[Andrew Field]

J2e.com - just2easy

This was stand on the top level that I liked the look of. Why? Well they weren't pushing things into your face but instead encouraged people to walk right through the stand as it was so open. We were given a booklet and a small demo. The Guardian had stated that :"just2easy should be the talk of BETT 2007", "beats the free offerings from Google", "This is an innovative world beater" so I was intrigued what was on offer.

J2e is an online document processor that runs in a web browser. It is, as their booklet states, intuitive to use with all the advantages of being web based. It has been specifically designed for use in schools and is meant to be suitable for ages 5 to sixth form. This, to me, is the only real issue with the excellent concept. It looks like a Primary school program. No bad thing as it is intuitive and all the functions work, but I think secondary school students might be a little put off. This issue could be overcome by the creators though - they could look to adapt the interface so it appears a little more 'svelte' for secondary students - it could be a selectable option.

It makes use of Java, which means when it first loads there is an uncomfortable hang while Java is triggered. This is equivalent to Flash loading though, so it cannot be seen as a major issue. Once loaded you get a really user-friendly screen with lots of options and functionality. It works brilliantly - and everything acts in the way it should do. As the Guardian identified, it is by far and away superior to anything that Google currently offers.

The major selling feature is how students can access their work via any web browser (as long as it has Java installed). This bypasses any issues students face accessing a school network or otherwise. However, when you sign up the terms and conditions seem to suggest that j2e own the copyright for any documents stored and have permission to use them. Obviously this needs to be checked but this might limit the concept for use for really important documents such as coursework.

For now signup is free. I believe that the end of January they will introduce pricing. My school, with over 1000 students, will cost £399.99 per year, with 4Gb of storage space.

[Doug Belshaw]

Seeing as schools can sign their students up for free Google accounts which have this functionality and more, I can't see this taking off particularly...

Doug

[Carl]

I hate Java applications, they can't be compared to Flash either.

The website is very confusing, and not very good at all IMO.

[Andrew Field]

Come on lads - I'm trying to be positive here! I agree entirely with Carl about hating java, especially following my experiences with DigitalBrain. However, this tool has far more functionality than GoogleDocs at the moment because it is organised via school accounts. Thus as a teacher I can see all the work done by students and setup shared objects and ideas.

I do think this is a tool to watch out for. I suspect Google will become more and more feature packed though and hopefully someone will invent equivalent features to enable teachers to get access or control a range of accounts - GoogleSchool or something like that?

Both valid points though - especially about the website.