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Open Source & Web Based Alternatives

Open Source & Web Based Alternatives to Desktop Apps: High Quality, Free Classrooms Software

Open Source defined: A program in which the source code is available to the general public for use and/or modification from its original design free of charge.

 WHAT?     WHY?  HOW?
Software that is installed on computers is written in code that is owned by the software maker and is inaccessible to the user. Of late, there have been more and more open source alternatives ~ softwares where the code is provided so users can customize to suit their needs. Many of these open source alternatives have active user communities working to identify problems and share solutions.


Web based software is great because it generally requires no installation to a user's computer. Content is uploaded and manipulated on a site and often stored on that site ~ referred to as 'the cloud'.
Open source software is lower cost (free), customizable, scalable, network friendly, licensing friendly (non-required), reduces reliance on software vendors, and in some cases is easier to use.




Web based software is generally free and does much of the work that high priced software can do. Often, users don't take advantage of advanced features of software, so using web based tools can leverage software costs.
Determine if there's an open source program to meet your needs. If so, download the software, join the user community and get going!






You name it and it can be done with a web based tool! Visit the Web 2.0 Sites page to learn more about web based tools.



 

CNET Insider Secrets - Open Source Free Software

 

Survey of Top Web 2.0 Tools for Education (38 min)



Web Based Alternatives

Google Apps Education Edition is free for educational institutions. In addition, there is an add-on security and compliance software that can be purchased at a 66% educational discount.

Google Apps Quick Tour




Google Apps Education Edition is:
  • Email, calendar, and collaboration tools right from the browser
  • Free with no advertising for students, faculty and staff
  • Easy to manage with no hardware or software to maintain
  • Supported 24x7 for administrators
  • Ready to integrate with many APIs and use of Open Standards
  • 6.5 GB of email (and growing) with spam and virus protection
  • Add-on security and compliance tools available at a 66% educational discount
  • Google Video for education Learn more here.





Top reason for using Google Apps:

1. Students will love you for it


Schools tells us that when they ask their students what email they'd prefer, they overwhelmingly say Gmail.

"Our students approached us about a year ago, saying that we needed to improve our email and collaboration services. We actually had our student government tell us, 'we want you to implement Google Apps.'" - Wendy Woodward, Director of Technology Support Services, Northwestern University

Read the full top Ten reasons here.


  • Buzzword

  • From the site: Write and collaborate on documents anywhere, anytime with this online word processor. Perfect for writing reports, proposals, and anything else you need to access online or work on with others. It looks and behaves like your normal desktop word processor, but it operates inside a web browser, so there's no installation required.
You can share a Buzzword document with as many other people as you want. You and other Buzzword users can have the document open at the same time—you can see their changes, and they can see your changes. You can also share a document for reading only, or for commenting only; others can place comments alongside the document but can't change it.



Bubbl.us Basics: Brainstorming and Mind-mapping Online

Bubbl.us is a simple and free web application that lets you brainstorm online. With bubbl.us users can create colorful mind maps online, share and work with friends, embed a mind map in a blog or website, email and print a mind map, save your mind map as an image. Bubbl.us maintains a blog to keep users up to date on modifications and to solicit feedback.










Web2Tool Resource List

Tons of Tools





Open Source Alternatives

Scratch is a new programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art -- and share your creations on the web.

Scratch is designed to help young people (ages 8 and up) develop 21st century learning skills. As they create Scratch projects, young people learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also gaining a deeper understanding of the process of design.

Scratch is available free of charge, for both mac and pc. Visit the Educators page for more information about Scratch in education.


Alice: Programming for a New Generation


Alice is an innovative 3D programming environment that makes it easy to create an animation for telling a story, playing an interactive game, or a video to share on the web. Alice is a teaching tool for introductory computing. It uses 3D graphics and a drag-and-drop interface to facilitate a more engaging, less frustrating first programming experience.











Tux Paint is a free, open source drawing program for children ages 3 to 12. It combines an easy-to-use interface, fun sound effects, and an encouraging cartoon mascot who guides children as they use the program.

Kids are presented with a blank canvas and a variety of drawing tools to help them be creative. Available for mac and pc.
Linux is a free Unix-type operating system originally created by Linus Torvalds with the assistance of developers around the world. Developed under the GNU General Public License , the source code for Linux is freely available to everyone. Many open source softwares are linux based. Linux is a competing operating system to Windows for the PC and the Mac OS.


 Open Source Resource Links

Open Source


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Michelle Krill,
Dec 6, 2008 1:20 PM