Software Guide
| There are many different types of software that may be used in an online course. The words computer software, computer application and computer
program are often used interchangeably. Check with the institution offering the online course for a list of programs
that are needed for a specific online course. Follow these links for information about commonly used software: |
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Web Browsers are software applications that allow for the browsing of the World Wide Web. In other words, a browser is a program that allows you to view information that is on the Internet. The two most popular web browsers are Internet Explorer and Netscape.
The newer the web browser the better for access to information on the WWW. If you don't have Netscape or Internet Explorer, or need to update to a newer version, you can download the latest free versions by clicking the icons below:
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Test your browser to see
if it is adequate for accessing online courses.
Typically, an email account with any Internet Service Provider (ISP) is acceptable when taking an online course. Students might use Outlook Express, an email program that comes with Microsoft Windows, for electronic communication. Outlook will be set up when the student purchases an Internet account through their local telephone or cable company.
Students can also use free email programs to communicate with teachers and fellow students when taking an online course. There are many free email programs available on the Internet. Students can use Yahoo or Hotmail or do an Internet search for other free email programs. Free email programs usually have tutorials to help students get started but some of these free accounts will get SPAM (unsolicited email or junk mail).
Every computer that students use requires an operating system to run all of the other software on the computer. MS Windows 95, 98 and 2000 are operating system sold by Microsoft. Macintosh also sells an operating system called the Mac OS.
Advise your students that the newer versions of these programs will allow for better access to the Internet but it is not necessary to have the newest software to access most online courses. For information on the latest versions of operating systems and other software go to the Microsoft and Macintosh/Apple Web sites.
Students will need a word processor for almost all online courses. The current versions of the most popular word processors are Microsoft Word 2000 or MS Word XP, MS Word 2001, MS Word X for Mac 2001 and Wordperfect 2002. More information on the newest versions of word processors can be found at the following product sites:
MS Word XP, Word X for Mac or WordPerfect 2002
| Open Office |  |
OpenOffice.org is a free productivity suite compatible with all major office suites. |
Anti-virus programs are needed to detect and remove computer viruses. It is essential that students have a current anti-virus program to protect their computer while working online.
There are many anti-virus programs that students can either purchase or download free from the Internet. Remind students that it is not enough to simply purchase or download an anti-virus program. New viruses are created all the time so it is important to regularly update the program.
Check out the Norton and McAfee websites for more information on these anti-virus programs. You can also go to the AVG Anti-Virus website and download their free virus protection software.
| AVG Anti-Virus |  |
AVG Anti-Virus FREE is available free-of-charge to home users for the life of the product! Rapid virus database updates are available for the lifetime of the product, thereby providing the high-level of detection capability that millions of users around the world trust to protect their computers. |
An Instant Messenger is a type of communication service that enables students to create private chat rooms with fellow students, tutors or teachers. With some instant messengers, students will be able to send text messages instantly, while with others students will be able to communicate verbally with the help of a microphone and speakers.
There are many different competing instant messaging programs. Unfortunately, there is not a standard system, like with electronic mail, so anyone you want to send instant messages to must be using the same instant messaging program as you.
Yahoo! Messenger, AOL Messenger and ICQ are just a few of the many free options for instant communication online.
Note: Check to ensure that these programs are supported by your computer system before downloading.
| Adobe Acrobat Reader |
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PDF stands for Portable Document Format. PDF is a document standard that enables you to preserve the format of documents as you share them electronically. PDF files can be created by Adobe Acrobat Programs such as Adobe Acrobat Writer, Exchange, or Distiller that work alone or in combination with your word-processing and desktop publishing software. The Acrobat Reader enables you to view PDF documents. |
| pdf995 |  |
Pdf995 makes it easy and affordable to create professional-quality documents in the popular PDF file format. Its easy-to-use interface helps you to create PDF files by simply selecting the "print" command from any application, creating documents which can be viewed on any computer with a PDF viewer. The pdf995 printer driver and a free Converter are available for easy download. |
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QuickTime is Apple's cross-platform technology for handling video, sound, animation, graphics, text, music, and even 360-degree virtual reality (VR) scenes. A gateway for rich media including images, music, MIDI, MP3 and more, QuickTime lets you experience more than 200 kinds of digital media and it offers unparalleled quality, ease of use and functionality. QuickTime is rapidly becoming the most popular distributed media technology for Windows and Mac OSÐbased computers. | |
| Real Player for Windows |
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RealNetwork's free RealPlayer 8 Basic enables you to view streaming video and audio. |
| Macromedia Shockware Player |
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Macromedia Shockwave Player is a Web standard for rich-media playback. Shockwave Player displays destination Web content such as interactive multimedia product demos and training. Shockwave content is created with Director 8 Shockwave Studio, and is viewable by anyone having the Shockwave Player installed. |
| Macromedia Flash Player |
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Macromedia Flash Player enables you to view content created with Macromedia Flash, a standard for producing vector-based Web experiences. |
| Macromedia Authorware Web Player |
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The Macromedia Authorware Web Player, formerly Shockwave Authorware, allows users to create and deliver fully interactive, streaming rich-media across intranets and high-bandwidth Internet links. The Authorware Web Player provides compression and streaming of sounds, animations, graphics, and text that lets authors deliver engaging online learning applications. |
| Windows Media Player |
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Microsoft's Windows Media Player comes in several different versions depending on which operating system you are using (so be sure to get the one for your operating system). The Windows Media Player comprises several features in a single application: CD player, audio and video player, media jukebox, media guide, Internet radio, portable device music file transfer, and an audio CD burner. |
| PowerPoint Viewer for Windows |
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Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer 97/2000 is for viewing and printing PowerPoint presentations. Download this if you do not already have PowerPoint installed on your computer. |
| Word Viewer for Windows |
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Microsoft Word Viewer 97/2000 is for viewing and printing Word documents. Download this if you do not already have Microsoft Word installed on your computer. |
| Excel Viewer for Windows |
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Microsoft Excel Viewer 97/2000 is for viewing and printing Excel spreadsheets. Download this if you do not already have Microsoft Excel installed on your computer. |
