I thought I’d share this web application I came across in my quest to find a relatively simple app to help us manage our mentoring data in the DL Orientation. Our specific needs were that it be a free online database, password protected, had the capability of rapid form development without too much programming knowledge and was easy for the end user to use. The application that met these requirements was Zoho Creator (http://www.zohocreator.com/) a part of a suite of online applications including word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, wikis, organizers and more. What’s great about Zoho Creator is that they have an online repository of applications already developed that you can download to your account and use for free. Initially, I tried some of these applications, but it was overkill for our needs. Zoho Creator can do a lot if you know programming and they have a pay model where it allows you more flexibility and features. I think Zoho Creator would be a useful tool for both the novice and advanced user who need to design a database application that manages their data needs. The only concern that I would have is storing any personal identifying information since this is a third party system. All DL Orientation mentors will have a chance to use this application in our upcoming orientation course. We’ll see how it works outs.
A "wouldn't it be nice" idea that's been around a while is the ability to tag a map with images that are linked to more information about the site. Kelly C suggested it as a way for students to share knowledge about a cultural/historic site or the geographic area they live in with classmates. (right, no addresses!) There are now cameras and even storage media that embed latitude and longitude into images as they are shot. But you don't need fancy new toys to do this. I tried Flickr's geotagging map and it's fun and supereasy. Want to try it? Log in to Flickr http://www.flickr.com Sign in as " techedine " password " wist101 " yea, corny. Click the " You " tab then the " Your Photostream > Map " or Organize > Your Map links. Click the Satellite link in the upper right. Cool view! (you may need Google Satellite downloaded). Images along the bottom of the screen with colored dots have already been droppe
Comments
I think the application that Clinton has for the orientation will work well for our purpose and allow us easy access to information and tracking. Mahalo for sharing.
A feature I found useful in Zoho is the filter for all the fields that appear. It's great that we can sort according to fields specified. In addition, the bulk editing feature is ajavascript:void(0)lso useful when making introduction calls.
Mahalo Clinton for working on this to make us more efficient.
Kelly
I was curious - how many participants can you have with the freebie? I notice the first level pay per contact is $5 per person per month which is kind of stiff. I also tried the meeting feature and you can't chair a mtg from a Mac. Scratch that one for me! 8-)
I like the flexibility of the site and its really powerful for a freebie. Guess they make it up on sales - so clarifying - the data is stored on their server? When i clicked the mtg video demo the voice was decidedly Indian and I got nervous. heh heh
It's great that it has a wide variety of applications that work together. I wonder how compatible they are with other programs like MS Word etc. Anyway, thanks for adding another useful tool to our arsenal.