LogMeIn

The find:
A relative newcomer to the remote access family, LogMeIn.com offers a simple, secure way to access your digital files when you are away from the office.  A straightforward, ten minute installation on your classroom computer is all that's needed.  Then, you have the ability to log-in to your computer wherever you have internet access.  Security is tight as your are required to use both your LogMeIn as well as your school district username and password in order to gain remote access to your device.  There is also a customizable inactivity timeout feature that locks both machines.

The test:
We have two departments currently using LogMeIn in a variety of ways.  Checking email, accessing network drives, and working with school documents are the obvious and popular choices.  But, one staff member has found another creative and convenient use.  Using his iPad (yes LogMeIn talks to both pcs and macs), he is able to manipulate his PowerPoint presentation and SmartBoard tools without being tethered to his laptop.  Needless to say, the ability to move freely about the room greatly enhances the lesson. 

The presentation:
LogMeIn Tutorial

Wikispaces

The find:
If you are a regular follower of this blog, you are probably begining to understand that we like tech tools that have been around a while- that have a bit of a track record.  Wikispaces is another one of those tools.  In just minutes you can "get your classroom online", giving you a platform to provide many different resources for your students and their parents.  For example, wikispaces works very well with Google meaning it's a snap to sync and display your calendar or embedd YouTube videos into your wiki.  Or perhaps, you would like to create and moderate a discussion thread.  Maybe you just need a place to keep electronic copies of assignments for students to use to catch up when they have been absent.  With the many available widgets, these are just a few of the ways you can put your wiki into action.

The test:
We have been utilizing wikispaces for the past four years in many different areas, both in and out of the classroom, teachers and students alike.  The setup is very straightforward and takes only a few minutes.  Once in the wikispaces environment, users will find it edits much like a Word document and should be able to have a basic wiki up and running in no time.  However, it takes some time to feel comfortable with the more advanced tools.  In order to effectively utilize this part of wikispaces requires regular use, collaboration with others, and even a bit of homework over the course of several weeks.  Fortunately, there are helpful tutorials built into wikispaces as well as a wealth of videos on YouTube.

The presentation:
How to set up a wikispaces account

Wikispaces basics