Application

& Link

Task Type

Cost

Educator version?

Required

Optional

Security/

Privacy

Ease of Use

PBworks wiki

http://www.pbworks.com

collaborative in theory, but only one person at a time can access a page to edit.

basic - free

yes - tiered prices for teacher vs campus

* laptop/desktop

* internet

* flash plugin to edit

(*can view only on mobile platforms)

thumbdrive

(for image/music/other files to upload)

email login (basic)

can create username

educator version can create login/passwords for kids (no need for their emails)

can set wiki privacy & access to page viewing vs editing; pay-for have greater flexibility in settings

very easy interface, much like a word-processor, for most things.

a bit tricky for uploading images & files; multi-step.

Same for embedding things - can be tricky.

Blogger

http://www.blogger.com

independent

(collaborative collection & content generation)

free

no

* laptop/desktop

* internet

* flash plugin to edit

* can add content from mobile platforms (there are apps)

thumbdrive

(for image/music/other files to upload)

connected to your gmail account, so easy to access & link up.

does require an email to set up. can set up without gmail, however.

can create "username" and hide identity a bit.

very easy interface, but some elements hard to find (non-intuitive location) such as themes, privacy settings, etc.

EduBlogs

http://www.edublogs.com

independent

(collaborative collection & content generation)

free

yes - tiered prices for teacher vs campus

* laptop/desktop

* internet

* flash plugin to edit

* can add content from some mobile platforms (there are apps)

thumbdrive

(for image/music/other files to upload)

email-based

can create username "mask"

very easy interface, basic blogs for students are easy to set up and maintain.

GoogleDocs

GoogleSites

http://www.google.com

collaborative to the point of confusion

free

*laptop/desktop for each participant

*internet

* flash plugin

* mobile app

thumbdrive

linked to gmail account, but can be used & accessed via any email account

very easy interface, but extremely basic for docs.

Sites

Voicethread

http://voicethread.com/

http://ed.voicethread.com/

independent generation of a thread

collaborative input for commenting

(could be collaborative in content collection/generation)

VT basic - free (30 second video)

edVT basic - free

ed VT - free (no time limit for videos, but only 50 threads allowed)

Classroom edition - $10/month. Can set up students & unlimited threads.

* laptop/desktop

* internet

* flash plugin

* speakers

* good microphone

thumbdrive

(for image/music/other files to upload)

computer video camera

email login for basic

classroom account can be set up for students (but requires email)

edu version is a separate environment for schools. Fiiltered.

In edu accounts, teacher can "approve" comments prior to their being published.

in all versions, can create a "username" to mask email info

super easy interface, once you have the concept and pieces.

very simple for response/comment

Animoto

http://www.animoto.com

independent

(again, possible for collaboration in concept and image elements)

free - 30sec vids only

yes - but have to apply & be approved. Then unlimited length vids.

* laptop/desktop

* internet

* flash plugin

* speakers

* has mobile viewing edition

* thumbdrive for image/sound files

* video files

* music files (but includes open source music to use)

email login

limited "external" content

once you have all the elements, it's quick to put together, but the final "rendering" takes a bit of time.

to get really good vids with pauses and emphasis needs a bit of practice, as a lot of the show is created automatically.

Mixbook

http://www.mixbook.com

collaborative in that several people can contribute to one book, but not sure if they can do so at the same time

free for online scrapbooks

"for pay" to print out

no

* laptop/desktop

* internet

* flash plugin

* image files

* thumbdrive for image/sound files

email login

easy, but a LOT of choices so best to have a theme and overall "look" in mind. Overwhelming number of layout, sticker and other options.

Glogster

http://www.glogster.com

http://edu.glogster.com

independent

(definite possibilities for collaboration in concept and image elements)

free for basic

free edu basic (up to 50 students can manage)

pay-for teacher/campus editions with more features

* laptop/desktop

* internet

* flash plugin

* thumbdrive for image/sound files and other data collected

email-based login

but edu editions can create "user name"

takes a bit of navigation to find all the features; a lot of options for font, background, layouts, etc.

adding in elements takes a little practice, but fairly intuitive.

MuseumBoxes

http://museumbox.e2bn.org/

independent entry, but could definitely do collaborative concept + research + collection process

free

yes, but requires "approval"

* laptop/desktop

* internet

* flash plugin

* thumbdrive for image/sound files and other data collected

create username, password

link to school, or "other school"

not intuitive. tricky to figure out how to "create a box" and also finding afterwards is tricky (no apparent link ... have to go back to create a box then sign in)

however, actual box creation is clear and straightforward (more or less) but there are some multi-step processes that take a little figuring out.