Google's Online College Student Tools

Top 7 Free Google Tools and Services for College Students

From Marziah Karch

Write your papers, keep in touch with your family, and find the local pizza joints, all for free. Here are the best tools from Google to help you with your online college or regular college life.

Whether you have your own computer or you're stuck using the computer labs, Google has a lot of tools that will help you get the most out of college, academically and socially.

1) Writely

Writely is Google's online word processor. It isn't fancy, but it does have everything you need to write your average term paper. It's perfect for any student who spends time in computer labs or on library computers, and it works well for students with their own laptop and an Internet connection.

Import and export in Microsoft Word format, and save your files as Adobe PDFs for emailing to your instructor.

Website: http://www.writely.com.

2) Blogger

Want to keep in touch with your friends and family while you're away? Set up a public blog, and keep them informed about your life. It's an easy way to keep your mother from worrying about you and help your friends feel close. If you're tired of typing your blog posts, you can also podcast.

If you've got a popular blog, you might even insert some Adsense Ads for extra spending money.

Blogger Website: http://www.blogger.com

3) Google Spreadsheets

Google Spreadsheets lets you make spreadsheets that can be imported and exported from Excel. You can also make spreadsheets that are group editable, so everyone can contribute. This comes in very handy for tracking group projects and keeping track of tabular information.
You could even use it to keep the peace with your roommates and track who's turn it is to vacuum this week.

Google Spreadsheets: http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJ&sdn=google&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fspreadsheets.google.com

4) Gmail

Rather than relying on the campus email system, why not give your friends and families your Gmail address? It's an address that won't change when you leave college, and Gmail gives you two gigs of storage space, so you can also use your account to transfer large files between computers.

Gmail integrates with Google Talk, so you can chat with your buddies when you check your mail.

Gmail Website:http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJ&sdn=google&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fmail.google.com

5) Google Maps

Google Maps lets you find anything from the location of Afghanistan to the location of the local pizza parlor. You may even find a coupon for that pizza, before you order.

If you own your own computer, consider downloading Google Earth for even more information at your fingertips.

Google Maps Website: http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJ&sdn=google&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fmaps.google.com

6) Google Earth

Google Earth is a software download from Google that gives you your own virtual globe with more features than Google Maps. You can save custom locations with flags, so you can refer to them frequently. Google Earth can give you an edge in your classes, too. You get a better context in history class, for example, if you know exactly where Midway Island is located.

Download Google Earth: http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJ&sdn=google&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fearth.google.com


7) Google Toolbar

If you own your own computer, Google Toolbar is a great enhancement for your web browser. The highlighter makes research a snap, and the spell checker helps you sound like a pro.
The only caveat with Google Toolbar is that the Internet Explorer version can interfere with WebCT 6, but the Firefox version works fine.

Download Google Toolbar: http://toolbar.google.com

These are all excellent tools for online college students and regular college education students.