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Software for Student Productivity and Knowledge Management
Written on Wednesday, September 28, 2005
[Updated: March, 2006] The following information has been taken from a handout that I prepared for a live presentation at Purdue University. The Purdue Association of Educational Technology (PAET) invited me to present an informal demonstration of my favorite student productivity tools. This handout summarizes the 12 software programs that I briefly discussed on September 29, 2005. If you have any additional software recommendations that will help students succeed, please send your suggestions to glen at coulthard.com.
Glen's Software List (in order of presentation)
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GoBinder Agilix Labs
Academic: $49.95
Standard: $99.95
http://www.gobinder.com
This is a students' dream tool: use to collect, search, and organize your class notes, readings, Web page resources, and PDF files. Supports Digital Paper technology for table PCs and allows you to mark up and annotate pages (including PDF files) with typed text, handwritten comments, and freehand drawings. Lastly, GoBinder can also act as your task list and scheduling management software for assignments and such. (Note: Purdue has an agreement with Agilix that allows students to download this software for free!)
NoteLens
Windsor Interfaces
License: All software on this website is now free! Check out PhotoMesa and DateLens -- great products!
http://www.windsorinterfaces.com
NoteLens is an Outlook-integrated, note-taking system that is incredibly fast and easy to use. If you want an "always on" system for entering and retrieving text-based notes (no formatting allowed), check out NoteLens. Based on work from HCI guru, Ben Bedersen, NoteLens provides a lightning fast "full text indexing system," that lets you quickly find any note by typing a few words or characters. If you use the "Notes" in Microsoft Outlook, this software is a must-have tool for cataloging and later finding your notes. Unfortunately, this product only allows plain text notes -- no character or paragraph formatting allowed.
TreePad
Freebyte
Lite Edition: Freeware
Business Edition: $43.95
http://www.treepad.com
TreePad is a personal database, note-taking system, word processor, editor, Web site generator, presentation program, photo album, and documentation tool in one application. TreePad provides complete control over the creation and management of your articles, notes, projects, addresses, letters, speeches, and bibliographic listings.
My Notes Keeper
Wpg Computing Inc.
License: $29.95
http://www.mynoteskeeper.com
MyNotesKeeper is my favorite note-taking and outlining application. Not only does it have exceptional organizational features, including a tabbed note interface with navigable trees, it handles most RTF formatting such as tables, graphics, and OLE objects. Furthermore, you can hyperlink between items and notes, and externally to disk files and websites. Use MyNotesKeeper to store and format any type of information (i.e., article reviews and photo albums) and then distribute your data as a standalone executable or using the free File Viewer software.
Knowledge Workshop
Learning Management Solutions
Personal Edition: $29.95
Plus Edition: $49.95
Acad./Prof.: $99.95/$149.95
http://www.kworkshop.com
Designed for both academics and professional knowledge workers, the KnowledgeWorkshop software features tools for capturing, storing, and connecting information on your PC and across the Internet. The program attempts to mimic the brain's own concept-building abilities by allowing you to create multiple relationships among the various data types. In addition to being able to highlight Web page information, you can access and link to both newsgroup and website discussion threads.
Onfolio
Onfolio, Inc.
License: Recently purchased by Microsoft (download for free now!!!)
http://www.onfolio.com
Onfolio is a PC application for collecting, organizing and sharing information you find on the Internet. Integrated with Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Office, Onfolio lets you capture text snippets, images, web pages, and entire PDF documents. Onfolio also lets you organize and search your content quickly and easily. Once your research is complete, share your data in documents, presentations, emails, and on the Web. The Academic edition provides special features for scholarly research, including Chicago and APA references that synchronize with Endnote.
NoteStudio
dogMelon
License: $39.95
PC & Palm: $49.95
http://www.dogmelon.com.au/ns
NoteStudio (NS) is an electronic notebook for Palm and PC systems. NS provides Wiki-like features for creating free-form databases. It enables you to easily create links between pages and organize information the way you like to work. It is an excellent tool for brainstorming, creative writing, and note-taking. There are also nice features for encrypting notes and organizing book collections using a library structure.
wikidPad and wikidPad Compact
License: Open Source
http://www.jhorman.org/wikidPad
wikidPad is another Wiki-like notebook for storing your thoughts, ideas, todo lists, contacts, or anything else you can think of to write down. What makes wikidPad different from other note-taking applications is the ease with which you can cross-link information. Links (and new pages) are created by simply typing in WikiWords -- any mixed case word, such as TodoList or JohnDoe. The term wiki means "quick" in Hawaiian, and wikis are all about quickly linking your information together.
CmapTools
IHMC (Univ. of West Florida)
License: Freeware
http://cmap.ihmc.us
CmapTools empowers users to construct, navigate, share and criticize knowledge models represented as concept maps. You can construct and store your concept maps locally, share them on public CmapServers on the Internet, search the Web for similar maps to link to, and publish your Cmaps to web pages. CmapTools is one of the most full-featured and progressive concept mapping tools available today - and its free!
Compendium
Compendium Institute
License: Freeware
http://www.compendiuminstitute.org
Compendium is a concept mapping tool that focuses largely on the semantic nature of hypertext systems for its methodological framework. This program is the result of decades of research toward supporting the real time mapping of discussions, collective sense-making, collaborative modeling, and long-term management of information as organizational memory. Compendium was developed in the Verizon research labs to support the IBIS methodology (Issue-Based Information System.)
MindManager
MindJet LLC
Basic Edition: $229.00
Professional Edition: $349.00
http://www.mindjet.com/us
MindManager lets you quickly brainstorm and capture ideas using an easy-to-use graphical map interface; easily organize information and manipulate map content; create visually rich maps using words, pictures, and relationships between ideas; deliver onscreen presentations; export maps to Word and PowerPoint; and, easily share maps through e-mail or by publishing them to the Web. MindManager lets you transform your ideas and thought processes into visual blueprints. This works very well for conceptualizing, visualizing, and documenting your understandings.
PersonalBrain
TheBrain Technologies Inc.
License: $79.95
http://www.thebrain.com
PersonalBrain features a unique, dynamic interface of your thoughts, linked together the way you think about them! Maybe ahead of its time, PersonalBrain is an excellent tool for visually managing the resources on your computer and on the Internet, according to whatever scheme that makes sense to you. With PersonalBrain, you can set up hierarchical or other logical relationships between projects, tasks, files, documents, or Websites, using any combination or relation that makes sense to you.
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