ZOHO Corp. Brings Comics into the Classroom with ToonDooSpaces
Students, Staff, Faculty Enjoy Safe, Secure Creation and Sharing of Comic Strips Online
Free, 15-day trial of ToonDooSpaces at http://www.toondoospaces.com/#trynow Private ToonDoo environments provide content moderation, privacy SMBs, enterprises, community groups are also encouraged to use ToonDooSpaces
PLEASANTON, Calif. September 16, 2009 ZOHO Corp. today announced ToonDooSpaces to facilitate the safe and secure use of ToonDoo as an educational tool. ToonDoo was designed to let users easily create and share comic strips online and has experienced dramatic adoption as a fun-filled learning tool in schools worldwide.
ToonDoo is enjoying the kind of rapid growth that Zoho was experiencing last year as it soared to one million users, said Rajendran Dandapani, director of engineering at ZOHO Corp. Teachers have been using ToonDoo cartoons to make their point in the classroom, and now with ToonDooSpaces, they can use the creative features of ToonDoo with the added benefits of security, privacy, and content moderation.
A free 15-day, risk-free trial of ToonDooSpaces is available at http://www.toondoospaces.com/#trynow.
Introducing ToonDooSpaces
ToonDooSpaces lets users create a private, virtual ToonDoo space for their educational institutions, business organizations, communities or groups. Members of a ToonDooSpace visit their unique addresse.g., http://yourname.toondoospaces.comwhere they can publish, share and discuss their comic strips with other group members in a secure and safe environment.
Key features of ToonDooSpaces include:
Privacy and security. No outsiders or outside content is allowed. Students can only view toons created by other students or educators. All content and activity can be monitored by administrators. Easy to manage and administer. With just a few clicks, designated administrators can monitor and manage all aspects of their ToonDooSpace, including creating multiple users simultaneously (no email addresses required), blocking inappropriate content, hiding inappropriate clipart, featuring selected toons and monitoring user activity. Customizable homepage. The easy-to-use administrative interface lets users customize how their homepage will look to visitors. Educational clipart. Characters, props and backgrounds specially created from an educational point of view are already available. Students and educators can also upload their own clipart to a special gallery, subject to administrator review and approval.
I love the ease of use of ToonDooSpaces, said Kevin Hodgson, an educator and ToonDooSpaces beta tester from Leeds, Massachusetts. It really is quite simple to use, both as a user and as an administrator. I had my site up and running in no time at all, added 75 student users in the time it took me to type their names and we were ready to go. Simplicity is beautiful.
Building on ToonDoo
ToonDooSpaces builds on ToonDoo, the online comic strip creator that lets users create and share their own comic strips with just a few clicks, drags and drops. ToonDoo also lets users publish, share, discuss, recommend, bookmark and embed their cartoons anywhere on the Internet, and in any language thanks to ToonDoos multi-language support.
ToonDoo features over 8,000 customizable, in-built props, characters and backgrounds as well as seven different layout options for cartoons. The ToonBook feature lets users create longer comic stories, and the ReDoo feature lets users collaborate with other users. Additional ToonDoo features include:
ImagineR A toolkit that lets users upload their own images or import images from anywhere on the web. Imported images can be edited for fun. DoodleR An artists palette that lets users draw on their toons, enabling them to combine drawing with other in-built clipart. TraitR A people modeler that lets users create their own characters from scratch, e.g., comic avatars, friends or family members. SocialR A social wrapper that lets users express their views about others toons by cheering, adding to their favorites or commenting on them. Users can also flag inappropriate content for editor review.
Availability and Pricing
ToonDooSpaces is available now. Subscription pricing ranges from $0.10 to $0.27 per user per month, depending on the number of months and number of users covered by the subscription. More details are available at http://www.toondoospaces.com/pricing.
For more information on ZOHO Corp., please visit www.zohocorp.com.
About ZOHO Corp.
ZOHO Corp. is a privately-held and profitable company. With headquarters in Pleasanton, CA and offices in Austin, New Jersey, London, Tokyo and Beijing, ZOHO Corp. serves the technology needs of more than 40,000 customers worldwide. For more information about ZOHO Corp., please visit http://www.zohocorp.com/.
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