Free and Open Source Educational Software (Online Resource)

Paul Hamilton — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:24:57 +0000

Last week, Kevin Jarrett shared what he called the “mother lode” of free open source software for education. I want to echo Kevin’s discovery here and do my bit to spread the word. This is a very special resource that every educator ought to be aware of. For a more detailed review, please check out what Kevin had to say.

Free and Open Source Educational Software is an extensive catalogued collection of some of the best free software available to support learning at all levels. The collection has been organized by categories that make programs easy to find (categorized by the Key Learning Areas used in Education in Australia) If anyone simply wants to explore what is available, this is an excellent starting point.

The site has made it easy to download software without actually leaving the site. Although downloading on Windows has been facilitated, it appears that most of the software works on multiple platforms. Links to a significant number of online resources have also been included.

Many thanks to Central Queensland University for making this resource available.

U Tech Tips Wiki (Online Resource)

Paul Hamilton — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:10:04 +0000

I’m convinced there is no online tool more versatile or more useful for educators and learners than the wiki. The range of possibilities is unlimited. Almost everyone is familiar with Wikipedia, which describes itself as, “The biggest multilingual free-content encyclopedia on the internet.” The success of this enormous collaborative resource speaks for itself.

I believe that learners everywhere should have access to Wikipedia and use it as a learning resource. There are, however, countless situations where relatively small-scale and purpose-specific wikis can be used to great effect. I’m writing today about one example that offers an invaluable resource for educators working at all levels. It also illustrates what a well designed wiki can look like.

U Tech Tips Wiki: A Wiki of Software for Educators by Educators. Jeff Utecht set up this wiki only a couple of weeks ago, and the framework is just starting to be fleshed out with content. This is a wiki that clearly has the potential to become an extensive repository of well organized digital educational resources. Anyone may contribute to the wiki, and it is extremely easy to do so.

Listings are organized according to operating system–Windows, Apple, and Linux. There is a fourth major heading for web-based applications and Firefox Add-ons. Some of the pages under each of the platform headings include: Office Suites; Photo; Video; Screen Capture Software; Educational. Some of these categories may prove to be too big, but one beautiful thing about a wiki is that the structure can be adapted as needed. Click on the image below for a larger view of how the home page is laid out.

Jeff Utecht has recently become an “Educator Ambassador” for Wetpaint Wikis, and this wiki nicely demonstrates the unique features of the Wetpaint Wiki platform. U Tech Tips Wiki is my first serious look at Wetpaint Wikis, and so far I’m favourably impressed. I like the look, the organization, the feature-set, and the ease of editing.

If you use software to support education, I encourage you to consider contributing to U Tech Tips Wiki. As James Hollis reminds us, “Sharing is Caring!”

Free Resources from the Net for EVERY Learner » educational software

Free and Open Source Educational Software (Online Resource)

U Tech Tips Wiki (Online Resource)