Have you used the Google Chrome internet browser yet? I know it's fairly new, but it has been highly publicized (and just about as highly criticized) for being the brain-child of one of the biggest corporations in America.

If you're interested in trying out a new way to browse the internet, you can download the installer for Google Chrome from the Google Chrome website. In Firefox, you can just type the word "chrome" into the address bar and it will take you to the right page. (Even when I have the links, I think that's so cool that I often look up pages in Firefox just to test where the keywords take me.) If you don't have Mozilla Firefox either... you should break out of the square mold and try something new.

Google Chrome is fast, free, easily set up, and full of fun surprises. With only a tab bar and a address bar, the interface uses far less screen real estate than any other browser that I've seen. It works on Windows, Mac (Intel), AND Linux (Debian/Ubuntu/Fedora/openSUSE), perfectly replacing the bulky bars and borders of each window manager with it's own sleek and customizable set. There's only one menu to deal with, hidden under a little wrench icon on one side, where the most used options are directly shown and the lesser used options are in submenus. The address bar automatically searches Google if you don't put in a DNS-recognized web address (example.com) and can search some other sites directly. But what sold me is the speed. When you have to boot an older laptop, open your web browser, email your professor, and shut down the laptop on a battery with 5 minutes remaining, you need a browser that reduces your stress and gets the job done. Hey, among college students, that kind of thing happens all the time.

Speaking of college, wouldn't it be nice if your web browser alerted you to the fact you have a class in five minutes? I don't know how many times I've gotten zoned (doing my calculus homework on the Pearson website, OF COURSE!) only to look up at the clock and realize that I needed to have rushed out the door in a great big hurry... five minutes ago.

Well, Google Chrome uses what's known as "extensions" to extend the usability of the browser. And guess what - there's an extension for alerting you to appointments and classes and all sorts of things, suggested by the Google Chrome Team themselves, called RemindMe. You can get it from the Google Chrome Extension Library.

But don't just listen to me - there's a Google blog full of useful knowledge for students. Just look for the Google Student Blog. You can even find a pile of interesting extensions by looking at all the posts tagged "Chrome Extensions". Try a few out! If you don't like them, just type chrome://extensions/ in your address bar, hit enter, and disable or delete the ones you hate.

This post will be the master list of all the different tools that are helpful to people involved in distance education and online learning, sorted by what platform used.



Browser-based Tools

• Blackboard - Commercial server-side learning management system used to add online elements to courses traditionally delivered face-to-face and to develop completely online courses with few or no face-to-face meetings. Similar to Moodle.
• Blogger - Google-provided weblog service tied to your Google Account. Integrate other Google tools like Picasa image hosting, use forms made in Google Docs, share your Google Calendar or Google Books Library, and update your Google Reader with different blog's posts.
• CampusCruiser - commercial course/learning management system with integrated communications such as email, news, forums, chat, and mobile alert functions.
• Google Docs - Google-provided office suite tied to your Google Account. Create, share, and collaborate rich-text documents, presentations, spreadsheets and more. Download created files in most open and proprietary formats. Upload "any file" (with size restrictions) and share it for free. Only the owner of the file must have a Google Account, collaborators and downloaders may be anonymous.
• Streaming Media - Fresno Pacific University has a streaming server that the Center for Online Learning uses to host files for the faculty and staff teaching courses on campus and online. Often we convert videos from VHS and DVD formats to do so.
• Mindomo - Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas, and as an aid in study, organization,problem solving, decision making, and writing. Mindomo is an online mind map application where users can create, view and share a number of mind maps in their browser.
• Moodle - Open Source course/learning management system designed to create online courses with a focus on interaction and collaborative construction of content. Extended through "modules" that allow you to do almost anything you can imagine. Similar to Blackboard.
• Ning - Create-your-own social network. Commercial. Educators may have an option for a free 150 member network, but that hasn't been finalized yet.
• Prezi - web-based presentation application and storytelling tool that uses a single canvas instead of traditional slides.
• Stickam - free service to host and embed video files and live videos - chat live with up to 12 people at a time.
• TaskStream - commercial learning management system with similarities to Moodle and Blackboard.

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iPhone, iPad, iPod Tools
We currently have no iPhone, iPad, or iPod tools listed. Please check back later, thank you.

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Win/Mac Tools

• Dropbox - Cloud storage of your files means that you can access them from any computing device that has internet access. Dropbox is a free or paid utility that gives you the ability to sync files directly from the file browser.
• Open Source Applications

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Windows Tools

• Notepad++ - Open source text and source code editor that supports syntax highlighting (and folding) for 48 programming languages, including web-programming languages such as JavaScript, PHP, ASP, and HTML. Vim and Komodo Edit are other Open Source programming text editors that run also on MacIntosh and Linux.
• Raptivity - commercial tool for schools to develop learning tools and games to use and embed in online courses.

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Mac Tools
We currently have no Mac-only tools, check also the Win & Mac Tools section.

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Linux Tools
We'd also list Linux-only tools, but the list would be much too long simply from the tools you can download for Ubuntu using the Software Manager!

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