Further Investigation Leads to Better Understanding

I enjoy reading, even technical/instructional materials if they seem to have a point or advantage, but with this class I'm finding the observations of my classmates more valuable. Our discussion of the many tools for technology integration clarified some of their differences and possible uses. I find as I investigate these sites that I wish to create the presentations, webs, etc. (stuck in that traditional "I speak, you listen" mode) rather than simply offering these vehicles as options for student use to learn new curriculum. After our discussion, I took another look at Google Docs, Drop.io and SoHo as options while planning my project. Google Docs is basic yet versatile for creating and storing documents and lets colleagues and students work together and have access to the same information. Despite the claim that Drop.io is "extremely...easy," I had trouble with it on my first encounter. It seems a great resource to go beyond Google Docs to post podcasts and voice messages for students and collect student work. My preliminary search of the ZoHo site was equally intriguing as a way to enhance or manipulate documents with editing features and templates that can be easily embedded for presentations or collaborative input on group projects. I liked that one can be inventive or simply use provided formats when developing a slide show. These many tools allow students to make choices and use individual creativity when demonstrating their knowledge.