Google Document

The office suites application that I want to review is Google Documents because it is such an amazing and useful application. After download the setup file from drive.google.com, you can install a set of applications including Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets and Google Slides. To begin with, I will talk about tri-applications Google Docs, Sheets and Slides. They have almost the same functions as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Power Point, except working online. This feature is both advantage and disadvantage of these applications. Firstly, every manipulation of the users will be saved online. In other words, they don't need to be worry that their documents will be lost. Furthermore, they don't need to have a flash drive to transfer their files, all of them will be saved on the Internet, so they can continue to work with it or print it out at any place as long as it can connect to the Internet. On the other hand, the requirement of connecting to the Internet doesn't allow the users to utilize these applications without the Internet. However, I think this is not a big problem because nowadays, we can connect to the Internet almost everywhere, from schools to office, even in coffee shop. When I say they have many functions as Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point, I mean they actually can replace these old applications. Changing fonts, themes, adding content, all of these features can be found on online applications. And the most important thing is they are free. The schools and instructors don't need to pay a dollar for everything. Secondly, the combination between these applications with Google Drive makes them become more handy than ever. The users can copy the files they want to share into the folder of Google Drive, then right click on those files, choose Google Drive/Share, all of them will be uploaded online immediately. Therefore, the users can log in their Google account and continue with their documents at anywhere. To conclude, a set of Google Document is helpful for every school because it has a lot of features like Microsoft Office, it is convenient, and finally, it is free.

To start using Google Document: https://drive.google.com

Image Editing Application

    Move to the Image Editing Application, I choose PicMonkey. I'm not a professional photographer, but I love taking photos and work with them seven days of the week. From my point of view, PicMonkey outperforms all other application such as FotoFlexer, Phixr or Sumo Paint. This application allows the users to edit photo from their computers, drop box, Facebook or Flickr. First of all, PicMonkey has some basic functions such as crop, rotate or resize pictures. Secondly, this application provides the feature of adjusting the color and exposure of the photo automatically. The users can add a lot of effects on their photos, such as Orton, Cross Process or Dusk. Orton option will make the photos look clearer, Cross Process will make them become more colorful, and Dusk option will darken the pictures a little bit.  You also can turn them into Black & White or Sepia pictures. Moreover, with Touch Up feature, the users are free to edit the picture just like making-up for people in the photo, such as Lip Tint, Eye Brighten or Eyeliner. This feature is totally appropriate with editing portrait pictures. Next, you can add text into the photos, this feature is popular in every image editing applications, but using in this application is really easy and visual, you can choose the color or font for text line. Besides, uncountable number of icon can be added in the photos. You can also make your photos look better with frame. The below picture is the one I used PicMonkey to edit.

Concept Mapping

Concept maps can be helpful for helping students think through their ideas before writing an essay or planning a project or presentation. It can also be helpful for teachers to create concept maps that they share with their learners to help illustrate an idea or set of ideas. Here are a couple of pages from the Inspiration website that describe the power of concept maps for visual learning and another that provides some examples of educational concept maps.

Learn more about concept mapping: http://www.inspiration.com/visual-learning
Some examples of concept mapping: http://www.inspiration.com/Inspiration/examples

Free and convenient application for concept mapping: https://bubbl.us/

Screen Casting

A screencast is a digital movie in which the setting is partly or wholly a computer screen, and in which audio narration describes the on-screen action. It's not a new idea. The screencaster's tools—for video capture, editing, and production of compressed files—have long been used to market software products, and to train people in the use of those products. What's new is the emergence of a genre of documentary filmmaking that tells stories about software-based cultures like Wikipedia, del.icio.us, and content remixing. These uses of the medium, along with a new breed of lightweight software demonstrations, inspired the collaborative coining of a new term, screencast.

This is an example of Screencasting:



To learn more about screen casting: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/digitalmedia/2005/11/16/what-is-screencasting.html

Google Maps Engine

Google Maps Engine helps you create advanced custom maps to share with collaborators and also publish to the web. You can visualize and map more data, like dog-friendly hiking spots or new locations to expand your business! Import locations from a spreadsheet, use layers to visualize different types of content, or simply draw and add places, lines, and shapes.

Here are a few things you can do to get started:

• Draw - Add lines, shapes, or placemarks on the map.
• Import - Add a CSV file, XLSX file, My Map, or spreadsheet from Google Drive with geographically-specific data including addresses, place names, or lat/longs.
• Layer - Hide or show different content to better understand your map.
• Style - Make your point visually with different colors, placemark icons, and line widths.

For commercial purposes, you can upgrade to Maps Engine Pro. Upgrading also allows Google Apps business users to use their business email address instead of their personal email address.

Learn more about Google Map Engine: https://mapsengine.google.com

Audio Pod Casting

Talking about the advantages of PodCasting, I believe it has three great strengths: low cost, worldwide and automatically. First of all, the teachers can create online lectures with their own devices such as laptop and a set of micro and earphone. Furthermore, they don't have to pay too much for the maintaining fee. Second, PodCasting is like the teacher can make their own radio channel, and everyone all over the world can listen to their lectures. Basically, it will remove the barrier of distance. Last but not least, it works totally automatically. The software will download the content, including audio/video files or new posts, to the users' devices, and these contents will always ready to be used, even when the users have problem with connection because all of them were downloaded before. Additionally, the schools can utilize PodCasting as a new and convenient technology for students to keep track with announcement and syllabus.

To learn more about PodCasting:
http://oreilly.com/digitalmedia/2005/07/20/WhatIsPodcasting.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting
https://www.podomatic.com