Steve Kinney

Web applications that do everything your favorite desktop applications ever did and more are springing up all over the place. Are they worth integrating into your classroom?

They’re updated much more frequently.

Microsoft releases a major update to their Office suite about every three to four years, which is short compared to how long it takes them to release an operating system. Apple is on a two-year time table (although with only two incarnations of iWork so far, that may not be the case in the future). In comparison Google Documents has been serviced with a number of minor tweaks, a few major upgrades, and one complete overhaul within the past few months. Bugs and quirks get worked out much faster.

The updates are instantaneously installed on the client side.

There is no need to spend the better part of a week (or longer) updating every computer in your classroom (or school); updates to web applications are instantaneous and require no work on your part. Just log on, fire up your favorite browser, and pull up the site. Not having to worry about installing upgrades, bug fixes, and security patches allows you to focus on the more important aspects of your job – e.g. thinking of new, interesting, and effective ways for your students to engage the curriculum.

It’s easier to be in contact with the developers to see the changes you want to happen, happen.

Try calling up Microsoft about that quirk that has been driving you nuts. If you do get through, please do not hold your breath – you’re going to have to install it on thirty or more machines anyway. Web 2.0 firms pride themselves on engaging their customer base. Many applications are still in the beta stage (if it is a Google product, it will perpetually be in the beta stage). I once contacted Guy Kawasaki about a bug I noticed in the iPhone version of Alltop.com and he and his team had it fixed in a matter of minutes.

Sharing is easy

When you use Google Documents, you’re document is stored on Google’s servers. No more emailing multiple drafts back in forth and forgetting which copy was the most current version of the file. No more passing flash drives around. You can share your documents with multiple authors. More importantly, the authors can all work on the document simultaneously. Storing your documents on Google’s servers also eliminates the risk of a hard drive crash taking your draft of the next Great American Novel with it. Granted, you are prone to Internet outages delaying your work.

They’re usually free.

This is a big selling point if you’re creating a homegrown computer set-up in your classroom. Most of these services are completely free. Google even opens up a upgraded version of their Google Applications software to schools and classrooms for free. Furthermore, the system requires are relatively simple: a browser ( you’ll probably get the most mileage out of Firefox).

The drawbacks:

• You’ll need an Internet connection.
• Web applications are often not as polished as their desktop counterparts.
• Some require some set-up (such as account sign-ups, which can be a hassle when you have twenty-five students).

The alternatives:

• Open source desktop applications (such as OpenOffice) offer the same support and frequent updates as well as the same price point: free. If you’re looking for a whole operating system that is open source, check out Edubuntu. The plus side is that you don’t need an internet connection to run them. The downside is that if you want to upgrade, prepare to boot dozens of machines.

Looking for new web applications? You could start by checking out my somewhat neglected Squidoo lens on the topic. I promise to update it soon – seriously.

Image by aristrocrat.

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