Administration

These resources are useful in administration of all types, the routine necessary tasks of life.

Name	Comments
ClipMate	What it Does: Enhances the windows clipboard dramatically Runs on: PC only Price: $20 Best Feature: Efficiency of doing multiple copies from a document and then pasting in another. Worst Feature: Two different "views" or"modes" can be confusing. Learning Time: Minutes --- Export/Import: Good My use: Daily --- Confidence in Evaluation: Good Comment: Remembers copy and paste (clipboard) functionality - and much more - includes a good screen capture (making an image file of something on the screen). Use it if you do a lot of copy and paste. Administration note: Use it when there is lots of copy and paste or you have "boilerplate" text to place. Review & Comments about ClipMate in Academic Tools Blog
Direct Update	What it Does: Allows connecting computers over the internet that normally are hidden. TechSpeak - Allows creating an apparent "static" IP address to computers forced to connecting using DHCP. Runs on: PC only Price: $19 Uniqueness: It's one of only a few tools to provide this combination of functions Best Feature: Allows publishing a single address for your machine - for web server, ftp, remote control Worst Feature: Must also sign up for a free DNS account elsewhere - the program suggests where. Learning Time: Half Hour --- My use: Daily --- Confidence in Evaluation: Good Comment: Techie: Useful only for those wanting their machine accessible, but using a non-static IP - e.g. most campus computers and home DSL computers. Administration note: Because allows file synchronization with non-static IP address
Filemaker Pro	What it Does: Database tool (relational) with exceptionally straightforward interface Runs on: PC, Mac Price: $250 Best Feature: Allows fairly easy keeping of detailed grading and attendance records and personalized Emails. Worst Feature: You'll have to invest several days of time to get comfortable enough to use it (or any database) easily. Learning Time: Days --- Export/Import: Good My use: Daily --- Confidence in Evaluation: Good Comment: You want to pay for Filemaker if you do a lot of database work and want a really good user interface. Any time you get over about 100 things that need to be remembered, sorted, searched - up to that point Excel may be easier. If printed output appearance is critical FileMaker is excellent. - Access (in MSOffice) is licensed, but tougher to use. Base in Openoffice is an Access clone, and currently very flaky. MySQL is free and even tougher for the non-techie. Administration note: Particularly grading & email updates in combination with Outlook and MSWord Review & Comments about Filemaker Pro in Academic Tools Blog
GMail	What it Does: Online EMail account Runs on: Web Free Best Feature: Superior search and spam filter. Worst Feature: More spam because it's GMail. Immediately Useful: Yes --- Learning Time: Half Hour --- Export/Import: Medium My use: Daily --- Confidence in Evaluation: Good Comment: You can redirect other EMail accounts here. It's also easy to create on-the-fly sub-accounts by using the "accountid+subaccount@gmail" email ID.
MS Outlook	What it Does: The standard corporate Email/task/calendar/contact program Runs on: PC, Mac Drexel Site License Best Feature: Integration of Email and tasks. Worst Feature: Corporate backup is atrocious. I've had a colleague lose vital emails thanks to MS incompetence. Learning Time: Hours --- Export/Import: Medium My use: Daily --- Confidence in Evaluation: Good Comment: I use it every day - but enhance it with Neo - and am sure to backup my own local data (PST) files. Administration note: Task management
Neo	What it Does: Outlook enhancement - Search, to-do, filing Runs on: PC only Price: $35 Best Feature: Multiple ways to see only the EMails you want without deleting the unwanted permanently. Worst Feature: Works only with Outlook. Immediately Useful: Yes --- Learning Time: Hours --- My use: Daily --- Confidence in Evaluation: Good Comment: If you get more than 20 EMails a day this will save you a great deal of time. It allows easy organization of your EMail traffic and tagging of "to-do". Keep an eye in future on "Chandler", a developing Opensource product. Administration note: Handling large volumes of EMail
pb wiki	What it Does: Online, easy wiki (collaborative, interlinked document) creation. Runs on: Web Free Best Feature: "Easy" creation of interactive websites. Worst Feature: Must learn wiki formatting rules. Learning Time: Hours --- My use: Regular --- Confidence in Evaluation: Good Comment: I use for having students submit "logs" of weekly activity that I want to be visible to others. It's very successful although there are inevitably plagiarism possibilities. Administration note: Share between team members
PowerPro	What it Does: Many, many shortcuts (macros) for windows Runs on: PC only Free, Open Source Best Feature: Make your own custom key combinations to do almost anything. Worst Feature: Takes quite a lot of effort to make it worthwhile. Immediately Useful: Yes --- Learning Time: Hours --- My use: Daily --- Confidence in Evaluation: Good Comment: I use it probably the most of all these tools, but it took a while to be comfortable with it. Administration note: Make routine tasks much more efficient
Quicken	What it Does: Bookeeping and financial reporting - small scale Runs on: PC, Mac Price: $30+ Best Feature: About as easy as accounting can get Worst Feature: Intuit is almost as greedy as MS. Learning Time: Hours --- Export/Import: Medium My use: Regular --- Confidence in Evaluation: Good Comment: Be aware that Quicken trys, like MS, to lock you in to their product by making data interchange difficult. Administration note: If you want to track your finances independent of your institution's official system.
WebCT Vista	What it Does: Course Management system with many features Runs on: Web Drexel Site License Best Feature: Very powerful - particularly for tests, quizzes, homework, remote learning. Worst Feature: Confusing and cumbersome for all but the simplest tasks. Immediately Useful: Yes --- Learning Time: Hours --- Export/Import: Medium My use: Infrequent --- Confidence in Evaluation: Good Comment: Drexel's major online courseware management system. We also have Blackboard in some departments. Administration note: For large classes: surveys grades and quizzes

 

 

Update: 2006-11-26