as it was
reviewed to have more of a Microsoft Office “Windows” appeal. And, to note,
that these “free” web based Office Suites were originally created in reflection
of Office downloadable software that costs money and aren’t as easily “shared”.
This original idea seems to have expanded exponentially with the boom in
development of apps that have increased the ability to interface with technology
and people. The multiple “applications” included in both Zoho and Google
illustrate this.
I considered four areas when exploring Google and Zoho:
- Personal use and ease of collaboration
- Integration of Office software documents, presentations and spreadsheets
- Ease of use
- Access to free
Both Google and Zoho offer a lot of ways to use their
platforms. They both have the ability to create documents, presentations and
spreadsheets. Both allow files to be uploaded. I found docs created with
Microsoft Word were uploaded with integrity, but a Power Point was distorted in
both; Google proved to upload with more integrity than Zoho. The format in both
to create presentations was much less sophisticated than Power Point, and it
was more of these “sophisticated” elements that didn’t translate well into
either platform.
Both platforms offer many, many applications that come down
to personal preference and application needs of what one prefers to use.
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Some
Google Apps
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Some Zoho
Apps
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WEB: Includes
a strong search engine
HOME AND OFFICE: Personal “drive”, calendar, e-mail (30GB free) and a translation app that
comes in really handy!
MEDIA: “Geo”
apps that includes ways to manipulate and use maps in a variety of contexts
SOCIAL: Create
“groups” for collaborating, create a “blog”, use “hangout” for live chatting
(which can be facilitated through the use of Google+)
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COLLABORATION:
Mail (5GB free), Wiki, Projects, Meeting, Chat, Discussions
BUSINESS:
Campaign (marketing service), Creator (management system), Books (Accounting)
PRODUCTIVITY:
Docs, Notebook, Calendar
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The ability to collaborate on projects is doable with both
Google and Zoho. In Google, you can create a “group” that can share documents,
participate in chats and collaboratively edit projects. This is provided for
free. In Zoho, the ability to create a “workspace” and “group” is available
with upgraded plans that cost $5/month for Standard and $8/month for Premium. A
way to collaborate with others in Zoho can be done using the “Project” app
which names one participant a “manager” and the rest “employees”. This doesn’t
sound conducive for a school setting.
Although Google’s immediate interface doesn’t look “fancy”once you start digging in, there are a lot of ways you can use it. Zoho seems to present its apps more
“upfront” in a more visually pleasing manner, but it takes some navigating to see how they can be used.
Overall, it seems as if Zoho may be a better fit for a
business environment if a company commits to providing training and access to
it for its employees. Its apps seem to target this environment. Google, because
of its popularity and engagement with the education community, appears to be
more accessible in this environment. Its apps seem to engage a more “general” public who may use Google personally,
which allows for its use in a variety of professional environments. Google appears to
facilitate more collaborative work at no cost, while Zoho limits some
application with a free account.
I would recommend to my K-5 colleagues to continue to
explore more what Google can offer in regards to personal and collaborative web
based use. Faculty at our school could also benefit from the training and
support offered through Google Education. They offer videos and online courses
that I am inspired to check out!
SUMOPAINT!!
Wow! I had heard of Sumopaint in a workshop once, but never
really explored it until now. Being a visual art teacher who is implementing a
digital arts center this year I have been looking for art apps for my kids to
use. For my Screencast, I featured the lite version of Sketchbook Pro,
Sketchbook Express. Sumopaint, like
Sketchbook Pro, offers a variety of tools and colors for use, although
Sumopaint offers quite a few more. I found Sketchbook Express to be a little
more user friendly and probably more appropriate for my younger kids.
Sumopaint has some sophisticated features reflective of
Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. You can work in layers, which can be
manipulated and arranged. You can use the
fx option to create glows, shadows and layer effects.
What’s really cool is that a user can obviously create an
original image with this app, but one can also upload an image. This image
could be a photo or image of an original artwork. This uploaded image can then
be manipulated with the tools in Sumopaint. This is what I did with the example
I have attached. I uploaded a drawing done by my 6 year old son and used
different tools, colors and effects to fill in the space. This image can be
downloaded and or printed by the user.
I can see a variety of uses for this application in middle
and high school art classes. I think the sophistication of this app makes it
less user friendly for the elementary student. It is great how Sumopaint appears
to be a “middle ground” accessible option with features of Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator,
which is significantly more sophisticated.
Created with Sumopaint
