Kerpoof is a multimedia scholastic web site created and owned by Walt Disney. This site allows teachers to create lesson plans, gather new classroomideas and provide a place for students to draw, make movies, work on math, science and other subjects in a fun creative online atmosphere. Kerpoof makes their website fun for kids but also takes education seriously by adhering to National Education Standards. Kerpoof ws attractive enough that I had a tough time researching it because my four year old daughter kept climbing on my lap wanting to "play" on the web site.
Learnboost was another site I checked out. I'm not a teacher so I don't use a grade book but someone I know recommended this site. After reviewing this it seems like a very user-friendly site that will allow teachers to post grades, create lesson plans, communicate with parents and more. The best part about this site is that it claims to be free. I have added this site to my favorites and will explore it first hand throughout this semester.
Google Docs for Educators is a great way for students to be able to create word processing documents, spreadsheets and presentations without the expense of having to purchase Microsoft Office. Once the dcuments are created, they can be posted in googles cloud and anyone with the proper credentials may log in and access anything that is being shared with them. Google Docs requires an internet connection and that's it.
Prior to this assignment, I was not very familiar with any of these sites. I am not an educator so I don't use any of these for educational purposes. I do have to sell against Google Docs & Apps from time to time which is a tough sell. Try selling an Exchange server to someone when they can get just about the same functionality for very little cost using GMail through Google Apps. The Cloud has become my number one competitor. I work for a very small local I.T. company that sells support for network systems. Oftern times when clients move to the cloud, therre is only a need on the clients end to have an internet connection and that's it. Hardware expenses have gone way down and the need for high processing PC's isn't nearly as prominent. Plus typically if there is any software support needed, it'srovided by the cloud host, like Google ot Kerpoof. This means my company doesn't get nearly as many support cals as a result. Our answer is to shift our support structure to also offer cloud based solutions as a reseller, however, this isn't nearly as profitable and brings in less business. Whiles schools and businesses shift to a cloud computing model, it does save on I.T. expenses, the problem I have is that means less money for me.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMatt, First of all, I'm sorry this post is so late in the day. I managed to receive a Zues/Zbot key logger email this morning and I have been scanning my laptop all day trying to locate and destroy it. Bad, bad luck! (Yes, I clicked on the link b/c I thought it was about my student loan pmt bouncing.)
ReplyDeleteYour web app choices are very fun! Kerpoof… I envision this app on an iPad and kids loving it!! My friends have 4-year-old twins, and they would be fascinated. These would be fun to develop. In one of my previous lives I created graphics for CBT for Owens Brockway. This subject matter is much more colorful and interesting!
Learnboost looks like an important web app for teacher/parent interaction. I can see a very practical use for it. When I was a scout leader, I would have used this to no end! I could have used it to post achievements, attendance and activities. There are achievements for not missing any meetings, and we had an award for the boys who showed up in uniform for every meeting. Parents would have been able to track progress all year. Marvelous!
Google Docs looks like a program suite that the students at Penta use in place of MS Office. It’s called Libre (open source?). Not sure if it’s a web app, but it is really neat and does all the things Office does without cost. I will have to look at that closer, but the Google docs sharing and access from anywhere features would be huge for students on a budget, and those who collaborate like we do. Great find!
I see what you mean about the change in the IT market. It is unnerving to think that technology can make or break us in the workplace. I have been on top in my field, only to be laid off because of a tech change or a client move. Looks like we all have to be fast on our feet and able to move into a new tech. I think most of us in class are probably agile already, which is what brought us to Ed Tech in the first place.
I might be a bit of a pessimist, but I really do think that costs will re-align in some way, mostly because nothing good is free (or cheap). In many cases, one day something is free, the next we are paying subscription fees.
Without a thorough understanding of how the cloud works from a technical standpoint, I imagine that the cloud is like a big box store for servers. Maybe companies like Google will recoup losses by charging more for better security, searching visibility, or there will be more advertising in there somewhere. Or web apps will become expensive after a while. I predict that ISPs or cell service providers (is that CSPs?) will eventually charge by the hour or Gb for usage, the way AOL did way-back-when. We shall see.
PS, (Do we say that on blogs??) I must be missing the graphic background and personalization feature in blogger. I love the look and feel of your site! Nice job!