Thing #13

Zhoh vs Google Drive

I was really surprised how much like "word" Zoho writer was.  In some ways I found it a bit easier to prepare a simple document because the tool bar at the top was much less complicated (it reminded me of some of the older versions of Microsoft Word).  I decided to try out the import feature.  I tried to import a few different things from online (using the URL feature), but was unable to do it.  Then I tried to import a document directly from the files I had saved on my computer.  This I was able to do.  This would be useful in a similar way that dropbox is.  If you wanted to print or work on a document away from your own computer you could simply import it to Zoho.  I also like the "work offline" feature for when you need to edit documents where there is no Internet access.  I clicked around on the presentation feature and was able to make a simple power-point similar to the demonstration one we did in class ("My Family").  It is only four slides long, but I was easily able to choose my themes, fill in my text with the correct font/size and add animations and transitions.  Again, just as with the word document this site provides a way to do power-points away from your own computer, import, export, or open it up to collaborative ideas.  In checking out some of the other available apps I played around with "Books" business app.  This might be nice for any clubs, organizations, or fundraisers your class or school may be doing.  However, because it is online I might be hesitant to keep any personal account info, but for keeping track of expenses, profits, vendors, etc. it is useful. 
Concerning Google Drive, I see the possibilities for this app, but I tend to have a difficult time with it.  We used it in our 2100 class several times.  When our professor set up a group and invited the class to join and collaborate I was successful; however, when the group I was working with had to do the same we were really frustrated with the process.  We were able to get our group set up and document created, but we never could figure out how to get it out of the "view only" setting so that everyone in the group could edit it.  We ended up switching to the discussion board on D2L and had a lot of success collaborating there.  I see the potential of Google Drive with PBL's and group work, but I have not had the success with it that so many others have had.  I will have to set down and commit to spending some serious time reading and watching tutorials to really be able to utilize all of the available features.  For this reason Zoho was my favorite.  I was able to be productive with it immediately and any of the features I tried to use I was able to figure out.
For Zoho I have included a link to my power-point
For Google I have included a link to a document I made on things I want to do this summer.

https://show.zoho.com/document.do?p_id=1778581000000004267&a_t=EDIT_DOCUMENT

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iOhbq4sxza4iDkqNhicfFbbmsm5y1HikTyNb-u6PXe8/edit