Author Archives: Valerie Robin

Storify

Date
Posted by
Comments0
Storify

Storify is part social, part archival, and part storage. Record events in a readable stream by dragging in any media live on the web and share.

SUPPORTS

PC, Mac, iPad

USES

You could use storify for multiple course projects. It is completely free, and could be used for research storage, organizing open-access articles, and even presentation. If your class is tweeting, you can drag and drop tweets into a storify thread and organize them, for example. You could do the same for news stories that you want to present for a History class, or a discovery timeline. You can feature photos, videos, articles, and pretty much any social media available.

PROS

  • easy to use and very versatile
  • exists on the cloud so you can’t accidentally delete anything AND it’s easily shareable
  • supports loads of social media and news organizations

CONS

  • cannot link to or embed pay-to-access articles like many from our library databases
  • storify stories can become too long and cumbersome to read
  • there is potential to manipulate and twist stories depending on how you arrange entries

EXAMPLES

Below is an example of a storify featuring tweets from and English 1101 course

storify-example

 

#below is what would appear in a sidebar

SIMILAR TO

  • tumblr

ALSO FEATURED IN

  • Mind Mapping
  • Presentation
  • Timelines

NEED TO KNOW

  • Free
  • Cloud Based
  • Subscribe
  • Social

SquareSpace

Date
Posted by
Comments0
SquareSpace

squarespace logo-1

ABOUT:

SquareSpace is an easy-to-use web building platform that features lots of different templates, and types of pages. You can use it for free, or pay for a subscription and have your own .com. People use SquareSpace to build online stores, digital portfolios, or to showcase art and other projects. SquareSpace is largely drag-and-drop, it allows easy embedding, and upkeep. SquareSpace websites tend to look clean and professional.

Supported

PC, Mac, tablet, mobile

Pros

  • Looks very professional without a lot of effort
  • Relatively easy to use and maintain
  • Lots of colorful modifiable templates

Cons

  • Does require some learning – you may need to take a short tutorial
  • Free application has much fewer options
  • Some features cannot be changed or manipulated

EXAMPLES

Below is a student website from a SCAD student:

squarespace-example-1

Uses

You can use a website for anything – and it’s no different when you’re using a SquareSpace website. Build your portfolio, use it to present work to your professors, keep a blog here, or showcase your projects — if you can imagine using a website for it, you can probably pull it off here. And it’s more and more normal to have your own .com.

GSU Blogs

Date
Posted by
Comments0
GSU Blogs

sites-gsu

ABOUT:

GSU blogs are a space you already have assigned to you as a GSU student. They are designed to be used for any purpose you might use a blog. You can keep a blog about anything, school related or not. You could use it to present for classes, or you could build a simple website. It all depends on the template you choose.

Supported

Mac, PC

Pros

  • Multi-Use tool
  • Easy to use and maintain once you get the hang of it
  • You can change the whole look of your site just by changing the template

Cons

  • It takes a long time to design your blog or website, and this can be a difficult experience for new users.
  • Some template themes will allow certain actions, while others will not – or will ask for them to be performed differently. This can be confusing and frustrating.

EXAMPLES

Below are some GSU blogs run by students belonging to the Student Innovation Fellowship – the program that supports this wiki. Click on the picture to visit the full site.

Dylans_blog

This is a blog roll of several blogs. From here you can explore over 20 blogs.

Dylans_blo-2

This blog belongs to a graduate student working for the SIF program.

 

 

This blog belongs to an undergraduate SIF student

This blog belongs to an undergraduate SIF student

Uses

 

Blogs can be used for any number of projects. A blog can be built to look like a website, or to keep a log of content like the example above.

You may be asked to keep a blog for a class, or you may elect to use the blog application to showcase a project, or keep your own personal record of your learning. The blog is only as limited as your imagination.

Strikingly

Date
Posted by
Comments0
Strikingly

strikingly logo

ABOUT:

Strikingly is a web building application that relies on scrolling as its main draw. That is – strikingly does not allow you to build your website as more than one page, though you can link out to other items easily and as often as you like. Strikingly is a drag and drop platform that is easy if you can’t code, but can be frustrating if you rely on coding to allow you to manipulate templates.

Supported

PC, Mac

Pros

  • Very easy drag-and-drop/WYSIWYG platform that requires no coding
  • Provides a clean, copyright friendly backdrop that is in trend
  • Looks great across devices

Cons

  • You are stuck with the template. If you want to code to manipulate it, you must upgrade.
  • If you want more than one long page, you can’t have it. This is your only option.

EXAMPLES:

Below are two kinds of strikingly websites. Click on the picture to go to the full site.

This first one is a very simple sports photography portfolio:

strikingly-example-1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This next one is a professional digital portfolio that is clean, yet thorough:

strikingly-example-2

Uses:

You could use strikingly in a variety of ways. You could use it in an art class to showcase visual work, or build a website that presents a complex concept. Or like George Clark III, you could use it to host a portfolio for your major requirements. Anything that you could use a website for – strikingly will likely be a good fit.

Google Slides

Date
Posted by
Comments0
Google Slides

GSlides-logo

ABOUT:

Google Slides (formerly Google Presentation) is an Internet presentation generating software that works similarly to Microsoft PowerPoint. You can create presentation slides, or embed  any kind of media just like you would in any PowerPoint presentation. But Google Slides also does so much more. Not only can you work alone inside the presentation slides, you can work at the same time as other people. Google Slides allows more than one person to type in a presentation at once. It also allows easy sharing and embedding in external documents. And there are comment bubbles and an instant messaging feature so that you can receive and provide feedback from other users. Google Slides is excellent for group work and collaborative presenting.

Supported

Mac, PC, Google Chromebook, Mobile

Pros

  • Google Slides is on the cloud, so you can never accidentally erase it forever if your computer crashes.
  • It is sharable instantaneously and all you need is an internet connection.
  • I makes group work a lot more convenient because you can create slideshow presentations with someone else without being in the same room.

Cons

  • Under the ‘anyone can edit’ feature, it is easy to lose track of who has generated which section.
  • It is sometimes difficult to find presentations that someone has shared with you.

EXAMPLES:

https://youtu.be/RdKuNrGapco?t=53s

Uses:

You can use Google Slides for versatile presentations, and more. You can embed a slideshow into a website and convert it to a Prezi. Or you can use it to collaborate with a group on a presentation. It is great for peer review, or even for just creating a slideshow you want to share easily.

Google Sheets

Date
Posted by
Comments0
Google Sheets

google-spreadshets-logo

ABOUT:

Google Sheets (formerly Google Spreadsheets) is an Internet spreadsheet generating software that works similarly to Microsoft Excel. You can record data, or generate  any kind of report just like you would in any spreadsheet. But Google Sheets also does so much more. Not only can you work alone inside the spreadsheet, you can work at the same time as other people. Google Sheets allows more than one person to type in a spreadsheet at once. It also allows easy sharing and embedding in external documents. And there are comment bubbles and an instant messaging feature so that you can receive and provide feedback from other users. Google Sheets is excellent for group work.

Supported

Mac, PC, Google Chromebook, Mobile

Pros

  • Google Sheets is on the cloud, so you can never accidentally erase it forever if your computer crashes.
  • It is sharable instantaneously and all you need is an internet connection.
  • I makes group work a lot more convenient because you can create data with someone else without being in the same room.

Cons

  • Under the ‘anyone can edit’ feature, it is easy to lose track of who has generated which section.
  • It is sometimes difficult to find spreadsheets that someone has shared with you.

EXAMPLES:

Uses:

You can use Google Sheets for almost anything you can imagine. You can embed a spreadsheet into a website and use it as a presentation, or you can use it to collaborate with a group on a lab report or data set. It is great for peer review, or even for just creating a data table you want to share easily. Finally, you need to be able to program data into a spreadsheet to make a map, so Sheets is part of Google Maps creation too.

ArcGIS

Date
Posted by
Comments0
ArcGIS

ESRI_ARCMAP_transparente

 

ABOUT:

ArcGIS is a collection of GIS tools provided by Esri.  ArcGIS specializes in bringing in data and maps together to form relationships, see trends, and understand people’s relationships in relation to maps. Knowing the various characteristics around a certain location can reveal hidden data that may give businesses a keen edge in the market, allow people to understand the cultural, economic, and spatial dynamics in a country, and manage huge data to help tell a story.

Supported

ArcGIS is supported on Windows and Mac.

Pros

  • Advanced data analytic tools to discover relationships
  • Ports with other technologies like satellite imagery to deliver powerful applications
  • Gives business and user friendly applications for the real world

Cons

  • Incredible pricey license
  • Limited 3rd party influence
  • Learning Curve is very huge unless taught in a class setting or by experienced instructors

EXAMPLES

An example of GSU’s and Emory’s in-progress platform ATLMaps. This particular project shows the story of Raymond Andrews and his narrative of living in a segregated Atlanta.

 

 

 

Uses

The main uses of ArcGIS follow within the lines of business relationships of whether certain locations are good spots or not to host a particular franchise or find certain locations nearby that may gain business throughout time. However, there are many other applications with ArcGIS tools that allows for individual, inexperienced users to utilize to sort out data in hopes of finding strong relationships. While the learning curve is a bit steep, it is definitely  easy to mess around with maps and explore the different possibilities of finding something.

Google Fusion

Date
Posted by
Comments0
Google Fusion

taken from blogoscoped.com

ABOUT:

Google Fusion is one of the many ways you can make maps yourself to show data, group places, or combine places with their data. Google Fusion must be combined with Google Spreadsheets for it to work, and once you create a map with Fusion, it cannot be updated automatically. You must collect all your data before you begin. Once your data has been created and synced, inside Fusion, you can change your pointers, which data is displayed, and even group pointers to show how data flows. Google Fusion, like all Google Drive products, allows you to share, and build with others, but because Fusion requires training and practice, it may be difficult to remotely meet with someone to map using Fusion. Last, Fusion can be published and shared, but it does not go live to Google Maps because it does not readily export as a KML file.

Supported

PC, Mac, Android

Pros

  • Once your data is created, it is easy to make changes inside Fusion
  • The visualizations are fun, and exactly like what you see in a Google Map
  • Navigating the visuals of your data is as easy as it is on Maps

Cons

  • It is not easy to learn Fusion. You will want to use lynda.com through the Exchange, or take a class to learn the basics.
  • Fusion does not sync to your spreadsheet, should you need to make changes. You must upload or merge a whole new spreadsheet.
  • Fusion does not go live to Google Maps. Instead, you must learn to plot on Google Earth for this feature.

EXAMPLES

Below is a screenshot of a map a student made in Fusion of study spots in the Atlanta area. You can see she made the plot points green, instead of the classic red. And you can see the information she included on the selected spot.

Learning_Google_Maps-1

Uses

There are many reasons you might make a map in Fusion for a class. If you need to present information containing places for a history class, or to map where all the oak trees are located near campus for Biology, you can use Fusion to do this. If you have data to present on gas pricing in a certain area, or want to plot where people live that own drones, you can do this in Fusion.

Tableau

Date
Posted by
Comments0
Tableau

it_photo_102724

ABOUT:

Tableau Software is a powerful collection of data analytic tools that is useable to anyone with big data. It is an interactive platform to show data, collaborate research, and find trends in statistical and methodological ways. Sharing data over the cloud makes it easy to present data to anyone with a computer, and Tableau’s wide platform support makes it easy to use any device to collaborate on projects.

Supported

Tableau is supported on Mac and Windows, with tablet support.

Pros

  • Easy to use tool to handle big data
  • Can be embedded for use on a project website
  • Features a wide array of tools to sort and filter through data
  • Can be integrated for huge amounts of data, including server support

Cons

  • There is a learning curve, but Tableau provides tutorials on their website.
  • Must get used to using spreadsheets for accurate data analysis
  • Individual accounts on other computers outside GSU’s CURVE costs money.

Examples

Tableau’s wide offering of support tools and interactive data analysis makes it easy to understand and learn about trends.

 

 

A live version of Tableau at work. Go ahead and explore the data!

Uses

Tableau’s main use is to construct business projections, markets, and trade values, but the gallery shows a great variety of uses by many different research groups. Use it for regional projects about specific country statistics or the entire world, and show the different levels that come with data analysis. Highlight correlations, details, and instances all on the same page with just a click of a button.

Crocodoc

Date
Posted by
Comments0
Crocodoc

taken from www.glogster.com

ABOUT:

Crocodoc is an Internet writing software that allows you to write alone, or collaboratively. You can work on a variety of projects, from essays to multimedia projects with videos, images, and other items embedded right inside. Because Crocodoc allows more than one person to type in a document all at once, it is a great meeting space for when your group can’t meet face-to-face. It also allows comment bubbles that you can create and respond to and allows all users with access to move and change the format. Unlike Google Documents, you do have to download Crocodoc onto your computer, but once it’s there, it works very similarly.

Supported

PC, Mac

Pros

  • allows for collaborative work with tons of features so you can share, peer edit, and build together
  • stores your documents for you so you don’t need a thumb drive

Cons

  • you have to download this, so you can’t use it on a school or borrowed computer
  • at this moment, it is not all that widely used. Others may convince you to use Google Docs because of the above con.

EXAMPLES

Because of the live-sharing feature of Crocodoc, there are no student examples. Instead click below to see Crocodoc in action:

Crocodoc3

 

 

Uses

You can use Crocodoc for almost anything you can image. You can embed a document into a website and use it as a presentation, or you can use it to collaborate with a group on a paper. It is great for peer review, or even for just writing stories you want to share easily.