| Using Campus-Supported and Self-Supported Tools Wisely |
This A - Z List of Technologies contains tools that are campus-supported, library-supported, and self-supported. Campus and Library-supported tools have been vetted for safety and security, and most will require you to log in with your NSID and password. Self-supported tools are not USask assessed and should be used with caution. Remember, being digitally literate means being aware of the type of information you are being asked to share and who might own your information and your intellectual property once you have created content on the site. If you choose to use a self-supported tool, ensure that you are aware of any risks to your privacy before registering a user account. As a rule of thumb, use a Gmail alias instead of your true credentials when creating user accounts on self-supported sites.
| Tool Name | Support/Assistance | Description | How-To |
| A | |||
| Assignment Planner | Library Supported | Provides step-by-step assistance in planning your research paper. Simply enter your assignment due date and receive a detailed, 7-step plan for completion. | |
| Audacity | Self Supported | Free, open-source, multi-platform audio recording and editing software. | Audacity on YouTube |
| B | |||
| BibTex & LaTex | Library Supported | BibTex creates bibliographies or reference lists from a LaTex document. LaTex converts plain text into a formatted document that can be read by BibTex. It is used mostly in STEM for converting things like mathematical formulas into readable references. | |
| C | |||
| Campus Supported |
USask's learning management system where you can access all the courses you are registered in, find your course syllabi, grades, discussion forums, groups you've been assigned, instructor feedback, quizzes, etc. |
USask Canvas Student FAQs |
|
| CiteFast or CiteMaker | Self Supported |
A tool used to generate citations quickly and effectively. Dependent on accuracy of information entered, so double-check your citation results. Other citation generators include Researchomatic and Zoterobib. |
Using Citation Generators Wisely |
| Creative Commons | Used to license your own work without worrying about the limitations set by copyright restrictions. Allows you to determine what open license to put on your own work. There are six license types. The most common ones are CC BY-NC-SA and CC BY-NC-ND. |
Creative Commons on YouTube |
|
| D | |||
| Doodle | Self Supported | A free scheduling tool that uses polls/surveys to help group members determine if/when everyone is free to meet. | |
| DuckDuckGo | Self Supported | An open-source private web browser that does not track your search history. The company claims it protects your personal data. | Adding DuckDuckGo to your Web Browser |
| E | |||
| EndNote Basic | Library Supported | A reference manager that allows you to organize your references, insert in-text citations, and create instant bibliographies. Other reference managers include Mendeley and Zotero. | |
| Evernote | Self Supported | A note-taking and organizational tool that lets you create notes using text, drawings, images, audio, or web content. Save, sync, and search your notes across devices. | |
| College Supported (Nursing, Medicine, Dentistry) |
An exam proctoring application used to deliver exams in the Colleges of Nursing, Medicine, and Dentistry. To learn more, see this list of Do's and Dont's when completing an exam with ExamSoft. |
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| F | |||
| Factcheck.org | Self Supported |
A site that helps you identify fake information. Other fact-checking sites: |
|
| G | |||
| Self Supported Available in some colleges |
A writing tool that checks grammar and spelling and can detect basic plagiarism. A free version is available. Note: Everything you type is collected, so users should limit entering any personal or sensitive information into Grammarly. |
Not approved for academic use. Microsoft Editor is recommended instead. |
|
| Google Drive | Self Supported |
A free cloud storage service that lets you store, access, and share/edit your files from anywhere using any device. Includes Google Docs (word processing), Sheets (spreadsheet), and Slides (presentation). |
Getting Started with Google Drive Google Drive on YouTube |
| Google Chat | Self Supported | An online communication tool from Google that can be used with text, audio, and video. | Getting Started with Google Chat |
| Google Incognito | Self Supported | A private browsing mode that lets you browse the web privately without saving your browsing history. Firefox calls it 'private browsing'. Chrome calls it 'incognito'. | |
| Google Scholar | Limited Library Support | Searches the web for scholarly works across many disciplines. Very useful when searching for a specific citation/reference. Configure your Google Scholar settings to access USask resources you find on Google Scholar. | |
| Google Slides | Self Supported | Like PowerPoint, Google Slides can be used to create slide presentations. | Google Slides on YouTube |
| H | |||
| Haiku Deck | Self Supported | Used to create professional-looking slide presentations. Includes many templates. | |
| I | |||
| Immersive Reader | Campus Supported | Part of Word, OneNote, Teams, and Canvas. Helps with reading on-screen text. Can translate English into most other languages. | How to Use the Immersive Reader |
| K | |||
| Self Supported |
A web-based tool to create game-like quizzes that you can share with others. Can be used to facilitate group study sessions when reviewing for exams. Try a Kahoot on this page by logging in as a guest. |
Getting Started with Kahoot | |
| Keynote (Mac) | Self Supported | Included with most Apple devices and can be used to create different kinds of presentations. Offers a range of layouts and animations. | Keynote on YouTube |
| L | |||
| LaTex & BibTex | Library Supported | LaTex converts plain text into a formatted document that can be read by BibTex. BibTex creates bibliographies or reference lists from a LaTex document. It is used mostly in STEM for converting things like mathematical formulas into readable references. |
| M | |||
| Mendeley | Library Supported | A free web-based reference manager that helps you store and organize all your search references. Offers a Word plugin so you can cite while you write and insert references into your word documents. | |
| Campus Supported |
A suite of productivity tools available to all USask students. Includes Outlook for email, OneDrive for cloud storage, OneNote for taking and organizing notes, and Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Word, Excel, & Editor). |
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| Microsoft Copilot | Campus Supported |
A Generative AI chatbot that students, faculty and staff can use to conduct USask-related work. Similar to ChatGPT, with two distinct advantages: Search prompts and results are not stored, and your data and chat history will not be used to train future AI models. |
Copilot at USask |
| Microsoft Editor | Campus Supported | Checks grammar, spelling and style and recommends improvements. Included with Microsoft 365. | Editor in Word |
| Mobius | Self Supported | A homework system that your STEM instructors might use to assign math and chemistry homework. Can be used for practice and self-assessment. | Mobius Student Support |
| Self Supported |
A virtual whiteboard that has pen and drawing tools but shines as a mind-mapping tool. Use virtual sticky notes to brainstorm and share ideas with others. |
Getting Started with Mural | |
| O | |||
| Campus Supported |
A cloud-based storage tool, part of the Microsoft 365, available for download (NSID required). Store and access your files across multiple devices. Allows group members to share and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files at the same time. |
OneDrive on YouTube |
|
| OneNote | Campus Supported | A digital note-taking tool, part of Microsoft 365, available for download (NSID required). Can be used to store and access your notes across multiple devices. |
OneNote on YouTube |
| P | |||
| Self Supported |
An online bulletin board that uses stickies to collaborate with others. Add a range of media types, such as text, images, audio, concept maps, documents, URLs, etc. |
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| Campus Supported |
A simple and easy-to-use tool to record, edit, manage and distribute video content. Use it to create presentations or screen-captured videos. |
Getting Started for Students | |
| Self Supported |
A social annotation tool used to collaboratively markup readings/documents or videos. |
Getting started with Perusall | |
| Poll Everywhere | Self Supported | Used by instructors to quickly poll the class and immediately present results. Students respond to questions using their computer or mobile device. Replaces TopHat, the previous polling app. | |
| Self Supported |
An electronic portfolio for showcasing both the product and process of your learning. Access to Portfolium is guaranteed even after program completion, making it a useful tool when job hunting or meeting with potential employers. |
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| PowerPoint | Campus Supported | Used to create slideshows and presentations, part of Microsoft 365, available for download by all USask students. | PowerPoint on YouTube |
| Prezi | Self Supported | A free presentation tool that uses your old PowerPoint slides or new ones to make visually entertaining or animated presentations. |
Prezi on YouTube |
| R | |||
| Read&Write Software | Library Supported | Proofs written work by reading text out loud. Choose "Sign in with Microsoft" during setup, log in with your NSID to activate. | Using Read&Write at University |
| College Supported |
Used as an experiential learning tool. Riipen helps instructors connect students with companies to gain valuable work experience. |
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| S | |||
| Screencast-O-Matic | Self Supported | Offers free screen capture and video editing tools. | Screencast Videos and Tutorials |
| U | |||
| USearch | Library Supported | USask's single search engine that searches the University Library for books, journal articles, and other scholarly works. Useful when starting your research to see what is available on the topic. |
Using USearch (3:33) |
| W | |||
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A blogging platform that can be used for sharing reflections, news, photographs, etc. that others can comment on. An open source tool that is free to use and access. |
Getting Started with WordPress WordPress on YouTube |
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| X | |||
| Self Supported |
A free mind-mapping and brainstorming tool used to visualize ideas. |
XMind Tutorial - Creating a MindMap | |
| Z | |||
| Campus Supported |
A web conferencing tool for online meetings used to share screens, create breakout rooms, and annotate shared documents on a whiteboard. |
Zoom on YouTube |
|
| Zotero | Library Supported | A free reference manager for saving, annotating, and sharing scholarly citations and research. Offers a Word plugin so you can cite while you write and insert reference lists directly into your word documents. |
Zotero on YouTube |
| Zoterobib | Self Supported | An open-source, online citation generator that helps you build a bibliography without creating an account or installing software on your device. |
| Levels of Support | |
| Campus-Supported Tools |
Technical support for campus-supported tools is available from itsupport. |
| Library-Supported Tools |
Learning support for library-supported tools is available from the AskUs desk at the library |
| Self-Supported Tools |
Help with self-supported tools is available from the vendor's site or online from sites like YouTube. |