Comments on: Shiny Happy Tools

By: Andy Allen

Andy Allen — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 20:47:35 +0000

Hey Steve, My comment posted as Tom Hoffman. That’s odd.
Anyway, the above post was for Free fat and thin software, this list is Web 2.0 software (just web):
http://www.duggmirror.com/tech_news/Awesome_List_of_Office_2_0_Web_Applications/

By: Tom Hoffman

Tom Hoffman — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 19:58:37 +0000

I just stumbled across a good list of free fat and thin applications here:
http://lifehacker.biz/articles/best-open-source-software/

By: Tom Hoffman

Tom Hoffman — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 20:36:52 +0000

Are we talking about institutional use of these tools, personal, or both?

By: Steve Dembo

Steve Dembo — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 20:07:57 +0000

I beg to differ. Many people who were committed to Slashdot jumped over to Digg, finding it superior for their needs despite it being a MUCH smaller network initially. While yes, the value of del.icio.us is in the community that’s risen around it, but in today’s internet I think those networks can shift location in little to no time at all. If a site comes along that suits peoples’ needs better, they’ll shift locations, leaving behind the people who are married to the tool itself, versus what it allows you to do.

Those networks can and frequently do pick up and move elsewhere. Look at Friendster. Look at any number of photosharing sites.

Regardless of storage issues, regardless of the size of the current network, people flock to the tool that best suits their needs.

By: Tom Hoffman

Tom Hoffman — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:53:37 +0000

Yes, but “free and with a migration strategy” is a lot more complicated than “free and easy.” Also, I’m sure you’d argue that much of the value of del.icio.us is its collaborative network, which you can’t take with you.

By: Steve Dembo

Steve Dembo — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 14:58:58 +0000

I beg to differ. I do hear what your saying about content storage, but if somebody showed me a better place to store my bookmarks, I’d move them out from del.icio.us in a heartbeat. Same thing goes for photos, docs, blogs I aggregate and just about anything else. Heck, I’d even switch my blog engine if a better option came along.

The storage argument only holds water if you’re stuck in an application with no exit strategy.

By: Tom Hoffman

Tom Hoffman — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 18:43:55 +0000

Steve,
This is way too glib, because we’re not just using these sites as application, we’re also using them as storage. If the site goes away, so does your content. In education, we have a responsibility to our students to put their content in places it will be accessible in the future. It isn’t like just learning a new version of an application, or switching from Office to OpenOffice.org.

By: Chris Lehmann

Chris Lehmann — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 13:43:49 +0000

Great post, Steve… this is why it’s important — for on-line and off-line tools — that we teach concepts, not specific apps. It’s why, when we developed our tech plan at Beacon, we taught Digital Imagery and Film Making, not Photoshop and FinalCutPro. When we teach concepts and apply a tool to that concept, the mindset we create is one that is adaptable rather than wed to one specific tool.

Great post.

By: Kristin Hokanson

Kristin Hokanson — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 22:42:52 +0000

Steve–
I totally agree–but what do you do about the guy who has NEVER picked up the hammer to begin with. How overwhelming it must be to open a toolbox FULL of hammers and not know which one to pick up. This is where I think the web and especially Web2.0 becomes a challenge for many educators–when they can’t use what is on their desktop let alone what is out in the world of the web. I LOVE the shiny tools, but sometimes it is best to focus on the plain handled hammer if you know what i am saying