Thing 13 - ("treze" - PORTUGUESE)

Thing 13 was definitely cool to look through and find things. I have been using My Yahoo for some time now (like 5 years). It has been constantly changing and trying to improve. I have always been a Yahoo supporter over the Google hoopla. Looking and using Google for these things have made me a believer in Google. It just is better. iGoogle was sweet because of the user friendly applications and tools. Yahoo is trying, but it is just not as easy as Google. I will keep using My Yahoo because of my personal email, but I may change to Google soon. My start page is still my Google reader because I need to practice using that tech. I still do not use it very well, but it being there every time I open up the internet is a good thing.

I think the online calendars are useful, especially planning with a significant other. Currently, my girlfriend and I use a Wiki, but I think, after seeing these calendars, we are going to go use Google Calendar from now on. The interface is simple and so is getting an account for adding more people. This is definitely better than setting up a table on a Wiki.

I did check out Ta-da Lists, but I want to talk more about Backpack (looks like provided through the same company). That looked really cool. I think teams of teachers could use this to much benefit. Microsoft Office just doesn't seem like it is at that level of cooperation. I know some people use the Microsoft Outlook calendars. I used it for a year. I didn't like it very much because it seemed so isolated. I know you can look at other people's calendars and suggest an appointment, but it seems just a busy step that is replacing communicating verbally with people. Backpack looks like a place where teachers could place their agendas and plans seamlessly. TOO BAD IT COSTS MONEY (I know there is a free trial, but come on). I wonder if our school district would pay for it for some of its teachers? Hmmmm...

The other calendars, organizers, sticky notes, and converters seemed good. I think the converters are incredible, because I still remember the day a PC document couldn't be read on an Apple and vice versa. What progress we have made.