Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

What apps do students use?

What is an app?

An app, short for “application”, is a type of software that can be installed on a device like a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Different apps are designed to perform different tasks. Below we describe the most common apps that you’ll encounter as a student.

Browsers

A web browser is an app you use to visit websites. You should always use the most current version of your preferred browser.

How to update your browser: every time you open your browser, it will check to make sure you’re using the most current version. If updates are needed, it will prompt you with a notification and walk you through the update process. You can also download the latest version of your browser directly – click below to visit your browser’s download page:

Office suites

An office suite is a set of tools used to accomplish your typical computer tasks: writing documents, creating presentations, and organizing information.

Office 365 vs. Google Workspace

At PCC, you can choose between two free office suites: Office 365 and Google Workspace. You don’t have to decide between these two suites – you can use both of them if you want. However, most people tend to favor one and use it for the majority of their work.

See how to access and install these apps here: Office 365 and Google Workspace.

Use comparison for Office 365 vs Google Workspace

What to use it for:	Office 365	Google Workspace
Documents: taking notes writing essays	Word Word packs a lot of functionality. Word focuses on table formatting and control over text styles and graphics.	Google Docs Google Docs are collaborative and flexible. Docs allows up to 50 users access to a single file for collaborating, making group projects much easier.
Presentations: creating slideshows presenting class projects	PowerPoint PowerPoint has everything that you need to create a complete slideshow. You can create elaborate presentations using various templates and transition effects.	Google Slides Google Slides offer the bare essentials to create a presentation. Slides presents a simple way to collaborate with multiple authors on a single presentation.
Spreadsheets: organizing data making charts and graphs	Excel Excel’s data processing ability is very strong. If you have a project where you need to process large amounts of data, Excel is for you. Excel offers many styles and layouts with the ability to create various charts and graphs.	Google Sheets Google Sheets is very similar to Excel, but it is a little more lightweight and beginner-friendly. Like Google Docs, you can collaborate with other users, meaning you and your project partners can work on a spreadsheet at the same time.
Storing files: keeping copies of your classwork organizing research material like photos and papers	Your computer Your files are stored in one place: your personal computer (you can call this “local storage” if you want to be fancy). This means that if you want to open a document, you need to have your computer with you. If you plan on working with very large files, or you’ll be working without an internet connection, local storage is a good option.	Google Drive Cloud storage is one of the best features of Google Workspace. Your files don’t live on any single computer – they live on the network (aka “the cloud”). This means you can start a document on your home computer, finish writing it at a computer lab, and end up making some edits on your smartphone. Since your files live in the cloud, you will need a reliable internet connection to access your materials.

Get extra help: Read&Write

There is a program we recommend to all students called Read&Write. The main use of this software is text-to-speech: it reads webpages and textbooks aloud so that you can follow along better and absorb more material. This can help you learn in a way that suits your learning style. See more about accessible technology.

• Text-to-speech: read text aloud with easy-to-follow dual color highlighting
• Text and picture dictionaries: get definitions and images to help with word comprehension, plus create automatic vocabulary lists from reading assignments
• Check it: review grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and more

See more about web accessibility of student resources.

Specialty software

Below are some apps that have very specific uses. If you need to use one of these for your classwork, your instructor will provide additional information about how to download and use the program.