PROBOARDS vs. QUICKTOPIC

by Lori Barnes (Clarkston), Meredith Wloszek (Berkley), Rachel Mainero (Rochester)

Grade level: K-12, but best at secondary

Winner: Stalemate (or we’d just use Google Communities or Edmodo)

Explanation: There are many cons to each tool. Neither tool is very user-friendly and requires a lot of work on the teacher’s part and don’t appear to be easy for students to independently figure out.

proboards

Pros Cons
  • Mobile Version
  • Customizable
  • Can imbed videos, upload files, and can moderate boards
  • Can include Polls
  • Can lock, remove, or relocate posts.
  • Admin can delete posts, edit posts, or ban users based on IP address
  • 13 years or older
  • Premium membership needed to remove ads
  • “Prove you’re human”
  • Boards aren’t easy to locate; must have full URL
  • “Guest” logins need to prove their human every time
  • can’t reply to a specific person but you can create threads

quicktopic

 

Pros Cons
  • “Basic” is free
  • Simple to use
  • K-12 age range
  • Boards can be public or private (with Pro version)
  • Admin for the board can pre-approve messages before the post
  • Can delete posts?? (Pro only?)
  • Easy to set up; user friendly
  • No introduction for the conversation/topic
  • “Pro” is paid– images, tables, etc.
  • No username or password
  • Kids have to have email to be able to have board shared with them.
  • Similar to “Today’s Meet”
  • No threads