Update: Free 50GB cloud storage for android devices.

As promised, I mentioned I would take a closer look into Box.com. So far it has been quite fruitful and has potential for classroom use.

1) It mimics the sandbox(dropbox) feature in Angel. You can create folder and assign collaborators to each. The collaborators can be assigned different levels of use  from being editors to viewers etc.

Students can be invited to view documents , videos or links etc stored in a created folder. They would receive emails with a link to the folder or you could copy the link and send it manually by email etc. Permission, access and security can be set for files and folders.

2) If one has a heavy use of  youtube, videos, links etc in their course or would receive documents from students, Box.com does look like it can fulfill that niche with its free features. In essence, it could serve as a great collaborative base or a tranche of extra material for students to access outside of Angel/black board.

3) If WiFi or internet is limited or sketchy for the student or instructor, they could download the Box.com app to an Android device, or iphone, Ipad etc and through the app, be able to download specific documents for offline viewing.

4) Did I mention that you could also install a Box.com add.in (extension) to Office 2010. With it, you can directly create and save, share or open Office documents to folders in Box.com ( straight to cloud) without a browser. Screenshot: http://www.box.com/s/8nrf9btjn1qygslmci9s

I guess it is pretty obvious that on closer inspection I got bitten by the Box.com bug!

Ike Nwosu

WARNING: No wifi Ahead

When choosing apps, especially for the mobile classroom, apps that do not require wifi access 100% of the time are very valuable. Learning often happens outside the classroom. It happens in an outdoor lab, a class fieldtrip or just students reflecting on course material as they go about their day. Students may also want to digest some of the course material during some free time, but when they don’t have wifi access. The concept of apps started with smartphones, which are devices that are connected to the internet almost 100% of the time. However, 65% of tablets in general and 75% of iPads are wifi only. Apps specifically made for tablets seem to be aware of this and often provide “offline” content and functionality. The apple app store does a good job of separating iPad apps from iPhone apps so you can easily choose only apps designed for the tablet platform. However, the Android market does not make this distinction. This often makes it difficult to find apps that don’t require full time wifi access. We encountered this issue several times last semester, especially when using Google docs. However, a new update to the Android Google docs app now allows for offline editing. I’m sure this trend will continue as developers realize that users want to use their devices even when they don’t have wifi. Please respond to this post with any useful apps that you have found that don’t require wifi access.