Mashable has a list of 5 Simple Web Apps For Saving Time At Work.
The whole list is well worth looking at, but I thought I’d take a minute to go over the few that stood out as being the most useful.
…for converting files from one format to another. You can convert almost any kind of file (image, document, video, music, even ebooks) and they can be files that already exist on your computer or that you download from a website. I’ve been using zamzar for a while now to convert youtube videos and music files into formats that allow me to edit them. It’s free and the interface is incredibly simple.
Just upload a file or paste the url of the video you want to download/convert, select the format, input your email address, and hit convert. They’ll email you a link where you can download your new file, and you’re all set to go.
…for larger files that you’d like to share in the cloud. Rather than sending a large email attachment (which you might be unable to do in any case because of attachment size limits), go to Ge.TT, select your file and get a link that you can email to your colleagues, students, friends, etc. The one caveat is that Ge.tt storage is temporary unless you create an account.
If you’re interested in saving your files in the cloud more permanently, go with Dropbox, which also allows you to share large files (and entire folders) with others.
Now this is the one I’m really excited about. LucidChart is a free, web-based chart drawing site that allows you go create all kinds of charts, diagrams, flowcharts, etc. like this one:
In my Greek mythology class, I use a lot of family trees to give students some visual context for all the gods and heroes they encounter in their readings. Using PowerPoint is clunky and time-consuming. LucidChart seems a promising alternative.
Here’s a rough draft of Oedipus’ complicated family tree that I came up with in 15 minutes of just playing around. (click on the chart to see a larger image)
Remember, Oedipus killed his father and married his mother, so the ability to manipulate arrows with curves is fantastic.
The free account allows two people to collaborate on a document, comes with 25 MB of online storage, and has a maximum of 60 objects per document. I’m not sure how many documents this would allow, but screen shots (pc, mac) would be a good cheater work-around to avoid having to get a monthly subscription for more storage. I’m not sure if you can hide the grid lines, but even if you can’t, it seems a small price to pay.
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