PatSine

Over the past several years, more and more apps are moving to the web. This year, we've seen Google put both a word processor and a spreadsheet on the web. These have gotten some bad reviews because they don't have enough power for business users. For our purposes, though they are just what the doctor ordered! The apps are free; they are always available as long as you have Internet connectivity; and they are built for collaboration. The only thing they are missing for us is the label "educational." This week, I've found the two missing apps to make a complete online and free suite for education. First is empressr.com. This is an online PowerPoint application. It is pretty bare-bones at this point, but it's got the other attributes. The second find is bubbl.us. This is a free online concept mapping tool. Again, it's got room for improvement but it is always available and it's free. With these kinds of free apps and the announcement that we will be able to buy the $100 computer in the US by this summer, looks like we are getting closer to one-to-one and the real breakthrough in integrating technology.