Office Suites- Week 13

Google Docs is a very solid online office suite. Google Docs is good for uncomplicated documents and worksheets. It is especially useful when a group of people need to make changes in a document. The real time collaborative opportunity is a plus. Collaborators can chat on the Goggle Doc site as they work on the document. On the spreadsheet, a block of highlighted color and name pops up when another person is making a change at that exact moment. It has the built-in security and automatic file saving. Google Docs works fast unless many documents are open. And of course, the price is right- Free.

Google Docs features cannot match the desktop office suites. It just did not have the depth of desktop versions. It has a minimalist look and feel. Also, one major drawback is the lack of offline access for documents.

Google Docs has some kinks to work out. But as we all know, Google will hear us and fix the issues. Google knows what the consumer wants before the consumer knows what they want. Someday it may knock MS Office off its throne.

Image Editing- Week 13

First off- I need to say, "Holy Guacamole!" I have not experienced online image editing on the internet. It is a toy online. I tried all the sites listed by Dr. Horvitz: Picnik, FotoFlexer, Phixr and SUMO Paint. And some others recommended by a friend: Pixlr, Roxio Phote slideshow and Lunapic. All the sites offered many effects, animation basic tools, text, creative options, touch-ups, borders, etc. It was a difficult choice but I will talk about FotoFlexer. It contained many effects and offered ease of use. It included distortions, insertion into image, morphing, and cartoon effects. It will fix blemishes and smooth wrinkles. One useful educational tool was the LAYERING. A student could put a picture onto another picture, creating endless projects. Say a student wants to place their photo into a book cover. The layering effect makes it possible. They could be standing next to Harry Potter or President Teddy Roosevelt. Also, FotoFlexer had a tab called "Geek," loaded with unusual options. Who thinks of these effects? And I want their job. Now it is cool to be a Geek. Thank you for reading my post. I have enjoyed being in the EDT course and reading everyones blog. Good luck on your final project.