First Education News

Solution

Remarks

Sakai CLE

Apereo OAE

Canvas

Gibbon

• Moodle is used internationally by hundreds of institutions.
• There is a highly active Moodle user community providing support.
• Moodle can be extended an integrated with other systems using the large library of available plug-ins.
• The Sakai project was founded from a collaboration between Indiana University, MIT, Stanford and University of Michigan. It currently maintains two systems – the Collaborative Learning Environment (CLE) and the Open Academic Environment (OAE).
• Gibbon aims to meet the needs of teachers, reducing workload and helping students learn. It also handles SIM functionality, providing all information in one place.

• Matterhorn provides an end-to-end solution from automated lecture capture through processing and distribution.
• Videos can also be published to existing public platforms such as YouTube or iTunes.
• Captioning, keyboard navigation and screen readers are well supported.
• Media can be encoded using standard formats, ensuring your media isn’t locked in to a particular system or playback software.

• CamStudio allows you to make a video of what’s happening on your screen. It will also capture audio from a microphone.
• As well as capturing a lecture or presentation, it can be used to record a tutorial or walk through of a system.
• Videos can be recorded to AVI, or to SWF for streaming via Flash.

• Audacity is a fully-featured audio recorder and editor for Windows, Linux and Mac.
• Multiple tracks can be recorded separately and edited together.
• Additional audio tracks can be imported.
• Files can be saved to a number of formats.

BigBlueButton

• These systems allow multiple participants to participate in a session via the web.
• Users can collaborate on a shared “whiteboard”.
• Video, audio and text chat are supported.
• Users can share presentations and applications from their screen with other users.

Plumi

Kaltura

• These products provide a locally-hosted “YouTube” style system.
• Users can upload videos which are converted into a streamable format and shared.
• Videos can be embedded into a web page or VLE.
• Users can rate and comment on videos.

• Xerte allows you to create interactive learning materials, including multimedia content and interactive exercises.
• Content can be created locally, or online using Xerte Online Toolkits.
• Once created, Xerte packages materials in a standard format that can be imported into most VLEs, and viewed using Flash.
• The XENITH project allows materials authored with Xerte to be viewed using HTML5, providing support for more devices.
• Materials created using Xerte allow users to change fonts and colour schemes, as well as supporting text-to-speech, ensuring that materials are accessible to all users.

LibreOffice

NeoOffice

• OpenOffice and LibreOffice provide word processing and drawing programs that can be used for simple desktop publishing.
• Documents can be saved to PDF format.

• Sigil is a cross-platform suite for authoring ebooks in the standard and widely-supported ePub format.
• Provides a WYSIWYG interface, as well as allowing direct source editing.

• TeX is a powerful typesetting mark-up language designed to allow users to easily create high-quality electronic or printed books which display consistently across devices and platforms.
• TeX is particularly useful for displaying mathematical and scientific formulae in a consistent manner.
• Documents written in the TeX mark-up language can be rendered to files in the DVI file format, or converted to other formats.

• Calibre is a cross-platform tool for managing a personal ebook library.
• Converts between formats including PDF, ePUB and MOBI (Kindle).
• Supports a wide range of e-readers, tablets and phones for syncing.
• Provides a desktop e-book reader.
• Links to online libraries to allow the download and purchase of e-books.

Gobby

Owncloud Documents

• Etherpad provides an interface for multiple users to collaborate on a document in real-time over the web.
• Basic formatting is supported, and users’ contributions can be identified by colour.
• Documents can be imported and exported using various formats, including HTML and MS Word.
• The entire history of a document can be viewed using a time slider.
• Gobby provides similar functionality to etherpad, but uses a client-server infrastructure.
• Gobby clients are available for Windows/Mac/Linux
• Owncloud Documents provides Google Docs-style document sharing and collaboration, as well as Dropbox-style synchronisation.

Remarks

• Rogo

• Rogo aims to provide an online assessment system with a focus on consistent quality, usability and security.
• The system supports informal progress tests and surveys, self assessment, as well as formal exam papers.
• A range of common question types are supported.
• Features for managing the assessment life-cycle are included, such as standards setting and peer review of papers.
• Rogo supports Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) allowing it to be connected to VLEs implementing the LTI standard.

• Mahara

• Mahara allows easy integration with Moodle. Students can save work created or submitted in Moodle to their Mahara portfolio. Single Sign-On is also supported.
• Students can present selections from their portfolio through customised pages, which they control access to.
• Students can network with one another and share artefacts through groups.
• The LEAP2A standard is supported for interoperability with other e-portfolio systems.

Remarks

• OpenSankoré

• OpenSankoré provides an interactive cross-platform interface for whiteboards, touch tables, or any type of computer.
• Whiteboard-style drawing is supported, as well as inserting documents and media.
• The environment’s functionality can be extended by the addition of Widgets.

• iTALC

• iTALC provides tools for managing the PCs in a classroom.
• A teacher can view students’ screens in overview mode.
• Computers can be remote controlled to provide assistance.
• Workstations can be locked to reduce distractions.
• Demonstrations can be broadcast to all workstations.

Remarks

• Koha
• OpenBiblio

• Koha includes modules for circulation, cataloguing, acquisitions, serials, reserves, patron management, branch relationships, and more.
• Koha supports standard formats and protocols to ensure interoperability with other library systems.
• OpenBiblio is an automated library system containing OPAC, circulation, cataloging, and staff administration functionality.

• LORLS

• A demonstration of LORLS and its features is available on the project’s website.

• Islandora

• Islandora is built upon an open source base using components from Drupal, Fedora Commons and Apache Solr
• Islandora is modular, proving Solution Packs to implement best-practice workflows for managing different content types.

Subject

Comments

• Audacity
• Ardour

• Audacity enables recording, editing and mixing of audio tracks. It provides a comprehensive suite of editing tools, as well as supporting a range of effects through LADSPA plug-ins.
• Ardour also provides a suite for recording and editing audio, but unlike Audacity, also supports multi-track recording.
• Unlike Audacity, Ardour is a “non destructive” editor, allowing effects to be adjusted repeatedly.

• Rosegarden
• Hydrogen
• MuseScore

• Rosegarden provides a multi-track MIDI sequencer and composition environment.
• Hydrogen is a cross-platform drum machine.
• MuseScore allows you to create, play and print sheet music.

• Gregorio

• Gregorio provides tools for the typesetting of Gregorian chant notation.
• Gregorio can be used via a command line, through the TeXWorks GUI, or integrated with the Scribus DTP package.

• Ubuntu Studio
• 64 Studio
• Musix

• Ubuntu Studio is a specialised Linux distribution focused on media creation.
• While there is no single open source application that provides all features of a comprehensive package like Reason, there are distributions of Linux designed for studio workstations, combining several applications to provide comparable features.
• Featured software includes multi-track recorders, MIDI sequencers, virtual amplifiers and effects processors.
• Ubuntu Studio also features JACK, an advanced audio system allowing the audio inputs and outputs of separate applications to be connected together.
• As with many Linux distributions, studio-focused distributions can often be run from CD for testing without installing anything to the computer’s hard drive.

• KDEnlive
• PiTiVi
• Blender
• Avidemux
• OpenShot
• Cinerella-cv

• KDEnlive and PiTiVi are fully featured multi-track non-linear video editors.
• Based on open source media libraries, a wide range of video and audio formats are supported from a large number of devices.
• Output to standard formats including H.264 is supported, as well as lossless formats.
• Blender is an industry-quality tool for 3D animation.

• Q Light Controller

• Q Light Controller is a cross-platform application for controlling DMX or analogue lighting systems like moving heads, dimmers, scanners etc.

• Soundboard

• Soundboard is a cross-platform tool for building and executing sound cues.

• Celtx
• Fountain

• Celtx is a fully-featured cross-platform screen-writing application.
• Celtx can sync with cloud services and mobile apps, although these are not open source.
• Fountain is a plain-text format which can be used for screen writing and rendered to a formatted screenplay.

• The GIMP

• The GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) provides a complete set of tools for editing bitmaps, including layering, effects, and colour tools.
• Plug-ins and scripts are supported to provide extensibility.
• Images can be imported from a range of formats, including from scanners and Photoshop files.
• Images can be saved to a range of standard formats.
• A large community of users have produced extensive documentation and tutorials on The GIMP’s features.

• Darktable
• UFRaw

• Photography workflow and RAW processing tools

• Inkscape

• Inkscape is a cross-platform program for creating vector graphics, based on the standard SVG format.
• Importing and exporting of bitmap graphics formats is supported, as is import of Adobe Illustrator files.

• Scribus

• Scribus is a cross-platform Desktop Publishing application.
• As well as typesetting, a range of standard image formats are supported, as are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator files.

• Blender

• As well as animation, Blender can be used for 3D modelling.
• Models created in Blender can be used for 3D printing.

• QCAD
• LibreCAD

• QCAD and LibreCAD are a cross-platform 2D CAD packages.
• LibreCAD is based on QCAD but provides a more modern interface

• FreeCAD

• FreeCAD is a 3D CAD package.

• Eclipse
• NetBeans
• MonoDevelop

• Eclipse and NetBeans are both popular general purpose Integrated Development Environments (IDEs).
• Eclipse is used as the basis for many platforms’ Software Development Kits (SDKs), including Android.
• Eclipse and NetBeans support a variety of languages through plug-ins and extensions.
• MonoDevelop is an IDE specifically designed for building cross-platform software using an open source implementation of the .NET framework (Mono).

• Scratch
• Ruby
• Python
• PHP
• Lazarus

• Scratch is a language designed for teaching programming concepts, allowing students to create programs by dragging blocks onto a canvas rather than typing commands.
• Ruby, Python and PHP are all widely-used interpreted programming languages.
• Lazarus is an alternative to Delphi, can run on both Windows and Linux platforms and uses an almost identical interface.
• PHP is designed for building dynamic web applications.
• Many common web applications such as WordPress, MediaWiki, Drupal and Moodle are written in PHP.
• Ruby and Python are powerful multi-purpose languages which can be used to build both desktop and web applications.
• Ruby and Python feature consistent intuitive syntax which makes them ideal for teaching.
• Each language is supported by a vibrant community of users and developers, which comprehensive documentation.

• PsyScope
• PEBL

• Applications that help in running experiments in psychology, for example presenting stimuli to subjects and measuring responses
• PEBL comes with a library of common tests
• Allow users to develop their own experiments using scripting or programming

• gvSIG Educa
• GRASS GIS
• JUMP GIS

• gvSIG Educa is a customization of the gvSIG Desktop Open Source GIS, adapted as a tool for the education of issues that have a geographic component.
• The aim is to provide educators with a tool that helps students to analyse and understand space, and which can be adapted to different levels or education systems.
• gvSIG Educa is not only useful for the teaching of geographic material, but can also be used for learning any subject that contains a spatial component such as history, economics, natural science, sociology…
• Facilitates learning by letting students interact with the information, by adding a spatial component to the study of the material, and by facilitating the assimilation of concepts through visual tools such as thematic maps.
• gvSIG Educa provides analysis tools that help to understand spatial relationships.
• Other open source GIS packages provide similar feature sets.

• Open Circuit Design

• Open Circuit Design is a collection of tools providing features such as PCB layout design and component simulation.

• R
• R Commander

• R is a free software environment for statistical computing and graphics. It is an open source implementation of the “S” programming language.
• R-Commander is a basic statistics GUI for R, consisting of a window containing menus, buttons, and information fields.

• SageMath

• Sage is a free open-source mathematics software system licensed under the GPL. It combines the power of many existing open-source packages into a common interface.
• Sage’s mission is “to create a viable free open source alternative to Magma, Maple, Mathematica and Matlab.”