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cloud

Cloud computing is a recently evolved computing terminology or metaphor based on utility and consumption of computing resources. Cloud computing involves deploying groups of remote servers and software networks that allow centralized data storage and online access to computer services or resources. Clouds can be classified as public, private or hybrid.

VoiceThread

February 01, 2016 by Laurie Parker
Categories: Design & VisualizationMultimedia

Availability: Free account for up to 5 Voicethreads or purchase license

VoiceThread logoVoiceThread is a cloud application used to create collaborative slideshows of documents, presentations, videos, or images. Viewers can add their own voice, text, or video comments on the individual slides within the slideshow. These comments appear in the VoiceThread so all users with access can view and leave their own comments.

The VoiceThread can be shared via a link or embedded within a webpage. It can be set to private, shared with specific people, or shared publicly.

Licenses can be purchased, or a free account is available for creating up to 5 VoiceThreads. An up-to-date version of Adobe Flash is required as well as an Internet connection.

Tags: cloud

Trello

April 02, 2015 by Andy Voelker
Categories: Productivity & UtilityProject Management

trello logo

Availability: Free Service
Comparable: Project, Google Sites
Trello is a free web-based project management application originally made by Fog Creek Software in 2011, that spun out to be its own company in 2014.

Trello uses the “kanban paradigm” for managing projects, originally been popularized by Toyota in the 1980s for supply chain management. Projects are represented by boards, which contain lists (corresponding to task lists). Lists contain cards (corresponding to tasks). Cards are supposed to progress from one list to the next (via drag-and-drop), for instance mirroring the flow of a feature from idea to implementation. Users can be assigned to cards. Users and boards can be grouped into organizations.

It operates a freemium business model, as well as being cross-subsidized by other Fog Creek Software products. A basic service is provided free of charge, though a Business Class paid-for service was launched in 2013.

Tags: cloudfreemiumproject

Google Sites

April 02, 2015 by Andy Voelker
Categories: Design & VisualizationProject Management
google_sites_2Availability: UNCC Community
Part of: Google Apps
Comparable: Drupal, Project, WordPress
 Google Sites is a structured wiki- and Web page-creation tool offered by Google as part of the Google Apps suite. The goal of Google Sites is for anyone to be able to create a team-oriented site where multiple people can collaborate and share files.  Google Apps can be very useful for project management to collaborate between team members or to publicly display the progress of a project.
Tags: cloudweb design

Google Forms

March 18, 2015 by Andy Voelker
Categories: Productivity & Utility

googleforms

Availability: All Labs | Faculty/Staff | Access
Part of: Google Apps
Comparable: Qualtrics Research Suite

Google Forms is a tool that allows collecting information from users via a personalized survey or quiz. The information is then collected and automatically connected to a spreadsheet with the same name. The spreadsheet is populated with the survey and quiz responses.  Forms can be embedded in websites for surveys, information gathering, request forms, sign-up forms, etc.

Tags: cloud

Google Drawing

February 26, 2015 by Andy Voelker
Categories: Design & VisualizationMultimediaProductivity & Utility

Availability:
Faculty/Staff
Part of: Google Apps
Comparable: GIMP, OpenOffice

Google Drawing is a basic cloud-based paint/drawing application that can be accessed directly through any web browser.  Drawing is useful for making basic sketches, diagrams, and performing basic image editing.  Drawings are automatically saved to Google’s servers (Google Drive), and a revision history is automatically kept so past edits may be viewed (although this only works for adjacent revisions, and there is currently no way to find and isolate changes in long documents). Documents can be tagged and archived for organizational purposes.

Drawing also gives users the ability to share the document.  Typically when a normal document is shared the recipient accesses a copy from one point in time.  With a Google Drawing the document is shared in real-time, so recipients can always access the most recent version of the document.  Sheet owners can also grant permissions for the recipient to comment on the document, edit, or revision.  This introduces real-time collaboration, where multiple users can be editing the same document simultaneously, see each others’ edits, and even chat with each other in a sidebar.

Tags: cloud

Google Slides

February 25, 2015 by Andy Voelker
Categories: Design & Visualization

google slidesAvailability:
Faculty/Staff
Part of: Google Apps
Comparable: Keynote, OpenOffice, Powerpoint, Prezi, Sway 

Google Slides is a basic cloud-based presentation tool that can be accessed directly through any web browser.  Presentations are automatically saved to Google’s servers (Google Drive), and a revision history is automatically kept so past edits may be viewed (although this only works for adjacent revisions, and there is currently no way to find and isolate changes in long documents). Presentations can be tagged and archived for organizational purposes.

Slides also gives users the ability to share the document.  Typically when a normal document is shared the recipient accesses a copy from one point in time.  With a Google Slide the document is shared in real-time, so recipients can always access the most recent version of the document.  Sheet owners can also grant permissions for the recipient to comment on the document, edit, or revision.  This introduces real-time collaboration, where multiple users can be editing the same document simultaneously, see each others’ edits, and even chat with each other in a sidebar.  There are many other powerful features in Google Slides.

 

Tags: cloud

Google Sheets

February 24, 2015 by Andy Voelker
Categories: Productivity & Utility
google-sheets-iconAvailability: Faculty/Staff
Part of: Google Apps
Comparable: OpenOffice, Excel

Google Sheets is a basic cloud-based spreadsheet editor that can be accessed directly through any web browser.  Spreadsheets are automatically saved to Google’s servers (Google Drive), and a revision history is automatically kept so past edits may be viewed (although this only works for adjacent revisions, and there is currently no way to find and isolate changes in long documents). Documents can be tagged and archived for organizational purposes.

Sheets also gives users the ability to share the document.  Typically when a normal document is shared the recipient accesses a copy from one point in time.  With a Google Sheet the document is shared in real-time, so recipients can always access the most recent version of the document.  Sheet owners can also grant permissions for the recipient to comment on the document, edit, or revision.  This introduces real-time collaboration, where multiple users can be editing the same document simultaneously, see each others’ edits, and even chat with each other in a sidebar.  There are many other powerful features in Google Sheets.

Google Sheets can also be linked to a Google Form to collect data for surveys, web forms, and many other purposes.

Tags: cloudspreadsheet

Google Docs

February 24, 2015 by Andy Voelker
Categories: Productivity & Utility

Availability: Faculty/Staff
Part of: Google Apps
Comparable: OpenOffice, Word

Google Docs is a cloud-based word processor that can be accessed directly through any web browser.  Documents are automatically saved to Google’s servers (Google Drive), and a revision history is automatically kept so past edits may be viewed (although this only works for adjacent revisions, and there is currently no way to find and isolate changes in long documents). Documents can be tagged and archived for organizational purposes.

Docs also gives users the ability to share the document.  Typically when a normal document is shared the recipient accesses a copy from one point in time.  With a Google Doc the document is shared in real-time, so recipients can always access the most recent version of the document.  Doc owners can also grant permissions for the recipient to comment on the document, edit, or revision.  This introduces real-time collaboration, where multiple users can be editing the same document simultaneously, see each others’ edits, and even chat with each other in a sidebar.  There are many other powerful features in Google Docs.

UNCC has the basic Google Apps suite available for all faculty, staff, and students.

 

Tags: cloudword processor

Sway

December 18, 2014 by Andy Voelker
Categories: Design & Visualization

Sway_logo

Availability: Free web application
Comparable: Prezi

Sway is an experimental software preview by Microsoft for a new presentation tool.  Sway allows users to combine text and media to create a presentable website. Users can pull content locally from the device in use, or from internet sources such as Twitter, OneDrive, YouTube, or Facebook. A sway can be viewed or displayed through the web browser or though native apps that will soon be released for iOS, Windows Phone, and Android.

Tags: cloud

Socrative

August 26, 2014 by Andy Voelker
Categories: Analysis & ModelingDesign & Visualization

socrative-logo

Availability: Free web application
Comparable: 

Socrative is a live polling service that allows the administrator to build surveys, quizzes, and questionnaires that can be responded to by anyone with a computing device and the administrator’s ID.  The poll can be displayed with live results for all the participants to digest.  At the conclusion of the poll, the administrator is given a variety of methods to gather and evaluate the data.  The software is web-based, and a free account is available.Read more…

Tags: cloud

Prezi

August 19, 2014 by Andy Voelker
Categories: Design & Visualization

Prezi_logo_transparent_2012

Availability: Free web application
Comparable: Sway

Prezi is a cloud-based  presentation software and storytelling tool for presenting ideas on a virtual canvas.  The product employs a zooming user interface (ZUI), which allows users to zoom in and out of their presentation media, and allows users to display and navigate through information within a 2.5D or parallax 3D space on the Z-axis.

The idea behind Prezi is a paradigm shift from traditional slide based presentation software.  When building a presentation users lay out content on a seemingly infinitely scalable plane.  Rather than moving between slides, the presentation “zooms” between pieces of content.  Content can be twisted and turned so the “camera” (viewer’s perspective) twists and turns while animating between content.  Check out this video for a quick demonstration.

Prezi can be a powerful an effective tool for a variety of reasons.

  1. First, Prezi displays your information in a monumentally different way than traditional slide based software.  Depending on your audience the divergence from traditional slides may make your presentation more interesting and engaging.
  2. Second, while slide based mediums display a sequential and linear sequence, Prezi provides more flexibility to display logical groups and relationships.  By strategically positioning content and frames you can visually promote stronger connections to the links between the content.
  3. Third, all presentations are hosted and stored in your account which means they can be retrieved anywhere with an internet connection.  That means your presentation will never be lost on a flash drive, deleted on a dying computer, or subject to other forms of catastrophic failure.  You also don’t have to bring your own computer to a presentation, just log on to your Prezi account on the computer hooked to the projector (be sure to log off when you are done).
  4. Fourth, you can collaborate with others to build your presentation online, simultaneously making edits and filling in content.  This feature makes building a joint presentation easy and prevents mix-ups on versions.
  5. Finally, Prezi presentations can be shared across the web by setting the presentation to be public and sharing the url.  Because the actual file isn’t sent, you can update and modify the presentation even after sending it to others without having to resend it.

To register a free account, go to www.prezi.com.  Be sure to use your .edu email address to access a broader feature set.  For an 8 minute tour of how to use the interface and start building, watch this video.

Tags: cloud

Google Apps

December 20, 2013 by Alex Chapin
Categories: Analysis & ModelingProductivity & Utility

google-apps-icon

Availability: UNCC Community
Components: Docs, Sheets, Drawing, Slides
Comparable: OpenOffice, Microsoft Office

Google Apps is a service from Google providing independently customizable versions of several Google products under a custom domain name. UNC Charlotte has Google Apps for Education which  integrated with Active Directory.

Google Apps features several Web applications with similar functionality to traditional office suites, including Gmail, Google Groups, Google Calendar, Drive, Docs and Sites.Read more…

Tags: clouddrivestorage

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