On device apps/software vs. web apps - which is better for schools?

Apps, software, web apps - they are all tools to use on computing devices to get things done. I use 95% web apps (Gmail, iGoogle, Evernote, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Tweetdeck, Prezi, etc) and occasionally use Microsoft Office for some things I haven't uploaded to Docs yet. Web apps are free, easy to use, accessible anywhere, and platform independent.

Apps and software are sometimes free, usually still easy to use, not accessible anywhere (although your files can be if you use a file sync service) and dependent on your platform. Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Blacberry, webOS, smartphone vs. tablet, etc.

So, which should schools be using? I think schools should look at web apps whenever possible. There are thousands of blogs and sites that talk about free web apps and what web apps replace what software, etc. For the most part, everything that students need to do can be done with web apps. There is also no updating for IT to worry about, no lost dollars if you switch platforms, and any one can access them no matter what platform they are on. This is really important if you are working towards BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). It would be terrible to have a lesson that relies on a specific app and then a student or teacher has a device that doesn't have that app. With a web app, that is no longer a concern. It's one of the reasons I love Google Chrome OS and Chromebooks.

Don't get me wrong, I have tons of apps on my TouchPad and Android phone. But, whenever I share a service or app with my colleagues or students, I always make sure that there are web apps of it. There may be on device apps for these services too, like Evernote, but they also have a web app. Most of what I use with my students for classes are web apps or web sites that they can access from anywhere.

So, what do you think? On device apps or web apps? And why?

Are there on device apps that you have to have that you can't find a web app version of?

Google Sets - Automatically create sets of items from a few examples

Google Sets is a very cool service from Google that allows you to create a list of terms/examples and then it will search for related items based on the "set" you entered.

This is useful for finding related items and students can use it to see relationships among items.

I also learned from Lifehacker that it is a great way to find alternatives to software/apps. Enter a couple of apps/software you are looking for an alternative too and then see what Google Sets comes back with.

(Lifehacker is a great resource in itself).

Try out Google Sets and have some fun. See my example below.

Prezi - The zooming presentation editor

I had learned about Prezi over the summer, but never got a chance to work with it until this week. Today I finished my first presentation. It is a presentation I am doing for a professional development session next week at my school on Google Applications and some other free things for teachers.

I found Prezi very easy to use and once I started playing with it a little, I started having fun with it. I'm going to continue to explore more features in it, including automatic timing of each part, frames, grouping, and more.

Try it out as a nice alternative to just using PowerPoint.

Alternatives to Software

Alternative To is a great site that lists alternatives to software. Don't want to use Microsoft Office, look for an alternative to it (Google Docs, Zoho, OpenOffice, etc).

This is very useful in finding free, or inexpensive alternatives to paid applications. It's also a good way to find other similar software to find features that you need.

You can search all or by platform - Windows, Mac, Linux, Web-based and by category.

I posted about this last summer, but I felt it was good enough to repeat.

Alternatives to Windows, Mac, Linux and online applications | AlternativeTo.net

AlternativeTo.net is a great resource for any computer user. The site lists alterantives to popular software applications. Many of the alternatives are free, some are not. The great thing about the site is that it lists things by category so it is easy to find an alternative to what you are using now.

Maybe you want a free version of something, such as replacing Microsoft Office with OpenOffice, or you just want to try some different types of software. Maybe the software you are using now doesn't do everything you need it to do. Whatever the case, AlternativeTo.net can help.

The listings are very comprehensive and include a great description. You can sort results by tag, license, or platform. They have alternatives for Windows, Mac, Linux, and even for mobile applications.

Below is a listing of alternatives to Microsoft Office: