Online+Storage

Dropbox
[]

Samples and Ideas
Students can install dropbox to their home computer, drag files to the icon, and then login online at school to retrieve their files, but they should NOT install dropbox on a public or shared computer. Instead, they should go to the dropbox website, login, and access their files. Otherwise, other students using that computer could access their files. Educators can install the dropbox on their home and work computers and easily drag and drop files they want to access & work on at their various locations.

Pros
It's free unless you want more than 2GB of storage. Works with Windows, MAC, and even Linux. There are dropbox apps for the ipod, iphone, blackberry, and android. You can invite others to access certain files, and you can create a link to your public folder. Files are encrypted for your security.

Cons
While students may want to install dropbox on their home computers, they should not install it on school computers since other students can access their files.

=OneDrive= (formerly known as SkyDrive) @http://onedrive.live.com

=Samples and Ideas= Share and collaborate on your documents, photos and videos online through emails. You can even share via public link, so you can advertise events at your library. Create an Excel survey to share. An excellent tutorial can be found at @https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZoYvmI9L9E

=Pros= It has the actual Office software, so it's great for those who prefer Office over Google Docs. You can download these documents, PowerPoints, etc. and open them up in the software on your computer. It's free for 15GB of storage. You can can create or upload existing files. You can collaborate online by giving others the ability to edit the file. Advise students to use it at home if they don't have Microsoft Office since it comes with Office software included. You can download apps for your computer or device for your computer for easy access. You can earn up to 5 more GB of storage for referring others. You can sync between all of your devices, so if you take pictures on your phone, you can set it up, so they are automatically backed up to your OneDrive.

=Cons= You must sign up with an email account.

Google Docs
[] Google's free version of Microsoft Office which allows for creation and storage of documents, spreadsheets, drawings, forms, and presentations as well as online collaboration

Samples and Ideas
Encourage students to use Google Docs if they don't have Microsoft Office at home. Use it to collaborate with others on documents (i.e. curriculum documents), or encourage students to use it for group projects. You or they can go back to previous versions of the document if necessary. Use the form option to embed forms asking students for book recommendations or other feedback into your library website.

media type="custom" key="9864761" width="80" height="80"

Pros
It's free for 1 GB of storage. Although docs created in Google Docs don't count towards the 1 GB, there are still size limitations to these docs. You can access your Google docs anywhere you can access the internet even on a smartphone. You can upload and store documents in popular file formats such as Microsoft Office, Open Office, Rich Text Format. You can install and use Google Cloud Connect to upload and collaborate on Microsoft Office documents simultaneously. Helpful tour at @http://www.google.com/google-d-s/tour1.html

Cons
The 1 GB space limit may hamper some people. If you forget your password, you can't access your files.