Techie Tidbit -4Shared
Question 1 - I can see 4shared being a perfect application to introduce in the classroom and in the school to use to share documents and presentations between students and teachers, teachers and teachers and teachers and administration. This is perfect if a student is working on a power point presentation to give in class and it is too large to email to the teacher to review before class starts. This is also great if teachers are collaborating on a project to present at an inservice.
Question 2 - I see a potential roadblock with this application the fact that it is not confidential and anybody could get access to the file if they were to ge the URL. This application should never be used for student records, budget stats, or any other information that could be dangerous if it landed in the wrong hands. There could also be a concern that students could copy assignments from one another by sharing their documents with 4shared.
Question 3 - In order to use this techie tidbit in my school I would need to properly educate my students, teachers and staff on the proper and appropriate uses for this application. I believe this could be perfect for casual sharing of documents or presentations, but should be used with caution.
Question 4 - I would need to explore this application completely so that I am comfortable with its functions and benefits before I introduce it and train my staff on its uses. I would need to be entirely sure that its benefits outweigh any concerns.
