SugarSync - Online Storage Solution

So last week I reviewed Dropbox as a quick and easy way to store and sync your valuable files to protect yourself from losing your data. I have since found out about another online storage website call SugarSync, so I thought I would check it out.

I thought Dropbox was good - turns out SugarSync is even better :)

It is just as easy to use as Dropbox AND has more functionality. The online set up guides are really easy to follow so even those who have never used a service like this before should have no issues setting one up! SugarSync has some distinct advantages over DropBox:

• Sugarsync offers 5GB of free storage vs. DropBox's 2GB


• SugarSync allows you to select which folders on your computer you want to sync vs. DropBox providing a specific "DropBox" folder


• SugarSync offers the ability to email a file to your SugarSync account (not offered on DropBox)


• SugarSync offers the ability to edit your files online using a service called websync - handy if you are away from your normal computer


• In addition to iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, and Android mobile versions SugarSync also works on Windows Mobile and Symbian devices


• With referral bonuses you can earn up to 10GB of free online storage with Sugarsync vs DropBox's 5GB

And there you have it - definitely a worthwhile service for any student! If you are interested check it out for free! By clicking this link you will be taken to a referral page where you can sign up and receive a bonus 500MB of data - then use the "Get Free Storage" option to recommend to your friends and family to get more bonuses (they get bonuses too so it is win-win!)

I haven't written up any how to guides here for this service as there is lots of information available on the SugarSync website including videos!

Dropbox - Online Storage Solution

Ok say I have written a couple reviews about online tools and have hinted Dropbox. So far Dropbox is one of my favourite online tools. It is really easy to use and backs up your files for access in multiple locations. For example I have Dropbox installed on:

• my Home PC,


• Work PC,


• iPhone,


• iPad


• and I can access files from any computer with an internet connection.

The Dropbox application is a simple little file that once installed looks like any other folder on your computer. The difference is that when you drop files into this folder it is synced with all other locations where you have Dropbox installed - Nifty!

Why would you want Dropbox? Have you ever suffered from losing your USB drive, having it damaged, or stolen? Have you ever had your computer crash and not be recoverable? Have you ever had your computer stolen? Have you ever wished you had just brought your USB drive from home so you could access those files you were working on?
If you answered YES to any of the questions above then an online storage is for you. You can also share folders with other people making it a great resource to share files that are too large for email!

What do you need to set up Dropbox? All you need is access to the internet and an email address! The Basic account is FREE! Go to Dropbox to sign up today. You can opt to have just the online version which does not require you to install anything or you can download the small application that sets up Dropbox on your computer giving the facility to just drop files in!

How much can you store on Dropbox? By default a basic account 2GB of storage, you can get more storage for free by recommending to others (up to a total of 8GB), or you can opt to pay for more space.

Where can you access Dropbox? Dropbox can be accessed from any Windows, Mac or Linux PC with an internet connection, There are also free apps available for you to access your files on iPhone, iPad, Blackberry or Android devices.

Dropbox is the solution to that problem which all students dread: losing all their hours of work due to a technical malfunction or data loss. Try it out today it is FREE you have nothing to lose! Once you have installed the application it is as simple as saving your work to the Dropbox folder! If you want to try Dropbox for yourself please visit the site via this referral link. By clicking on the link you are supporting my review and I will get bonus data on my Dropbox account but as a FREE BONUS you will also receive 250MB additional data on your account! Win - Win situation!

Creating PDF files for FREE!

So what is a PDF? PDF stands for Portable File Format and is an open standard for document exchange, it was first created by Adobe but you will now find a number of software providers capable of turning your existing documents into PDF files.

Why would we want to convert a file into PDF? There may be a number of reasons to convert a file to PDF. Perhaps you want to reduce the document size (generally a document converted to PDF is a smaller size than the original). Perhaps you want to make your document more compatible with other devices (e.g. Kindle allows for PDF reading). Or perhaps you just want to send your document to someone in a form that can't easily be edited (i.e. resumes, menus etc.).

What files can be converted to PDF? Pretty much most things that can be printed can be converted to PDF, there are a few exceptions but generally it will do the job for most if not all the documents a general user may need. In our case for students perhaps you want to convert lecture notes or readings to PDF (if they aren't already) so that you can read them on a portable device (like a Kindle).

OK - getting to the FREE part! You don't need to go out and spend hundreds of dollars on a piece of software to create PDF's - while yes the paid software can do a lot generally the average user just wants to covert Word docs, Powerpoint presentations and such. There are Open Source solutions for creating PDF files (Open Source basically means Free - these applications are created by developers around the globe that believe in the right to have applications available free and there are lots of applications out there available).

The application I am reviewing today is called PDFCreator. It is a fantastic little tool which is incredibly easy to use (it's literally just like printing!). Start by downloading your own copy of PDFCreator from Sourceforge (a site dedicated to providing Open Source applications). Once you have downloaded run the program and follow the prompts to install - it is a pretty simple process: the only thing I change in the set up is deselecting the option to change my homepage!

Once it is installed it really is as easy as printing your document.

• When you select the option to Print your document in your printers list you will now see a listing for PDFCreator.


• Select it and press the Print button.

• You will then be given a screen that gives you some options for your PDF (if you like you can experiment with these but generally I just leave them as default)


• Type the title of your document in the Document title field and press Save.


• You will then be given a prompt on where you would like to save your file.


• Select the location and press Save.


• And that's it you have created a PDF!

A great tool that is super easy to use and is FREE! Can't argue with that!

Online Tools for Students – Google Docs

If you read my previous post on using Sky Drive you will know that this week I set out to write a blog post about using online document writing tools to write an assignment. Based on that I thought I would test out Microsoft's Sky Drive. It was a fail. It is a cut down version of Word which is missing too much functionality to be useful when it comes to writing up assignments. So I started looking at other alternatives and I remembered Google Docs, now to test its functionality when it comes to writing an assignment.

I have been using Google Docs for a long time but I mainly used it to keep copies of important documents that I might need access to when I am away from home (i.e. my resume). Also if you use Gmail already you will surely have been using Google Docs even if you haven't realised it, whenever you get a document attachment on your email and you choose to view it in your browser you are using Google Docs to do it. So that being said I have found Google Docs a very useful service for backing up and viewing files. I knew it had more functionality than this but I hadn't really needed to use it before now. When I found Sky Drive a failure for assignment writing I focused my attention on Google Docs – and I boy was I surprised!

Google Docs is a great online Word Processor – it picks up the slack where Sky Drive fails. It has a lot more functionality than I ever thought it would. Now I have only reviewed the Document side of Google Docs but you are also able to use it to create and upload Presentations, Spreadsheets, Forms and Drawings.

Anyway one step at a time; here is my list of Pros:

Pros for Google Docs

• Free


• 7+ GB of data storage (and counting)


• Cheap upgrade options if you require more storage


• The ability to upload and share files


• More features than Sky Drive (will cover that below)


• Good on screen page layout


• Good compatibility with other programs


• Files are available on any computer with an internet connection

When I started a new document with Google Docs I immediately noticed an improvement in the layout compared to Sky Drive. While it doesn't have all the fancy ribbons you have come to expect in Microsoft applications Google Docs makes up for that with functionality. The onscreen layout is great – you can see the page margins and rulers, it looks more like a functional word processor (see the image). I copied and pasted what I had already written of my assignment into Google docs. First thing I noticed is that it didn't quite copy over smoothly the numbering went a bit out of whack but never mind that is only a small hurdle. What I noticed most was the indentations that I had for text were actually pushing the text so far over that only a couple of letters per line could be read (that was the formatting in Sky Drive for you) but it was something really EASY to fix in Google Docs. As I mentioned before you can see the ruler for the page and also the tab stops. All I had to do was select the text and move the tab stop and it was fixed! Even better I could insert a Page Break! Meaning I didn't have to worry about going back and checking the review mode to see if I had entered enough lines to push the text to the next page.

I will list a few of the features that Google Docs has that I haven't found in Sky Drive that I think make Docs the better option, this isn't an exhaustive list just the ones that make it useful when it comes to assignment writing:

• Page layout


• Ruler


• Insert page breaks


• Insert equations


• Insert comment


• Insert footnote


• Insert header


• Insert footer


• Table of Contents


• Line spacing options


• Word count


• More compatibility you can download you document as any of the following formats: ODT, PDF, RTF, Text, Word, Html (zipped)

All of these features are great for an online free application; they are all the main features you may need when writing up assignments (especially footers, footnotes and word count). Google Docs also auto saves as you go along making it handy in case you forget to save! I also found Google Docs quicker to respond when switching between the normal view and Print Preview making it easy to double check that it is going to look good on a page. The number of options that you have available to download your document as is also great, depending on what your requirements are you most likely won't need any extra file convertors.

I love Google Docs after my disappointing experience with Sky Drive. But I must find some cons with it to make it a fair review:

Cons for Google Docs

• Requires an internet connection to use


• Some formatting might be lost when you upload a document


• It isn't a complete replacement for your full time Word Processor but it definitely will get you by


• No offline sync option built in

With that last point Google used to have an application called GEARS that allowed users the ability to use Google Docs offline and it would sync when there was an internet connection. That is no longer available but word is Google are looking at a replacement for it.

Like Sky Drive you can also use Google Docs as a backup facility for your important documents to get you out of trouble in the event of a hard drive failure.

Well that about covers it I really love Google Docs J It has all the features you need to get you by when writing an assignment. I don't expect it to completely replace my Word Processing application but then I never intended it to. I wanted to see if someone could get by writing an assignment using only online tools and it looks like Google Docs will make that possible.

Stay tuned for more reviews on online storage systems that will help keep your data safe!

Online Tools for Students – Sky Drive Word Review

When I originally started thinking about what to write for this week's blog post I thought I would test out Sky Drive - Microsoft Lives' online storage and applications service. So to fully test the functionality of using Sky Drive for study I thought I would test it properly by using it to write up my WEB101 first assignment using the Word application. If you haven't heard of Sky Drive before here is a quick explanation: Sky Drive is an initiative of Microsoft into the world of online applications. It provides you with the ability to upload and create Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote files.

I first heard about Sky Drive last year and thought it was a great alternative for people needing a basic word processor completely free of charge. Even better was that you could access you documents from any computer with an internet connection. Rather than me continuing on naming each feature here is my Pros list:

Pros of Microsoft Sky Drive - Word

• Free


• Easy to use


• 25 GB of online storage space


• Can upload existing documents to view, share or edit them


• Looks just like a really basic copy of Microsoft Word (making it easy for people who have used Word before)


• The ability to format text (font size, style, colour and alignment) and insert tables and pictures into a document


• Full compatibility with Microsoft Word, it is after all a Microsoft product

They are some of the cool features – and don't get me wrong it is a great service but from my experience really only worthwhile for viewing and storing files and maybe writing up really basic documents.

As I set out to write out my assignment I found I started having issues; the tools I needed just weren't available. Trying to change formatting to interpret how it would look on a page was largely a guessing game. The page layout is non-existent, as you open the document it takes up full screen so it is difficult to easily see how what you are writing will look like set out on a page (it can be done but you have to keep switching back and forth between the reading and editing views). There is no functionality to enter a page break making it hard to properly space your assignment as I found out when trying to insert the cover page. I also had problems while using Sky Drive in Internet Explorer I found that after typing a few words the cursor wouldn't line up with the sentence position, it was very strange. I switched over to Mozilla Firevox and that issue went away.

All in all I got through the cover page and the first question and then started looking for alternatives. There just isn't enough functionality to use Sky Drive as a complete word processing replacement. I am sure this is done on purpose by Microsoft as they want you to go out and BUY their full product. Anyway here is the list of Cons:

Cons of Microsoft Sky Drive – Word

• Poor layout (unable to easily see how your document will look on paper


• Poor page formatting options


• No ability to set tabs (you can use the indent tool but it is not easy to see how it will be laid out on the page)


• No page break option


• Compatibility issue with IE 8?


• Only saves as docx

So overall while it is a nifty tool the only thing I will be using Sky Drive for is a backup and sharing service – and this it does really well. It is easy to upload documents and view them making it a great alternative to a USB drive, although I would recommend that you use it in addition to your USB drive, to backup all your important documents. Now I have read from a number of people recently losing all of their work due to hard drive failure. This is one of the reasons why a service like this is really valuable (there are definitely other backup options out there and I will be writing about some more soon).

As for writing my assignment I gave up trying to use Sky Drive to do that.

If you want to check out SkyDrive for yourself go to
skydrive.live.com/


Here are some screen shots from my experience.

Initial layout to create a new Document, from here you also have the option to view all your uploaded documents:



 

 

 

 

 

Document onscreen layout (it is hard to visualise how/where your text will appear on the page in this format):



 

 

 

 

 

Document reading layout - you can view how it will look on the page but will have to keep switching between views to see



 

 

 

 

 

Hope you have found this review informative. I will be writing a few more very soon to tell you about other online services I have found and use including Google Docs, Dropbox and Live Mesh just to name a few. Stay tuned!

Planning Your Study

Like with many things in life it is important to go into study with a plan. Set your goals and work to achieve them. Set what your overall goal is but then break it down into easily achievable chunks, i.e. your overall goal is to complete your degree but we can break that down a number of times to: complete this year of study, complete this semester/study period of study, complete this unit of study, all the way down to complete this week of study! And this is what we are focusing on in this blog post.

Time management is an important part of success at university. At the start of the study period sit down with a calendar and mark in the due dates of your assignments and then stick this somewhere you are going to see it! (You can get an OUA Study Planner for Study Period 1 2011 from here or see the OUA site for more planners.) I tend to use a year planner for this as they are big and can be stuck to my desk or wall pretty easily. Once you have completed that we can start to break down you study to weeks! You might be asking why we need to break it down so much – I thought the same thing when it was suggested to me. If we break down our commitments into weeks we can readily see if we are going to be able to handle our study load. Unfortunately many people over commit themselves to study and might find that study in turn leads to stress and may be setting themselves up to fail. We don't want you to fail and this method I have found really useful to actually realise I was overcommitting myself and have since cut back on the number of units I study and hence have felt much better for it.

So now we start with a weekly planner. You can choose whatever medium you like for your weekly planner whether it is a spreadsheet, outlook calendar, or diary – one thing I recommend though is that you are able to either print it off or have it on display so you can see it every day. Here is a link to the document I used when I first started planning my study. In this weekly planner include everything that takes up your time, this includes meals, work, gym, shopping, sports, community commitments, everything that you know you have to do during the week BEFORE you even consider studying. Once you have that filled it all in you might find it looks pretty full already now need to find at least nine hours per week per unit for study (this is a minimum many units may recommend up to 12 and some even more). If you are struggling to find nine hours per unit per week you will need to cut back on something – the choice is yours: whether it is only doing one unit per study period or cutting back on other commitments for the duration of your study that is up to you. I found this to be a very valuable exercise and when I first did it I realised how much I was trying to over commit myself and setting myself up for major stress or failure.

Once you have your timetable set stick it up somewhere you will see it every day and keep to it. Discuss it with your family and let them know if Wednesday night is study night ask them to respect that time as your time to study, even try placing it on the fridge so they can see it too. Being able to manage your studies is a valuable lesson in time management and can help you achieve success.

I hope you have found this exercise as useful as I have, let me know your feedback on if you have used it or if you have another method.

Online Social Networking and Distance Education

We are living in a world where it is now possible to study almost anything from anywhere in the world from the comfort of your own home. When you are studying by distance education it can sometimes feel like you are all alone, sometimes you aren't sure who to turn to and think you must be the only one struggling with external study. You are sent the course materials and you sit in front of your computer trying to do your work, wondering why you might be having trouble understanding this bit of information or that, wishing you had that study group to help discuss material and ideas. Well you are not alone! That same computer can connect you to other students just like you. Who may have the same questions or may be able to provide a new perspective you hadn't considered. Now your University will most likely have a discussion board in place that allows you to communicate with other students and the tutors but it is also useful to be able to communicate outside the discussion board in real time.

The online social networking tools available today like Facebook, Twitter, and Skype (just to name a few - there are many others) are great tools for connecting to other students and finding other people studying the same course as you. For all those WEB101 students out there we are all going to be learning about these websites and will be using them for the duration of the course, whether you choose to use them outside of WEB101 is up to you but I for one would recommend it as a valuable tool for networking and discussing material and ideas.

Facebook tends to be the most widely accepted site, with many students already having a profile in place. You can search and join groups relating to your course or create a group and ask others to join via your institution's discussion board. Groups can now participate in real-time chat, share photos, links, and documents and even have discussion boards dedicated to various topics. You can make online friends with others studying externally and discuss the difficulties and joys of online study. A prime example of Facebook being used for anybody studying externally is the UNI Coffee Shop group. Created for OUA students by OUA students, a place to discuss whatever is on your mind whether it is related to study or not.

Studying externally does not need to be a daunting experience. If you learn to use the resources available to you will find there are many other people in the same position as you can you can build your own support network. This doesn't mean that you can't enjoy the social aspects of study. Meeting other students is a valuable experience for helpful discussion or mutual commiserations! You may even find someone studying the same course as you that lives close by and you can catch up face to face!

A word of warning with Social Networking – it is easy to end up spending a lot of time using it with no end result (looking at other people's photos and links, catching up on other people's statuses etc). Be mindful of this and set up study periods to allow you to concentrate on your work!

 

I give you Dilbert on Social Networking in Business:

More Dilbert comics can be found at dilbert.com

USEFUL READINGS

I read through the following articles while writing this blog post and while I haven't referenced anything specific from them they are certainly interesting reads if you want to study this topic further.

Hoffman, E, (2009) Evaluating Social Networking Tools for Distance Education, Retrieved 12 March 2011 from http://etec.hawaii.edu/proceedings/2009/hoffman.pdf

Lee, J.-S., Cho, H., Gay, G., Davidson, B., & Ingraffea, A. (2003). Technology Acceptance and Social Networking in Distance Learning. Educational Technology & Society, 6(2), 50-61, (ISSN 1436-4522) Retrieved 12 March 2011 from http://www.ifets.info/journals/6_2/6.html

The Economist: Social Networking Debate, Retrieved 12 March 2011 from http://www.economist.com/debate/overview/123

Debate related articles:

The Economist: Everywhere and Nowhere, Retrieved 12 March 2011 from http://www.economist.com/node/10880936?story_id=10880936

The Economist: Facebook for Suits, Retrieved 12 March 2011 from http://www.economist.com/node/12304861?story_id=12304861

The Economist: Joined Up Thinking, Retrieved 12 March 2011 from http://www.economist.com/node/8960555?story_id=8960555

The Economist: Hanging with the in crowd, Retrieved 12 March 2011 from http://www.economist.com/node/7918729?story_id=7918729