Review of Tool: Trello

I know I am doing two tool reviews this week but to be honest, both of these tools have been on my radar as ones I have wanted to learn more about so I am eager to review them and learn them in the process.  Also, on the platform itself, part of our checklist was to review it on our blog! Trello is an organizational list platform created in 2011. I once made a Trello list but did it without ever exploring the platform or reading about its functionality. I have seen many use it successfully so I am hoping to keep learning.

Pros:

• As someone who is using an Excel sheet to track all my assignments and deadlines this semester, I love this to-do list platform.
• You can see all your lists in one screen!
• In community pages like our class page, you can easily comment, add to lists, and make a new list.
• You can easily link to your Google Account, which makes for easy log-in and referencing in Google Chrome. 
• The icons at the top of the screen can make for easy navigation through the platform.
• There is a paid option for those that want more, but I was not constantly reminded of it or asked to upgrade as I used the platform. 
• As you continue to get more boards, you can favorite them for easy navigation. They can also always be accessed through the site by the top left hand corner. 

Cons:

• Group pages track all the activity in the right hand bar. While it can be hidden, it is defaulted to be open and can feel excessive. 
• The icons at the top of the screen lack any word descriptions which can mean a lot of trial and error/guessing to figure them out. 
• The site seems to be well-developed but as I continue to make some of my own individual boards, I will add any more pros and cons I stumble upon. 

Future uses:

• I would love to consider using this in teaching, possibly as a feedback or group communication tool. From our own class page, I can see how easy it is to make lists of topics to explore more or that may be confusing and invite students to add comments to it. I have used Canvas discussion boards for this before but you have to navigate between each discussion board where Trello lets you see all the lists in one space for community pages.
• I am also eager to try this out managing my own coursework requirements. As mentioned above, I have been using an Excel sheet for assignment management and a paper planner to-do list format for my work and life tasks. Finding the right organization management has been a decade long process for me, so I am always willing to try something new.