Apps on the Web: free tools on the Web offer districts application alternatives.THEY HAVE STRANGE LOOKING names like "Picnik" and "Zoho," and you've probably not heard of many of them before. But growing numbers of free online tools are becoming available for tasks such as e-mail, word processing word processing, use of a computer program or a dedicated hardware and software package to write, edit, format, and print a document. Text is most commonly entered using a keyboard similar to a typewriter's, although handwritten input (see pen-based computer) and , photo editing See photo editor. and more. And they are becoming serious alternatives to heavyweight heavyweight - High-overhead; baroque; code-intensive; featureful, but costly. Especially used of communication protocols, language designs, and any sort of implementation in which maximum generality and/or ease of implementation has been pushed at the expense of mundane software programs such as Photoshop, Outlook and Office. The Web is now becoming an application location, where software on our desktops can reside online. And while these apps may not yet have the power or functionality of their out-of-the-box relatives, they are good enough to consider as alternatives, which is great news for stretched technology budgets! Google is leading the way in many of these areas with alternatives to e-mail, word processing and spreadsheet programs. For example, K12 educators across the country are using GMail, Google's e-mail client Same as e-mail program. . Similarly, Google Docs A family of Web-based applications from Google that includes word processing, spreadsheet and presentations. Launched in 2006, the word processor in Google Docs was formerly Writely, developed by Upstartle, LLC and acquired by Google. & Spreadsheets provides the basic functionality of Microsoft Office Microsoft's primary desktop applications for Windows and Mac. Depending on the package, it includes some combination of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and Outlook along with various Internet and other utilities. with a collaborative environment that is tough to match. Any number of people can share the same document, and every change is tracked and captured for review. I'm a long-time user of GMail and Google Docs & Spreadsheets, and I love them both. Other Office alternatives are Thinkfree and Zoho, both of which have PowerPoint-like presentation tools that are extremely easy to use. Thinkfree, for example, offers up to 1 GB of free space and allows users to run and publish presentations right from the Web. District Implementations So what does all this mean for school districts? First, it means that it may be time to see how online software solutions can take pressures off the bottom line. But while "free" has a nice ring to it, many administrators and school boards struggle with new concepts of Web-based tools. Unless school administrators and school board members understand their benefits, change will be difficult to effect regardless of savings. But the more important outcome has to do with preparing students for work environments in their futures, where Web applications will be prominent. One of the great advantages is the myriad of choices users have to construct personal toolboxes, so to speak, to serve unique needs and learning styles. That's something that students need to learn how to do. If you believe this is "bleeding edge A pun on "leading edge." It implies that using the latest technology is often risky because it has not been tested with enough users and may not perform as expected. Introducing an advanced product or service is also risky because the user community may not be ready for it or really want " thinking, it's not. Consider the commitment of the Plano, Texas Plano (IPA: /ˈpleɪnoʊ/) is a wealthy suburb of Dallas, Texas, located to the north, mainly within Collin County, but also extending into Denton County. According to the 2000 U.S. , school system, for instance, where within five years none of the more than 52,000 computers in the district will run any proprietary software. Countering Resistance It has been estimated that there are free and Web-based alternatives for up to 80 percent of the major computer applications used by K12 students, and many work across Mac, PC and Linux platforms. Still, a myth in circulation is that "free software can't be any good, or else people would charge for it!" The fact is that many of these programs are labors of love with development and support teams that track down and fix bugs reliably. Many contributors also see themselves as part of global movements to bring computer-based tools to people who need them, no matter where they are or what they can afford. Another myth is that free software tools require learning curves that waste time. In reality, most are as easy to learn as their proprietary counterparts, and massive user communities are in place to provide support. Collaborative and remotely served free online applications give staff and students new power and flexibility, and the time to prepare for that reality in schools is now. Is desktop software on the way out? Finally? RESOURCES Google Docs & Spreadsheets docs.google.com Linux Online www.linux.org Picnik.com www.picnik.com Plano Independent School District Plano Independent School District (PISD or Plano ISD) is a public school district in Plano, Texas (USA). Plano ISD also takes students from some areas of Dallas, Richardson, Allen, Murphy, and Parker. [1] Led by Superintendent of Schools Dr. www.pisd.edu Thinkfree thinkfree.com Zoho Office Suite The Zoho Office Suite is a web office suite including word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, database, note-taker, wiki, CRM and other applications. Being web-native all Zoho applications are operating system independent. www.zoho.com Will Richardson is a contributing editor A contributing editor is a magazine job title that varies in responsibilities. Most often, a contributing editor is a freelancer who has proven ability and readership draw. for DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION and The Pulse: Education's Place for Debate, www.districtadministration.com/pulse. |
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