Thing 17

I tried the bubble.us since it seemed that I could use it in class. Have kids do Concept maps or webs instead of traditional linear note-taking. Well, I couldn't figure out how to use the site. There was no video or tour of the site. I gave up.
I checked next the Zoho site since my students create Powerpoints. I thought this might be a good substitute for Microsoft's Powerpoint program for several reasons. 1) Not all students have it on their home computer. 2) Zoho makes it easy to work on the project at home then come to school, log onto the site and add slides - I wouldn't have to hear the refrain that "I didn't email the work to my student account" 3) They can easily work collaboratively with another student on one project.
4) They may not have the same version of Powerpoint and it may not open on the school's computer.
I signed up for it, got the verification, and started on my merry way exploring the program, making a sample show, being a little stymied on the look of the program, etc when I saw that I could see a "2.0" tour of the site. Then something went very wrong and the site would change to my account and it didn't do what I thought it would - basically, give me a quick tutorial.
I am not that tech patient or savvy for all of these apps to be intuitive.
I was excited about the Knowtes site but then disappointed that it is shutdown!
I will log on that Zoho site and see if I can figure it out though. I can see tremendous use of a free presentation site for students in the classroom.