why bother 11

Why Bother? : Why to use and how to find

free web based applications that you can utilize in your

work

Presented onDecember 15, 2011

by Katherine Ott

Have you heard of…

Skype

Meebo

Zotero

Google Apps Calendar Documents Reader

Evernote

Thinkfree

GoToMeeting

Vyew

Dropbox

Negatives…

Data security

Privacy

Constant Internet connection

Big projects require full computer

Slow speeds

Clogged Networks

Limited features

Data loss

Downtime

Positives…

Low Cost Computer Software

Low maintence

Instant software updates

Group collaboration

Universal access

Increase computer performance

Unlimited storage

Document compatibility

Less document printing

Familiarity

Have you heard of…

Yale University

Brown University

Northwestern University

University of North Carolina

University of Notre Dame

Clemson University

University of Southern California

Vanderbilt University

Oregon Department of Education

University of Minnesota

All of these schools and systems use Google Apps for Education.

What’s available on the cloud…

Four basic categories Webmail Photo/Video storage File storage Software applications Calendar/Document/Spreadsheet/Presentation Bookmarking Blogging/Wikis/Social

Where do I find them…

Postings of “best” lists:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2388384,00.asp

http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/design/web-applications-alternatives-desktop-software/

http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2011/07/14/the-best-web-2-0-applications-for-education-in-2011-so-far/

http://nedwolf.com

References Are You Ready for “The Cloud”? Implications and Uses of Cloud Computing for Libraries

(2009) by A. Martin, K. Snowden, and D. West

Computing in the Clouds: Is there a storm looming on your school’s budgetary horizon? (2009) by D. Johnson

Hey, You, Don’t Get Off This Cloud (2009) by J. Hirsch

No Natives Here: A Focus Group Study of Student Perceptions of Web 2.0 and the Academic Library by (2009) by K. J. Burhanna, J. Seeholzer, and J. Salem Jr.

Supporting 21st Century Learning Through Google Apps (2009) by R. Nevin

The Academic Library Meets Web 2.0: Applications and Implications (2009) by C. Xu, F. Ouyang and H. Chu

The Knowledge of Web 2.0 by Librayr and Information Science Academics (2009) by S. Al-Daihani

The Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of Using Social Software in Higher and Further Education Teaching and Learning (2010) by A. Schroeder, S. Minocha and C. Schneidert