Living and Learning in the Cloud: Online Services and Freeware

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description

A presentation I gave on Dropbox, Evernote, and Google as part of a 'cloud services' bit at ETC.

Transcript of Living and Learning in the Cloud: Online Services and Freeware

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The presentation formerly known as Useful Freeware

Living and learning in the cloudHarness free online services and software for your benefit as a student, a faculty member, or just a human being

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I have no idea what you’re talking about.

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Why should I care?

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1) Location2) Location3) LocationYour data is stored or backed up elsewhere. In the cloud.

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Computer catches on fire?Not a problem. Get a new computer, install software if necessary, log in with it. All your data is right there.

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Sitting at another computer?That’s fine, too. Pull up a browser, log into the appropriate website. Your data is right there, too.

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Want to access your data anywhere?If you’ve got an Internet-enabled smartphone (Blackberry, iPhone, Android-based, Palm, etc.) or other device, most cloud services have clients for those devices, too. Meaning you could technically study for your History test in line at a rock concert. Or something.

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Share. Collaborate. Live in harmony.Most cloud services allow you to make your choice of content publicly available. Others can work on the same document. Friends can share notes. Or, enemies can antagonize each other by sharing articles between CNN and FOX News.

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Meet your new best friends.

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Evernote.It’s your 3-ring binder. On steroids.

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Evernote (http://evernote.com/)

Information capture tool

Save webpages, PDFs, images, photos, audio recordings, videos, class notes, and more

Tag, sort, organize your notes

Share notebooks with the public

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Evernote (http://evernote.com/)

Web clipper (any browser)

Mac OS X

Windows

iPhone/iPod touch

Blackberry

Palm Pre

Sony Ericsson X1

Windows Mobile

Android beta client in the works(http://bit.ly/3oG0WW)

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How you can use Evernote.

Take notes in class using a desktop client; new note for each lecture

Tag notes with subject matter discussed

When time to write a paper, pull up notes tagged with your subject

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How you can use Evernote.

Print PDF webpages into Evernote

Scan receipts into an Evernote notebook

Tweet a reminder to Evernote

Snap pics of all those fancy wines you like to try (21 and over, please!)

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Evernote on the forefront.

Fujitsu ScanSnap: scan documents right into Evernote

EyeFi card: wireless-enabled SD cards that can upload your digital photos to Evernote

Smartphones: snap a photo or record voice using the Evernote app, upload right to Evernote

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Dropbox.Never worry about losing your files again.

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Dropbox (http://dropbox.com/)

Online file storage service

Install the client, and all the files in your ‘Dropbox’ ƒ are synced as they’re changed

Share files/folders with other Dropbox users

Get extra 250MB on signup:http://bit.ly/dropbox-etc

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Dropbox (http://dropbox.com/)

Web site

Mac OS X

Windows

Linux

iPhone/iPod touch

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How Dropbox can help you.

Never have to email files to yourself; save them wherever you’re at to your Dropbox

Install it on your home computer and your work computer; keeps files in sync

Need to roll back a version of a file? Dropbox can do that.

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How Dropbox can help you.

Eliminates need for USB drive

Integrates seamlessly with your desktop

Share files with friends with insanely little effort

Access your files on the go with iPhone/iPod touch app

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Google.The undisputed king of search.

Also the undisputed king of cloud services.

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Google (c’mon, it’s Google.)

Tons of ‘cloud-based’ services

Super-secret facility with thousands, maybe millions of servers

Revenue comes from advertising; everything else is pretty much free

Google (http://google.com)

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Gmail (http://gmail.com/)

Email is cloud-based anyway

Access from website, any mail client on any platform

POP, IMAP, now ‘exchange’-based too

Integrates with other Google cloud services: calendar, contacts, etc.

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Google Docs (http://docs.google.com/)

Keep your documents online, access and edit them anywhere

Share them with other Google users

Online competitor to Microsoft Office: word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, etc.

Great for collaborating on documents

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Google Calendar (http://calendar.google.com/)

Keep track of your appointments, get reminders via email or SMS

Categorize your events in multiple calendars

Invite other attendees with Google accounts; share calendars, too

Link to iCal, Outlook, others

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Picasa (http://picasa.google.com/)

Edit photos in Picasa desktop app (Mac/Win/Lin)

Tag people in photos, like Facebook

Upload to Picasa Web Albums from desktop app

Store, share photos with others online

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Google Reader (http://reader.google.com/)

Aggregate RSS feeds into one list

Like an email inbox for the sites you visit

Discover new feeds recommended to you, share articles to friends using Google Reader

Link to desktop applications like NetNewsWire (Mac) or FeedDemon (Win)

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In summary

Evernote (http://evernote.com/)note taking on steroids

Dropbox (http://dropbox.com/)file storage and backup

Google (http://google.com/)mail/calendar/docs/RSS online, anywhere

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Questions? Comments?Pleas of impassioned outrage?