Utility Software

More and more, Google is attempting to cater its services specifically to college students by offering more functionality and variety in its various apps. In some cases the apps are already know to a cross section of the student body, but you may be surprised to learn that some of these apps exist, or provide such extended features. With this in mind, it’s time to look at 7 little-known Google apps for college students.

Google Calendar remains a simple and easy to use application that can be seamlessly integrated with Google’s gmail. You can import and export assignment deadlines and study dates to your calendar. You can also use it to publish a site that shows just how busy your current class calendar is at the moment. Friends can visit and check it out and know not to bug you you’re your trying to cram for a mid-term test.

Google Apps Sync is a new application that allows you to link your current Microsoft Outlook email to Google Apps, providing an added dimension of portability when you still need to have certain assignments or correspondence go to your Outlook inbox

Google Notebook is little-known application that is getting more attention now that is available as a Firefox extension. This makes it a great tool for those that spend most of their time doing homework using a browser. As a student this allows you to integrate the results searches conducted using Google Scholar or Google Books. The resulting articles or books can be made into clip excerpts that can be stored in your Google Notebook

Google online office suite integrates Word processors, spreadsheets, and presentation apps. This makes it by far one of the most comprehensive tools being used by a growing number of college students. While it cannot solidly complete with Microsoft Office’s online features, the office suites provide plenty of usefulness. You might even find a few distinct advantages. Probably the obvious one is that Google’s online office suite is completely free. Also, they allow you and other students to share documents and work on projects collaboratively with ease. There is still more developments in the work to make it competitive in regards to presentation building using apps comparable to Keynote or PowerPoint.

Google News is often overlooked as a tool for college students. By taking advantage of its archive search, you now have access to a strong research tool that can be used to compile materials for various projects and term papers.

Google Talk is the integrated chat/phone program that can be installed in Google apps to provide yet another communication tool when you need to coordinate study schedules or collaborations with fellow students.

Google Sites is Google’s website building app. Using it, you can not only create calendars outlining your assignments but also make an electronic portfolio for college projects that can be viewed by fellow students and professors alike.

You can probably tell that Google is attempting to make some headway into educational quarters with its selection of applications. Only time with tell whether the bid will be a complete success or not.

S. Kilgore blogs about how to find any online university ranking.