For guidance on determining which set of tools will help meet your student learning outcomes, reach out to your TLT Course Liaison to book a consultation. For personalized support related to any of these tools, see the Training and Help resources.
Penn State Software
Penn State maintains web pages for the primary software used by students and instructors. These pages provide software login access and resources such as live and self-paced training, FAQs, and support.
Canvas
Canvas is Penn State’s online system for teaching and learning.
Zoom
Zoom is Penn State’s primary video conferencing platform.
Kaltura
Kaltura is Penn State’s platform for publishing videos and other media; Kaltura can integrate with Zoom for easy publishing of course videos.
Office 365
Microsoft Office 365 offers email and calendars (Outlook), team collaboration (Teams), productivity tools (Word, Excel, Powerpoint), and much more.
G Suite for Education
G Suite for Education offers collaborative productivity tools like Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, as well as cloud-based file storage via Google Drive.
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning offers online courses covering a wide variety of software, technology, business, and creative topics.
Yammer
Yammer is a social network to connect with Penn State colleagues.
Voicethread
Voicethread is a tool for discussions around images, videos, documents, and other media.
Other Software
Penn State students and instructors have access to other helpful software that can make collaboration and communication easier.
Padlet
Padlet is an online bulletin board for collaboration, reflection, and sharing of links and pictures.
Nearpod
Nearpod allows you to make any presentation or video interactive and engaging, as part of either synchronous or asynchronous instruction. It supports the creation of interactive activities and assessments.
Jabber
Jabber is a unified communications application for Windows, Mac and mobile devices, allowing you to bring your Penn State phone number with you when you’re away from your office.
Software Access
WebApps
WebApps allows you to access applications commonly found in a Penn State Lab from the convenience of a web browser.
Software at Penn State
Penn State students have access to a variety of software licenses and applications. Some software, such as Microsoft Office 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud, are automatically available at no additional cost.
Reviewed Courseware
This is a list of software reviewed and authorized by the University to meet legal requirements for use in a course (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and accessibility).
Software Access for International Students
International Restrictions of Penn State Software and Technology Services (PDF) provides information about which software can be accessed from international locations.
If you are unable to use the software of your choice, please consult the document to see if there is a Penn State provided alternative. You may also try to connect through a Penn State–provided VPN. However, international governments can change access to the software at any time.
For sharing pre-recorded videos with students in countries with restrictions that impact Canvas access, Kaltura is the best tool. You can refer to the Penn State Kaltura page and Penn State ITLD Kaltura training for more information. No country officially blocks Kaltura, but access is dependent on country, location within certain countries, and the enforcement of local restrictions.