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Open Sankore Review

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Open Sankore is an interactive classroom technology tool designed to bring a simple-to-use whiteboard within reach of the average teacher. This tool empowers teachers with the ability to seamlessly develop and deploy courses.

Open-Sankoré

Open-Sankoré

3

Open-Sankore is a free interactive whiteboard software that is a great technology tool for any classroom. Open Sankore is an open source, multiplatform (MAC, Windows, and Linux) educational tool, built for teachers and students. Open Sankore’s creator’s promises that this tool is compatible with any type of interactive hardware. For the price of free, Open Sankore allows users the ability to perform some of the functions as her pricy rivals such as Promethean and Smart Board. Open Sankore definitely brings interactive whiteboard-technology within reach of a wide audience.

Pros

Free

Open Sankore is totally free. All you need to do is to download the software and start making presentations.

Importing files into Open-Sankore

Open-Sankoré program gives you the option of enriching your course content by importing flash animations, images, audio, videos, or by including existing .pdf or .ppt documents.

Exporting Files

Files created in Open Sankore may be exported into a number of file types including PDF.

Share Portal

Open Sankore as a portal (http://planete.sankore.org/xwiki/bin/view/Search/WebHome) through which resources created with Open Sankore may be shared with other users. This is similar to the Smart Exchange that SmartBoard Has and Promethem planet by Promethean Board.

Short Learning Curve

Open Sankore is pretty easy to get started with. Download the software, and start clicking aroubnd and you will get a hang of it in no time.

Numerous Tools and Application

Cons

Alignment Issues

I had some issues with Open Sankara using my Wacom tablet. The alignment was off a number of times messing up my records. This primarily happened when I recorded over an extended period of time.

Crashing Issues

Open Sankore has crashed on me a number of times. This usually happens when I trying to work too quickly inside the software.

Limited File Import Formats

Open Sankore does come up short when it comes to importing popular file formats such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

From the Publisher

A universal program

Open-Sankoré is a multiplatform, open-source program that is compatible with every type of interactive hardware. It is also translated into many different languages. Its range of tools is adapted to all users: from beginners to experts.

Much more than just a program...

The program is part of a broader international ecosystem of teachers dedicated to interactive digital teaching.
The Sankoré community lets you quickly access content and rich, varied digital teaching resources. Full, scalable tutorials let you quickly learn the Open-Sankoré software.

A program dedicated to teaching

In addition to commenting, drawing, and highlighting, the Open-Sankoré program gives you the option of enriching your course content by importing flash animations, images, audio, videos, or by including existing .pdf or .ppt documents.

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Long URL Review

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Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) posted online are usually posted in two ways: in their raw format or in a shortened format. The raw format usually looks something like https://www.twitter.com. The shortened, or obfuscated, format can be shortened based on the service that is being utilized to shorten the URLs. Twitter uses their own service called t.co to shorten their URLs. Facebook uses fb.me to shorten their URLs. You get the point.

Hidden URL

 

With the shortened format, users may be in the dark about where URLs are actually pointed. This can lead to users being directed to sites where software may end up being installed on their computers or other electronic devices. This is where Long URL comes in very handy. Long URL does not actually make URLs longer. Instead, the software lets you preview the raw format of URLs. This allows you to retain a certain level of security. You now know exactly where the link is pointing. If you are not sure about a particular link, do not click on it. You may end up regretting making such a decision. This is especially true of links shared on bookmarking sites or through your harmless email service.

 

LongURL

LongURL

5

LongURL is an email expanding service that allows users to view the destination of shared links. Links shared via social media sites are usually in shortened or obfuscated (hidden) formats. Since the advent of socail media sites, with Twitter being the prime example. Urls have been thinking about ways to create send messages using less characters. Shortened email services were developed to solve that problem. However, in the process a second opportunity was granted to scammers to hide where their links are actually going. Long URL helps to solve that problem by allowing users to preview shortened URLs

Pros

  • Long Url makes it very easy. You just copy the shortened email, visit their website and paste the shortened email. Thier service when them provide you the actual raw link in a snap.
  • Identify potentially malicious sites before visiting them using services such as Long URL.
  • LongURL has an API. Therefore, other developers can use Long URL's service to provide transparency to readers.
  • There are browser extensions that utilizes LongURL. Therefore, you will be able to see the real URL of a site without a need to access LongURL directly.
  • A long list of url shortening sites are supported (go here to see the over 300 services supported).

Cons

  • I cannot think of a single negative to such a great application.

Overall:

LongURL is a "simply great" service. Does what it it designed to do, and it works like a charm. It is always a good practice to not visit URLs that are unfamiliar to you.

From the Publisher

TinyURL and other like services solved a problem brought on by the advent of micro-blogging—limited message length. They do this by taking (sometimes incredibly long) URLs and creating a small compact one that redirects to the original.

Solving one problem, though, created another one: obfuscation. There's no way to tell (for sure) where a shortened link goes by just looking at it. So, then, I could send you this link http://is.gd/2kz and tell you to check out the photos from my recent trip, when in fact I'm sending you to a video of Rick Astley singing "Never Gonna Give You Up". This is bad for users.

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Issuu Digital Publication Review

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Isuu

Issuu

3

Issuu Online Presentation Issuu is an online presentation software that makes your published documents look like actual magazines, hence the name, Issuu. Many users, including professional organizations, are able to upload PDF files to Issuu and turn them into delightful online publications. After uploading, your document will become a document eye-candy.

Issue is an online digital presentation and publishing software that allows anyone to upload their presentations and share them with the world.

Pros

Free to Use

You can use Issu for free. However, if you want to take advantage of premium features such as removing advertisements from your publications, you will have to upgrade.

Flipping is Cool

The transition effect of moving from one page to another is pretty cool. The pages appear to flip like a real magazine.

Clip

Issu recently released a feature that allow users to clip specific pieces of content. The clipped, or cropped content can then be commented on and shared via social media sites.

Great for Distribution

You are not able to create presentations here. Instead, you will be presented with a platform through which you can distribute your content--either through social media or embedded directly into your website or blog.

Analytics

Very useful analytics dashboard displays the way in which users are interacting with your content.

Cons

Bad Publicity: Customer Service

Issuu has received a great deal of negative publicity regarding their customer service. I must agree, they need to update their customer service experience. Case in point: there is no way to easily get in contact with them. If you are going to charge for premium services, you should have an easy way for customers to get in contact with you.

Endless Scroll on Homepage

I am annoyed by the amount of websites doing endless scroll on homepages, especially since the popularity of Pinterest. Instead, for a commercial software there should be a gallery link so the homepage can be reserved for product information and easy ways to contact the company.

Non Responsive

The flash view is non-responsive for desktops, and the canvas that the player is on does not allow for ease of use. For example, if I click on a magazine page, I should be able to easily view text on the page.

Adult Content

Many of the magazines, or publications, have content that may not be suitable for children.
From the publisher:Isuu

Rediscover reading
With over 21 million publications, Issuu is the fastest growing digital publishing platform in the world. Millions of avid readers come here every day to read the free publications created by enthusiastic publishers from all over the globe with topics in fashion, lifestyle, art, sports and global affairs to mention a few. And that's not all. We've also got a prominent range of independent publishers utilizing the Issuu network to reach new fans every day.
Created by a bunch of geeks with an undying love for the publishing industry, Issuu has grown to become one of the biggest publishing networks in the industry. It's an archive, library and newsstand all gathered in one reading experience.

Overall

I think that Issu is a way to easily distribute publications online. For example, if you send home a paper or email digital newsletters, then uploading your PDF files to ISSU and sharing the link could be a great alternative. Additionally, if you have catalogs or any publication that you want to share or make available in a captivating manner, ISSU may be right for you.

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Scribd Review

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The world’s favorite open publishing platform
In addition to making the best subscription book service around, we’ve also built the world’s most popular open platform for publishing and sharing documents of all kinds. To date, people all over the world have shared more than 60 million documents via Scribd, from landmark court filings to business presentations to academic papers from scholars around the world (Scribd, 2014).

Scribd

Scribd

4

Scribd is an online content clearinghouse that allows users the ability to upload files and turn them into beautiful online publications fit for distribution. Authors and publishers and other copyright holders are able to upload their documents and offer them for sale or free. Additionally, Scribd's document html viewer allows users to generate an embed code and add it to websites and blogs.

Details

Scribd has now branded itself as the online eBook and audiobook destination of the web. The Scribd platform has gone through numerous changes over the years. For example, in the past, Scribd allowed users to create groups and simply upload, read and share files. Today, Scribd is beyond that. Now the central focus of Scribd is a marketplace for authors and publishers, and a place for users to purchase audio and digital books for a low monthly price to read them on their preferred device. However, the average user is still able to upload and share a wide range of file types through Scribd's flexible html reader for free or offer them for sale.

The uploaded documents can be easily embedded into webpages and blogs using the generated html embed code. The domain that Scribd is diving head-first into, electronic and audio books, places it in the narrow path of competitors such as Amazon Kindle and Audible, also an Amazon-owned audiobook publisher and marketplace. With Scribd's cash chest, over $25 million since their launch in 2007, they have narrowed their focus and are now focused on wooing big time publishers such as Simon and Schuster to utilize the Scribd platform for their distribution.

Pros

Eye Candy

The document reader is beautiful. Scribd's reader allows you to focus on the content being presented.

Multi-Platform

Scribd is available across the most popular operating systems such as desktop browser applications, Android, IOS and Kindle Reader. Scribd wants to be where the readers are.

Wide Selection

There are a wide section of eBooks and audiobooks to choose from. Also, there are books available from well-known publishers such as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Distribute Documents

Scribed makes it very easy to distribute your documents. This puts it in direct competition with distributors such as Amazon Kindle, Amazon's Audible, Oysterbooks, your local public library and many more.

Keep Track of Reads

Users are able to keep track of the books that they read through the creation of collections. Also, they can choose to make their reads public or private.

Recognizable Publishers

Scribd is now attracting more reputable publishers to their book distribution platform such as Simon and Schuster, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and many more.

Cons

Price

Scribd is charging the same price as a service that has a wider selection of eBooks, like Oyster and audiobooks in the form of Kindle and many other distributors.

Hard to Discover Free Content

Free is not the central theme of the current iteration of Scribd. Therefore, it is hard to find content that you can read for free. You have to search for the title that you are looking for, and after you have searched you can then sort for free content.
From the Publisher: Scribd:

The world's favorite open publishing platform

In addition to making the best subscription book service around, we've also built the world's most popular open platform for publishing and sharing documents of all kinds. To date, people all over the world have shared more than 60 million documents via Scribd, from landmark court filings to business presentations to academic papers from scholars around the world.

Overall

Scribd is a great platform to upload your documents to for distribution. After you have uploaded your documents, you can choose your privacy settings for that document and control how it is utilized. This makes Scribd a great platform for students to showcase their writings to the entire world and receive constructive feedback. Teachers can also use Scribd to make content available for students to refer to at their convenience, or use it for collaboration with their peers. Scribd has really narrowed its focus since its inception, however, focusing on digital book distributions appears to be helping morale in the office according to an anonymous employee. On Glassdoor, the unnamed employee said that Scribd's ride has been the equivalent to a roller-coaster up until our book subscription service. However this new vision has given life to Scribd and its employees.

Personally, I think that Scribd's business model faces a lot of threats, because there is just too much competition in the eBook distribution space. It will not be easy competing against Amazon (Kindle, Audible, GoodReads), Oysterbooks and your trusted public library. However, it is a great platform for writers who are looking for a way to put their writings out there to a large audience.

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MicroSoft Office 2013 Review

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Office, built around you:
Just sign in to Office, and documents, preferences, and other settings follow you across your PC, tablet, phone, or the web. So anytime, anywhere, you can pick up right where you left off. (Microsoft, 2014)

 

 

Microsoft Office

Microsoft

3

Microsoft Office 2013 is a slimmed-down version of the Office Suite of software that we are accustomed to seeing. However, there are a few features that the modern user may find appealing, such as the ability to easily take screenshots and insert video files into Office documents. Also, with added integration of Microsoft ObeDrive, you can easily share files, thus improving collaboration and portability.

Microsoft Office 2013 is the new and improved version of Microsoft Office. Office 2013 works, or synchronizes, with Microsoft’s One Drive. One Drive is basically Microsoft’s attempt to stave off competition from Google and their continued approach towards more cloud-based offerings. Therefore, think about OneDrive as Microsoft's answer to Google Drive.

Key Features

Cloud-Based Approach

By signing in to OneDrive using your Microsoft account credentials, instantly you will have access to your files in the cloud. Therefore, you can access your files across multiple devices and platforms. Microsoft Office comes packaged with Microsoft Office, Publisher, and OneNote. According to Microsoft, with OneDrive: get to your Office documents anywhere, share with anyone who has OneDrive, and access Microsoft's suite of products that includes Excel Online, OneNote 2013 Online, Word Online, and PowerPoint Online.

Pros

1- Applications

You can now create word clouds directly from highlighted texts in Microsoft Word. This is HUGE; who does not like word clouds? They are immensely popular right now. You can add the applications that you need by simply clicking insert and selecting the apps that you would like to use. Currently, there is not a large selection of applications. However, there are free, and a few premium, applications. Microsoft still is a long way away from where established players in the app business are, such as Google.

2- New Insert Options

There are now more dynamic media options such as screenshots and video files.  Screenshots can be inserted directly into Office programs from browser windows that are currently open. You can now insert videos and pictures from Bing and Google's YouTube video services, as well as other sites, via their videos' embed codes. You may have heard in the news that clipart is dead. There is still access to clipart, but it is no longer front and center. Images can also be inserted from Facebook and Flickr. You can even insert other documents into Word and other Office files.

3- Application Uniformity

One cannot help but realize how similar all of the applications are. This makes it a lot easier for users to master the Microsoft Office Suite of applications. In addition, you will realize that the online version is just a slimmed down version of the desktop application with some of the awesomeness reserved for the desktop versions. It makes sense for Microsoft to do that. They have to create an incentive for users to buy the desktop version.

Cons

1- Limited Incentives to Upgrade

The upgrades are great, however, for the added cost of upgrade, I am not sure whether or not it is worth the price. If you already have Office installed on your computer, I would not suggest that you make the investment.

2-Authentication Limitations

I think that it is a big mistake that Microsoft does not allow users to sign into OneDrive using email and social media accounts that they already own. Instead, you have to sign up for a Microsoft email based address to gain access to OneDrive.

3-Limited License

You may have noticed that most software publishers are moving towards a monthly price model. Microsoft is not fully there as yet, but they are slowly weaning us in that direction. However, with the current license structure you are limited to one license per device. This has caused Microsoft to receive a lot of flack from users. As a result, Microsoft had to issue an update to terms and service of Office 2013.

Thank you for your feedback and sorry for the inconvenience. Effective immediately, we have changed the licensing terms to allow you to transfer the software from one computer to another. We made this decision based on your feedback and the feedback of other customers who asked for additional flexibility in this area. For more information, please visit

4-Competition

Let's face it: Microsoft has a lot of competition. Therefore, they need to create more compelling reasons for users to want to upgrade. More and more people are being exposed to free alternatives to Microsoft Office, such as OpenOffice, Libre Office, Google, and the list goes on and on.

Overall

Microsoft Office 2013 is amazing! There is nothing out there right now that improves the efficiency that is available here in a single interface. However, if you have a previous version of Office, you may be in for a little disappointment.

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SlideDog Review

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With SlideDog, presentations do not have to be complicated.
(SlideDog, 2014)

SlideDog

Preseria

4

SlideDog is an interactive presentation software player that allows you the ability to seamlessly combine all your presentation files into a single software interface. Basically, it's a simple way to bring all of your presentation files together nicely.

Do you frequently deliver presentations that involve video from YouTube, Prezi Presentations, and texts from PDF files? Do you find yourself switching between them, causing your presentations to seem choppy and potentially discombobulated? Well, SlideDog is for you. SlideDog allows for the seamless combination of files into a single presentation-player interface that is very easy to use. This makes SlideDog a great way to optimize the use of technology in the classroom and will make your corporate presentations more engaging and smooth.

Pros

1- Easy to Use

SlideDog has a very simple and fluid interface that makes it very easy for the average user to get up and running in no-time.

2- Keep Your Audience Engaged

No matter whom your audience is, students, clients or even family, the main objective of your presentation is to get your message across. Therefore, SlideDog takes the fiddles out of your presentations and makes it sleekly smooth.

3- SlideDog is Interactive

There is no better way to keep your audience engaged than to get them actually involved in the presentations. Do not just put on a show, get your audience in the moment. You can add elements such as polls, feedback and chat interactives directly into your presentations via a sharable link from a simple interface, providing useful user analytics.

4- Web Remote

You can control your presentation slides with your mobile phone. Therefore, you do not have to buy additional presentation software; you can just use the web-remote (cellphone) to move between slides flawlessly.

5- Access to Pro Features

With presentations lasting 15 minutes or less, you will have access to pro features.

6- Wide Range of Supported Files

You can import a wide array of files and interactive items into SlideDog such as PDF files, PowerPoint, Prezi, video and YouTube videos.

7- Skip Ahead

If you are running out of time and want to get to a specific slide within your presentation, you can quickly and easily  slide to that file to make sure that you present it to your audience.

 

Cons

1- Privacy

By default, SlideDog is set to share your usage information of the software. I do not think that this is a major issue, however, I think that behavior should not be the default setting. Instead, maybe they should have a prompt that asks the user to opt in to sharing usage data.

2- Branding

The free tier of SlideDog will carry their branding. Therefore, if you want to customize the brand labeling you will have to upgrade to the professional version that will set you back:

Monthly:

$ 14.99 per month.

Annually:

$ 99 per year (45% discount).

3- Limited Platform

SlideDog is only good for Windows-based operating systems.

4- Internet Access May Be Need

Some of the interactive features of SlideDog require internet access. How about WiFi compatibility? Having this features will allow SlideDog to go up against some big players in the interactive presentation business.

From the Publisher:

SlideDog is a multimedia presentation tool that allows you to create presentation playlists by combining different file and media types. You can seamlessly blend multiple PowerPoint decks, PDF documents, websites, Prezis, images and movies together in a single presentation without having to stop the flow of your speech to bring up your next item on the screen. The result is smoother presentation that breaks free of the limits of utilizing a single platform for delivering your presentation.

The basic version is free, and an upgraded Pro version will cost you $99 for the year which includes additional functionality like dual-screen support and an option to add your custom background.

SlideDog is tailored for use on dual displays and features a separate presenter screen with your playlist, timer and notes while the audience only sees your slides.

SlideDog is targeted at educators, sales persons, AV technicians, professional presenters and users who hold presentations as part of their daily work or education.

SlideDog is a multimedia presentation tool that allows you to create presentation playlists by combining different file and media types. You can seamlessly blend multiple PowerPoint decks, PDF documents, websites, Prezis, images and movies together in a single presentation without having to stop the flow of your speech to bring up your next item on the screen. The result is smoother presentation that breaks free of the limits of utilizing a single platform for delivering your presentation.

The basic version is free, and an upgraded Pro version will cost you $99 for the year which includes additional functionality like dual-screen support and an option to add your custom background.

SlideDog is tailored for use on dual displays and features a separate presenter screen with your playlist, timer and notes while the audience only sees your slides.

SlideDog is targeted at educators, sales persons, AV technicians, professional presenters and users who hold presentations as part of their daily work or education.

- See more at: http://www.crunchbase.com/organization/slidedog#sthash.ShnKuFNt.dpuf

Overall

I think that SlideDog does what it promises: Povides a simple, but powerful presentation player that adds interactive features to your aggregated presentation files. This will make your presentations flow seamlessly without the need to switch between files on your computer. Give SlideDog a spin and let us know what you think.

 

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