The Student Affairs Blog

The Best Free Software

I'm a enthusiastic practitioner of "freeware," free software that is available for use without payment of any kind.  I find that freeware is often created away from the "corporate culture" and is often more efficient and effective than it's commercial counterparts.

I use Firefox for my browser, and Thunderbird for my email.  I use Open Office instead of Microsoft Office-- which includes the Open Office equivalents for word processing, data base, spreadsheets, and more.  All of my college presentations and lectures have developed on "Impress" which is the Open Office version of PowerPoint.

I rip my MP3s with AudioGrabber.  I have a multi-track digital recording system on my notebook computer called Kristal, which I've used to produce not just demos but at least one song currently getting radio play.  I use CDBurner to burn CDs. 

I view my digital photos with IrfanView.   If the photos need to be touched up, I use Gimp (nearly as good as Photoshop, in my opinion).   

I create my PDF files with a program called CutePDF-- it installs like a printer, and when I want to create a PDF I simply choose it as my printer and Voila!  It works with any program, whether its word processing, desktop publishing, database, spreadsheet, etc.  And, as you might imagine, I read PDF files with Foxit, which I find much more useful and quicker than Acrobat

When I want to rip a DVD to my hard drive, I use DVDShrink. I use AnyVideoConverter to convert the DVD video to files I can upload to YouTube.

You get the idea.  There is really a lot of wonderful free software available online.  You can always do a Google search, but I generally start Here and Here.

Of course, much of the freeware in the computer world is like most of the computers in the computer world:  it's Windows based.  But don't assume that without checking, because many of these programs are also available for Mac.  I know a number of you are Mac zealots (even beyond fanatics!).   I even have a free software site for you:  Mac Recon.

So the next time you need to do something with your computer that calls for new software, check for freeware before you spend a fortune at the software vendor.  You might find something that works for you.   

Have You Wiki-ed Lately?

Wiki sites are a collaborative effort to present content on a given topic. Reviewers have the opportunity to add, delete, and revise any digital text displayed. There's no requirement of who can post and little screening is done prior to publishing. Inaccuracies may result because, after all, it’s the opinion of the reviewer making the post. Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia that ANYONE can edit, receives a lot of criticism from members of academia because of these inaccuracies – citing that similar sites surround students in an environment of fallacies. However, I support the use of wiki sites as a starting point – a spring board to delve deeper into the content.

In 2006, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales discouraged college students from using the site for “serious research”. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, Wales delivered his message differently last week, changing it to be “do your own research” in regards to students utilizing Wikipedia for projects and academic assignments. One could argue either way; however, one fact remains - wiki sites present an opportunity for individuals to participate in an academic process, not just regurgitate information gleaned from texts and journals. Through reading student posts on a wiki site, you can recognize critical thinking skills and the limits they reach when seeking out supporting academic materials.

Wiki sites fold and grow as reviewers participate. The sites are only as strong in academic founding as the information the reviewers post. For the greatest outcome in learning, it’s important for reviewers to read, post their own research, and comment on others’ citations.

Using Wiki sites has a place in student activities as well. Several Student Government Associations have been cited as posting organizational constitutions on a wiki-space, encouraging members to make changes and additions. All edits are logged in the site’s history, allowing for a document to be created that’s a collaborative effort of the membership.

Not to be left out, even conferences are embracing the use of wiki-sites to change participant experiences. The APCA Advisor Summit space allows for attendees to post questions and “best practices”, while presenters give previews of the sessions to be facilitated at the summit. This wiki-space makes for a different, more engaging, conference experience. No longer do we have to sit back and wait to learn (anxious that we’ll hear the same material we’ve heard the past three years). Now we can take an active role, providing presenters with “what we need to know”, “what we’d like to know”, and “what we already know” lists.

Wiki sites are a growing culture of collaborative efforts, dependent upon participation. So I ask you, have you Wiki-ed lately?

How Do You Define Diversity on Your Campus?

Seattle University created a task force to figure out how to define diversity, how it is part of the SU culture and ways they can expand their programs to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population.

Author Nick Gallo wrote a fantastic assessment of the project and it is well worth the full read. Here are some of the highlights:

The task force creation wasn't in reaction to an event or situation, but rather SU taking a proactive approach.

It was born not out of any real crisis but because SU wants to make a meaningful assessment of diversity, a hard-headed evaluation of how it's integrated into daily life at the university, says Robert Kelly, co-chair of the task force and vice president of Student Development. “When some people think about diversity, they stop at the numbers—the racial or ethnic makeup of people—but we're going beyond that to look at how diversity ties into the entire education enterprise,” he says. “There's a feeling we're not doing enough to use our diversity to benefit all students."

The diversity, or lack of diversity, of a campus can impact every aspect of the college.

In a 1993 study of 25,000 undergraduate students at 217 schools, education researcher Alexander Astin concluded that an environment that encourages diversity builds cultural awareness, strengthens commitment to racial understanding and boosts academic development.

Many schools only calculate diversity as numbers game. SU wants to go beyond just numbers but recognizes it's a starting point.

Such a societal imperative brings the topic of diversity back to composition as a starting point: How many black students attend SU? How many faculty members are Hispanic? What's the racial or ethnic profile of the administrative team?

Nationwide, 70 percent of undergrads in private universities and colleges are white, according to U.S. Department of Education statistics from 2005.

SU is also researching the diversity of the staff and administration. The task force's full report is due in December, and so far, SU would say their diversity is flourishing, but their is still more that can be done.

To me it seems obvious that the school that is proactive on the subject is the one that is most diverse. What about all the schools struggling with diversity issues everyday? It would be nice to see SU convert their findings into an action plan for other, less diverse, schools.

LGBT Online Student Community

One challenge LGBT student groups have is connecting with people outside of their small on campus circle. A great online LGBT community worth mentioning is TopOutColleges.com.

The site lists the top 500 most LGBT-friendly American colleges as rated on a ten-star scale by college students and alumni, according to their overall experiences with campus issues, i.e. life in the dorms, campus LGBT events, contact with campus LGBT groups, etc.

TopOut's Executive Director, Brent Robinson said, “We created this website so that members of the LGBT college student community could use their own voices when rating the LGBT-friendliness of their college, and so that prospective students could then see those votes and opinions from real college students, and use them in their decision making process when choosing a college,” said Robinson. “Now that these new functions have been added, we are getting rave reviews from students who have been eager to fully express themselves on the LGBT issues they are facing on their college campuses.”

Though I have not personally tried the site I wonder what protection they have against fraudulent voting?