Microsoft Office 2007, Windows Vista and SharePoint Designer (replacement for FrontPage) are available to Palomar faculty and staff at a very low cost through the Foundation for California Community Colleges.  The web site for faculty to buy Office (or Windows) is:  http://www.collegebuys.org/  Proof of faculty membership will be required. 

Reduced prices on Office 2007 and Adobe products for students can be found at: http://www.journeyed.com/fccc/

Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats.  Users of the Microsoft Office XP and 2003 programs Word, Excel, or PowerPoint—please install all High-Priority updates from Microsoft Update before downloading the Compatibility Pack.

By installing the Compatibility Pack in addition to Microsoft Office 2000, Office XP, or Office 2003, you will be able open, edit, and save files using the file formats new to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007. The Compatibility Pack can also be used in conjunction with the Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003, Excel Viewer 2003, and PowerPoint Viewer 2003 to view files saved in these new formats. For more information about the Compatibility Pack, see Knowledge Base article 923505.
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Office 2007 Save as PDF or XPS Add-in.  This download allows you to export and save to the PDF and XPS formats in eight 2007 Microsoft Office programs. It also allows you to send as e-mail attachment in the PDF and XPS formats in a subset of these programs.  It requires Genuine Windows validation in order to download.

Microsoft File Viewers.  Certain documents among Palomar web sites use Microsoft Office documents, or presentation managers.  If you do not own the software with which they were created (usually Microsoft Office products) you will need to download and install one of Microsoft's free viewers.  Find any you might need by clicking the icon above.

Microsoft Office 2007 Getting Started Tabs.  This add-in adds a Get Started tab to the Word, Excel and PowerPoint 2007 Ribbons. There is a separate download for each product.  Commands on this tab give you easy access to free content on Office Online, such as training courses, video demos, and other Office Online content designed to help you learn PowerPoint 2007 quickly. An Office Online interactive command mapping tool, also available on the Get Started tab, shows you where to find Office 2007 buttons and commands in the new versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Office Online Community discussions are also available directly from the programs with this add-in.   

Internet Explorer.  Critical updates, service packs, add-ons, news about IE 7, all the software from microsoft related to Internet Explorer.

FireFox.  The newest version of Firefox (version 3) includes a "smart" address bar that more often than not guesses your intention when typing a URL (the "awesome" bar").  Other features include one-button bookmarking, native spell-check, smooth-zoom, and excellent anti-phishing features.

Safari.  Another alternative to IE is the new browser from Apple.  It is fast and has the full complement of modern browser features. 

Microsoft Reader.  A new version of the very popular Microsoft Reader has been released.  Click here for more information and download instructions.  If you are not familiar with the world of e-books, two of the great free libraries are the University of Virginia etext center, and the Online Books Center at the University of Pennsylvania.  Microsoft also gives away tools to create e-book content in Reader format. 

PowerToys for Windows XP.  These "toys" add useful functionality to Windows XP, such as a better task switcher, a context sensitive command window, a slideshow generator, a taskbar magnifyer, a power calculator, a clear-type tuner, and the famous Tweak UI.  Please note that these tools are free and unsupported by Microsoft.

PowerToys for MS OneNote.  Free "PowerToys" for OneNote will allow you to get the most out of your OneNote experience.  PowerToys are additional programs that developers work on after a product has been released to manufacturing. PowerToys for OneNote are free downloads that add fun and functionality to the OneNote experience.  Please note that these tools are free and unsupported by Microsoft.

Note:  To install and use the following PowerToys, Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 Service Pack 1 must be installed on your computer. In addition, the regional and language settings for your computer must be set to English (United States).

Microsoft SyncToy.  SyncToy v1.2 is available as a free download on the Microsoft Download Center. The easy to use, customizable application helps you copy, move, rename, and delete files between folders and computers.  Be aware that this is another program like the PowerToys, which means that Microsoft have done their best to make sure they work correctly, but do not provide support for them.

Acrobat Reader.  The documents linked from many Palomar pages are in PDF format (Adobe Portable Document Format).  You need a special program to read them called Acrobat Reader.  If you do not have this program, click on the "Get Acrobat Reader" icon above.  There is no charge for this program.

We have set up a new install point for the CPS ("Classroom Performance System") software that is needed to use the new radio frequency clickers we now have available for checkout.  You must install the software on your PC or Mac prior to using the clickers.  Login to the install point using your Palomar email address as your username and your email password as password.

Respondus is a powerful tool for creating and managing exams that can be printed to paper or published directly to Palomar's Blackboard system. Exams are created offline in a familiar Windows environment and the software provides many time-saving tools, such as the ability to import existing exams from word processor files.  Clicking the link above will connect you with a Palomar College secure server where you can download and install the Respondus software.  You will need to provide your Palomar login information (same username and password you use for your Palomar webmail) to access this site.  More informaiton about Respondus is available at the Respondus web site.

StudyMate is an authoring tool that lets you create 10 Flash-based activities and games using three simple templates. The Flash activities are usable with any web site or can be published directly to your Blackboard courses. StudyMate will import items from MS Word files or the Respondus Test Bank Network, making it easy to create interesting, interactive activities from existing content.  Clicking the link above will connect you with a Palomar College secure server where you can download and install the StudyMate software.  You will need to provide your Palomar login information (same username and password you use for your Palomar webmail) to access this site.  More informaiton about StudyMate is available at the Respondus web site.

    

Windows media player.  The media player of choice at Palomar College is the Windows media player.  The player is free, ubiquitous, and generally trouble free.  It will coexist with the Real and Quicktime players on the same Windows XP system, but they will compete for MIME types, naturally.  For more information about media players, contact onlineclasses@palomar.edu.

What about Mac Users and Windows media?  Click here for information.

Beginning in Spring 2006 Academic Technology announced that we will no longer support the Real media format when encoding videos, except by special request.  There are a good many legacy Real media videos and audios on our servers, however, which is why you might want to consider also installing the Real player.

Real media player.  The Real media player is an alternative to the Windows media player.  In some cases, such as old versions of educational television broadcasts, only Real media versions are available.  To play them, you will have to install the Real player.  Be very careful when installing the Real player.  Some people feel that their marketing practices are quite predatory, and they do make it difficult to distinguish between the free downloadable player, and a free trial version of the for-pay player.  Read the screens at the real.com website carefully before downloading.

iTunes + QuickTime.  For Podcasts and other media uses, we recommend Apple iTunes + QuickTime.  Apple integrates both--iTunes is the library function and QuickTime the media player component, but both work interdependently now, much as the Windows media player does.

Windows Media Components for QuickTime.  "With Windows Media® Components for QuickTime, by Flip4Mac™, you can play Windows Media files (.wma and .wmv) directly in QuickTime Player and view Windows Media content on the Internet using a Web browser."  For Mac OS X 10.3.9 or above and QuickTime 6.5 for above."  You can also download this add-in from the Apple web site.

Macromedia Shockwave Player.  Some multimedia content on Palomar web pages use the Macromedia Shockwave or Flash player.  The Shockwave player is free, runs on all platforms, and includes the Flash player.  Get it by clicking the icon above.  

Macromedia Flash Player.  Some multimedia content on Palomar web pages use the Macromedia Flash player.  The Flash player is free and runs on all platforms.  Get it by clicking the icon above.

What is the difference between the Shockwave and the Flash players? (from Macromedia) 

Audacity.  A great freeware audio recording program.  Audacity will allow recording in  mono or stereo, at various sample rates, even multi-track recording, and exports in WAV, MP3 and OGG formats.

Podcatchers

Juice.  Juice (formerly iPodder) is a great, freeware, multiplatform (Windows, Mac, Linux)  podcast receiver.  Juice is a well designed podcast receiver, allowing users to capture and listen to podcasts anytime, anywhere.   It supports Windows media player, iTunes, Winamp, or any player you want.  It has a built-in scheduler and a good Podcast directory.

Doppler.  This one is also extremely easy to use.  It's directories are not as good, but its chief virtue is that it automatically loads the downloaded podcasts into iTunes or the Windows media player.

WMA to MP3 Converter.  A great freeware conversion utility from Jodix.com.  Use this program to take your wma files and convert them to mp3.  If you are using the WM-100 audio recorder from Olympus to record your voice lectures or other comments, and wish to post its wma files in mp3 format, use this utility to perform the conversion (PC Only).

Switch.  For those with Macs (or PCs) Switch does the same job.  There is a free wma to mp3 basic converter for Mac OS X or Windows, and a for pay Plus version.  The free one should be all you will need.  This one is also extremely easy to use.

ID3-TagIt.  Add ID3 tags to mp3 files with use using this free utility.  Single file and batch editing are supported.  Use this utility to embed graphics in mp3 files, such as podcasts.

Producer 2003 for PowerPoint.  Free download for registered owners of PowerPoint 2003.  This add-in allows synchronization of audio or video, powerpoint slides, a table of contents, and other materials such as web pages, graphics or documents, into a rich media presentation.

PhotoStory 3 for Windows. A free download from Microsoft.  This program will enable you to tell your story with pictures.  Photo Story drops them onto a storyboard so that you can quickly organize them into your own personal storybook, and then touchup, add effects, add narrative, and publish as a photostory.

Windows Defender.  The best of the free anti-spyware products.  Install it to protect your computer from spyware, remove existing spyware, and gain access to many of your windows settings not normally exposed.  This product is still in Beta, but is well matured.

 Other Anti-Spyware

Other Anti-spyware software.  If you do not want to load Windows defender, there are also two other excellent, free anti-spyware programs available.  Many people have installed both, and run both regularly to eliminate all spyware.  They are SpyBot Search & Destroy and Ad-Aware Personal.

Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool.  Either run it from the web, or download and run to remove a large number of malicious worms and viruses.  "The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool checks computers running Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 for infections by specific, prevalent malicious software—including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom—and helps remove any infection found. When the detection and removal process is complete, the tool displays a report describing the outcome, including which, if any, malicious software was detected and removed."  This tool is included in the monthly security auto-update from Microsoft.

Google Desktop Search.  Try the new Google Desktop Search tool to make it easier to find email, web pages, pdf and other documents on your hard drive.  Click the icon above to download and install.

Google Toolbar.  Search Google from any web page; link to any Google service quickly; yet another pop-up blocker; highlight web pages; quick link to blogger.com; auto-fill forms; now with form spell check, auto-map link, and word translater--and it's all free.  This is the best free toolbar around.

InlineSearch.  This is an IE extender that is an unobtrusive little search box that replaces the clunky, page-obscuring Ctrl-F search box provided by Microsoft for searching within the current web page.  Inline Search hijacks the Ctrl-F keystroke and places its elegant little search box at the bottom of the page.  (Free)

 ieSpell

An Internet Explorer browser extension that spell-checks text-input boxes on a Web page.  You do not need to own MS Office to use it, but if you do, ieSpell can share the same custom dictionary.  It also has a nice look up word feature.  If you come across a word with which you are unfamiliar (whether or not it is in an input field) you can look up in Merriam Webster, Wikipedia, Dictionary.com, Cambridge Advanced Learner Dictionary, or Yahoo! Education Dictionary.    (Free)

1-Click Answers.  This IE extender provides instant access to almost four million topics from any program, without interrupting your work. Just alt-click on any word or phrase on your screen (e-mail, browser, any Office program) and get instant answers, facts and explanations in a concise AnswerTip information bubble.   (Free)

SmartFTP.  A great, windows explorer-like ftp client that allows for drag and drop ftp-ing.  Free to academic users.  PC platform only.

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