This was definitely an interesting experience for me. I have used Google Docs before, but had never heard of Zoho Writer before I began this process. I created a document of lyrics with one of my favorite songs. Here is the link to my public document: My first Zoho doc! I see there being pros and cons to using web-based document applications rather than Microsoft Office (or another publishing program). I am a listing type person so here are what I consider to be the positives and negatives, along with an explanation.
Pros
· Anyone can access Zoho Writer from a Mac or a PC. This means when my students complete an assignment at home, I can open it no matter what program they used.
· No USB drive or emailing of a file is required to send an attachment. Because of virus issues at school, we can no longer use USB drives unless they are loaded onto the computers program. Also, students are not allowed to access personal email and do not have a school-issued email. Zoho Writer would allow students to log on and access their documents.
· Similar to other publishing programs.
· I can view all student documents online which saves paper and ink.
· I can read and comment on student work.
· Students can upload a template for work that I assign and complete it easily.
Cons· Fonts are limited. I really enjoy fonts that I download and fonts that come with Office.
· Must have Internet access to use. Some of my students have Office, but do not have Internet. They can complete assignments without internet.
· Will take some practice after habits formed from Office.
· Bullets, Numbering, Inserting Images/Tables, etc. is a lot more difficult and time consuming than on Office.
· Only good for documents. You will still have to find another on line app for Excel, PP, etc.
Overall, I really like Zoho Writer. I am traditionalist and love Office, especially since they added the Save As PDF version on 2007 +. I don't have a problem with people being able to open my documents because of this feature. However, I do see how on line apps such as Zoho and Google Docs will continue to gain use and will improve over time. With more time, I could see myself being just as comfortable using Zoho.
p.s. I did enjoy using Zoho to post this blog. It was easier to type, edit, and publish through Zoho Writer. However, after spending 30 minutes trying to figure out how to get to https so I could export to blogger, I gave up and copied and pasted this. Here is the document in Zoho if you want to see it: Blog in Zoho
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