Course tools:

WordPress

I’ve been using WordPress for writing blogs in the course, and honestly, what I liked most about it is how easy it is to integrate with other tools like Google Docs. Copying and pasting between the two is seamless, which makes things a lot easier. The only downside I experienced was when the website went down once, but other than that, it worked perfectly. I really appreciate how WordPress organizes everything for me—having ready-made templates and sections is super convenient, and it’s much better than Google Docs for blogging. Plus, being able to see blogs from previous semesters is inspiring and helpful for ideas.

Google Slides

I used Google Slides to create a game, and I was honestly surprised by how creative you can get with it. A friend of mine mentioned that they even used it in a CS course to design a mobile app prototype, where clicking on icons simulated app navigation. That blew my mind! However, what I didn’t like was how tedious it was to set up transitions between slides. It’s great for creative work, but the effort involved can make it feel a bit clunky.

Slack

Slack is a solid communication tool. I love how organized it is, especially with its channels. That said, I personally prefer Discord because it offers more features—like voice channels, watching videos together, or even playing games. Slack works fine for professional settings, but Discord just feels more versatile and engaging, especially for casual or community-based communication.

Google Docs

I mainly used Google Docs for registering Zoom meetings and annotating the syllabus. It’s great for writing and collaboration, but when it comes to heavy annotation work, I think Hypothesis is better. Google Docs is better for light collaboration, writing, and responding to comments. What I like about it is how intuitive it is for teamwork, but for tasks like group annotations, I’d choose Hypothesis every time. I would also suggest a tool like Canlendly for managing meetings. A professor of mine used it to book office hours and it was nice to use.

Hypothesis

Hypothesis is such a cool tool for annotations, especially when working with a group. It’s perfect for annotating websites since it keeps the structure intact, which is super useful. I’ve found it really helpful for collecting ideas and discussing them with others. Compared to Google Docs, it’s just more suited for this kind of collaborative annotation.

Canvas

Canvas is a great tool for managing grades. I like how it gives detailed statistics like upper and lower quartiles. That said, I think it would be even better if it added features like a dot plot for grades—that way, we could get an even clearer picture of grade distributions. Another thing I appreciate is how reliable it is for submitting tasks, especially when other tools, like WordPress, have issues.

Google Forms

I used Google Forms for writing 2Min Papers, but I honestly feel like Canvas would’ve been a better choice for collecting and grading them. With Canvas, the process would have been easier and more streamlined—you could just read the papers and give grades right there. Google Forms is fine for quick data collection, but it’s not ideal for assignments like this.

WebAim

I used the WebAim while designing my game to measure color contrast, and it was really helpful for picking the right colors. It’s simple but gets the job done, and it ensures everything is accessible. I didn’t run into any issues with it, so I’d definitely use it again for future projects.

AI Tools

I’ve found AI tools really useful for systematic tasks—they’re great at handling repetitive work. But for creative tasks, they just don’t compare to doing it yourself. While they can save time, I’ve learned that relying on them too much for creativity can hold you back. I’d definitely keep using AI for things like grammar checking or generating drafts, but when it comes to creative work, I still prefer doing it on my own.