A few weeks ago I noticed a mistake I was constantly making: I would forget to follow what is going on with Zoho, and then they would release a whole slew of improvements and updates on me. Silly EduGeek. So, I added Zoho Blog to my RSS feeds and decided to keep in the know.
I am really glad I did – and I recommend you do the same. Not only do they keep you up-to-date on their newest online office applications (which I still consider them the leader in, even though Google is a close second), but they do some great posting on web-based applications in general. Some of their posts would even make great fodder for a company or school district technology policy meeting. You know what I mean – the one where you are trying to convince your co-workers to finally come out of the 90s and into the Web 2.0 world, and they are terrified to leave their safe desktop cage.
Take a recent post for example: Office vs Online Office : Telephone vs Mobile Phone. Raju Vegesna makes a great case for the differences between online office applications and offline desktop office programs by comparing them to mobile phones and wired telephones (respectively).
The great thing about the Zoho blog is that they don’t hide things or give you imaginary marketing fluff like I’ve noticed other sites do. They are even very honest about their limitations.
Of course, this post got me thinking about what my job could be like if I could go mobile. Or what a classroom on my campus could be like if it goes mobile. Hmmm……
Matt is currently an Instructional Designer II at Orbis Education and a Part-Time Instructor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Previously he worked as a Learning Innovation Researcher with the UT Arlington LINK Research Lab. His work focuses on learning theory, Heutagogy, and learner agency. Matt holds a Ph.D. in Learning Technologies from the University of North Texas, a Master of Education in Educational Technology from UT Brownsville, and a Bachelors of Science in Education from Baylor University. His research interests include instructional design, learning pathways, sociocultural theory, heutagogy, virtual reality, and open networked learning. He has a background in instructional design and teaching at both the secondary and university levels and has been an active blogger and conference presenter. He also enjoys networking and collaborative efforts involving faculty, students, administration, and anyone involved in the education process.