Review of Free Web-Based Software

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.

Some Google Apps	Some Zoho Apps
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+)	COLLABORATION: Mail (5GB free), Wiki, Projects, Meeting, Chat, Discussions BUSINESS: Campaign (marketing service), Creator (management system), Books (Accounting) PRODUCTIVITY: Docs, Notebook, Calendar

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