Archive for the 'Open Source' Category

Open Source Free Educational Software

Published September 16, 2010 Academic , Art , Education , Educational technology , Free , Game , Math , Multimedia , Open Source , Program , Science , Software , technology Leave a Comment
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The following list of  free open source educational software comes from OpenDisc

Art and Graphics

GIMP – Edit digital photos and create graphics
GIMP animation – Create animations
Inkscape – Make professional looking vector graphics
Pencil – Animate your own cartoons
Blender – 3D graphic modeling, animation, rendering and playback
Tuxpaint – Drawing program for children ages 3 to 12

Multimedia

VLC – Play music, videos and DVDs
Audacity – Record, edit and mix music
TuxGuitar – Compose your own music
Piano Booster – Teach yourself the piano
Avidemux – Edit movies and add special effects
Infra Recorder – Burn your own CDs and DVDs
CamStudio – Record your actions on a computer
Really Slick Screensavers – Great looking screensavers

Science and Mathematics

Nasa Worldwind – Discover the earth and other planets~
Greenfoot – Teach yourself how to program
GraphCalc – A graphical calculator
Guido Van Robot – Learn how computer programs work
CarMetal – Cool mathematical modelling tool
Maxima – University standard computer algebra system
Celestia – Explore the universe in three dimensions
Stellarium – A planetarium on your PC

Games

FreeCiv – Control the world through diplomacy and conquest
FreeCol – Discover the ‘New World’ and build an empire
Numpty Physics – Solve puzzles using physics
TuxTyping 2 – Learn to type like a pro
Tux of Math Command – Test your mathematical skills
Winboard Chess – The classic game of chess

My addition to the above list:
Openoffice – word processing, spreadsheet, “PowerPoint like” presentation, drawing, database program

My book, Formative Assessment: Responding to Your Students, is available through Eye on Education.

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Also, my  book,  Successful Student Writing Through Formative Assessment, is available through Eye on Education.

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OpenSource: Open Use For Teachers At Home

Published May 20, 2007 Freeware , Home , Open Source , Teacher , technology 1 Comment

OpenOffice logo

Often when I work with a professor, teacher, or a student, I hear “I don’t have that program on my computer at home so I can only work on it in school.” I respond with the magic words of “Open Source and FreeWare.”

Professor, teachers, or students, can use OpenOffice for their word processing, “PowerPoint”, spreadsheet, database, and some graphic needs. Open Office is the equivalent of or better than Microsoft Office. They can use GIMP to manipulate photos just as they would PhotoShop. They can use CMAP or Glippy which are like Inspiration. All of these programs are very high quality and are free.

I’ve receive more emails from professors, teachers, and students thanking me for telling them about these programs than any other type of email I receive. They are amazed at how good the programs are. They are amazed that people voluntarily contribute to constantly improve the programs. They are so pleased that they now have educational resources in their home.

How do you share the good news about OpenSource with your fellow educators? How do you give them tools for their work at home?

© Harry Grover Tuttle, 2007

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Open Education Resources as Digital Inclusion

Published April 1, 2007 Digital , Inclusion , Open Source 2 Comments

World and Open Source

At SITE Dr. Resta stressed that digital inclusion can take place when there are open educational resources that all can afford. He mentioned these categories:

Digital Library such as Merlot

Open Courseware such as MIT, and UNESCO

Free and Open Source such as OpenOffice (Office equal), GIMP (Photoshop equal), and Tux Paint (KidPix equal),

Creative Commons license so that all can use the material such as CC in Flickr.

Another speaker, Dr. Stuckart of Wanger University, mentioned that the $100 computer is another effort at digital inclusion.

Another speaker stressed that Moodle, Sakai, Joomla,and Carolina are content management systems that are free.

Another speaker, Sean McKay, emphasized that free Edubuntu educational package is available in a multitude of languages. He also mentioned the free open source programs of NVU (Dreamweaver equal), Scribus (desktop publishing), and FireFox (web browser).

So what do your students produce that will help students in other parts of the world? How do your students use open source software to collaborate with students in other parts of the world?

© Harry Grover Tuttle, 2007

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