iCochise - Software and Website Critiques

I am often asked to critique various education technology tools and I offer that advice freely to anyone. I have gathered my critiques here for you to enjoy (you will enjoy them, won't you?).

This is a new service I am offering, so it will built over time (be patient).

About the Grades

I grade each of the tools using a system that will be familiar to educators (or anyone who's gone to school): A, B, C, D, and F. Here are what those grades mean:

A: Superb tool that should become part of the educator's toolbox. This tool is peerless and sets the standard for similar applications.

B: Good tool for which there are few peers and will likely do the job nicely.

C: Adequate tool for a job; but there may be others better suited.

D: Inadequate tool that can be used; but only as a last resort.

F: Don't even think about it.

The Applications

Miscellaneous

Crossloop (Grade: B) -- A service that enhances technical support by sharing desktops over the internet.

Online Office Suites ("Cloud Computing")

These suites of tools are intended to make office programs (like word processors and spreadsheets) available to users online.

Google Docs (Grade: C) -- A suite of 4 online applications, including a word processor, spreadsheet, presenter, and mail.

Zoho (Grade: A) -- A suite of 19 online applications, including a word processor, spreadsheet, mail, and others.

Personal Productivity

These tools are intended to improve productivity. The tools in this group would not necessarily be directly related to the classroom, but would help instructors manage time, email, and other important parts of their day.

Drop.io (Grade: A) -- A way to drop large files into a web space that others can later retrieve (file sharing for files too large to email).

Jott (Grade: A) -- A reminder service designed to permit people to call a phone number and leave a reminder for themselves.