Free & Open Source Software in Education

FOSSed Web Site has MOVED!

2009-03-07T18:00:00.000-08:00

FOSSed Web site has moved! http://www.fossed.com

The site for the FOSSed Conference is moving! I'll keep this blog here, but the parts pertaining to the FOSSed conference have moved/are moving to http://www.fossed.com. The site is partially finished and I hope to have most of it done very soon. If you are looking for registration and information for FOSSed 2009...head on over to the new site! www.fossed.com

FOSSED 2009 Registration is OPEN!

2009-01-12T07:45:00.000-08:00

Go here to register! More information coming soon!

Call for presentations for FOSSED 2009!

2008-12-16T06:32:00.000-08:00

Do you love Free and Open Source software? Are you an educator who is using FOSS or Web 2.0 technologies in the classroom? Are you a techie who utilizes FOSS in the server closet or around your school or organization? If so, we'd love to have you share your knowledge and expertise at FOSSED 2009. Fill in the form below to help us out!

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Software Freedom Day Worth Celebrating

2008-08-27T17:32:00.001-07:00

Software Freedom Day Worth Celebrating | Fanatic Attack

No, this is not a day when you free yourself of all your software addictions. Rather, Software Freedom Day is an annual grass roots effort to educate the public on the virtues of free and open source software. The 2008 event takes place on September 20 and will be celebrated in 65 countries across the globe. So exactly what is this open source movement and why are people celebrating it? Moreover, why should you care?

Open source software is available for free, to everyone and unlike for example, Windows or Mac operating systems, it is non-proprietary - meaning it is available for others to share, build upon, change, and redistribute either in its modified or unmodified form.The source code is transparent and allows rights to users which would otherwise be prohibited by copyright. Since the source code is transparent, bugs or security flaws can quickly be discovered and patched. In a proprietary system, the software is closed and typically you are reliant on the company’s “word” that security glitches will be or have been fixed.

Just as Sunshine Laws are invaluable tools to keep the public informed of elected official’s meetings in the public interest, open source provides such user benefits in software as increased control, enhanced security, free or reduced cost and higher quality due to constant peer review of the code.Some excellent examples of open source software include Mozilla Firefox internet browser, Ubuntu operating system, OpenOffice.org, a software suite similar to Microsoft Office, GIMP image editing software and the list goes on and on from there.

So if you’re new to open source, Software Freedom Day celebrates a philosophical movement which values collaboration, community and transparency. It benefits the public good and ensures basic human freedoms are strengthened by technology, not hampered.

One Participant's Impressions

2008-06-30T17:45:00.000-07:00

FOSSED 2008 is an amazing adventure. If you missed it, you might be interested in my take on sessions that I attended. I hope it inspires you to register for FOSSED 2009!

FOSSED Evaluation

2008-06-27T06:40:00.000-07:00

FOSSED 2008 attendees! Please take a moment to fill out the evaluation and provide us with some feedback on the conference. Your answers are confidential and your input truly helps to shape the future of FOSSED. We want to thank you for coming and hope you had a great experience! Hope to see you again next year!

Click here to go to the online evaluation

David and Bryant

How to get a Windows Tax Refund

2008-05-28T06:46:00.001-07:00

If you buy a computer, you often pay for Microsoft Windows even if you
didn't ask for it and aren't going to use it. This article shows you
how to return your unused Windows license and get your money back,
freeing yourself from the Windows tax.

Linux.com :: How to get a Windows tax refund

Posting on the fly from IMified

2008-04-30T19:20:00.001-07:00

I recently read a post on Twitter about a new service called IMified which allows you to post to many Web 2.0 services right from your IM client. I use IM quite a bit to stay in touch with others during the day so I figured "what the heck"? So here I am posting to my FOSSED blog using Pidgin (my IM client of choice on my Ubuntu laptop). We'll see in a second if this posts. Check out IMified here: http://www.imified.com

Pencil - Open Source 2D animation software!

2008-04-26T15:40:00.001-07:00

Looking for an easy to use animation program to use in the classroom? If so, try Pencil. I downloaded Pencil and had my first crude animation going in just a few minutes! It's very cool and easy to learn. Best of all, it's available cross-platform! Linux, Windows, Mac OS X....installation is a BREEZE! Download it and play, learn, create! Check out the Pencil web site

The OnTime podcast (ACTEM)

2008-04-17T14:47:00.000-07:00

The Association of Computer Technology Educators of Maine (ACTEM) has a podcast! A darn good one I might add! Last night we had parent/teacher conferences so I was set to walk home in the dark. It's about 3.5 miles and I do it willingly and on purpose...it was a beautiful moonlit night. I started out listening to the Red Sox - Yankees game, but ran into a stretch where both the game and the radio signal weren't doing well. So...I had downloaded the OnTime podcast to my N800 earlier in the day so I decided to listen to that. I had listened to snippets of previous shows, but last night I listened to the whole thing. I'm glad I did! I actually learned some very useful things! Vince, Sharon, and Crystal talked about a variety of topics ranging from Crystal's trip to a conference in San Francisco... the upcoming PackageMaker training...the FOSSED conference (unsolicited...all 3 have attended and Sharon is presenting again this year)...and they also shared some tips and web "finds". Vince really piqued my interest (to the point where I stopped walking for a moment) with his discovery of Shockwave for Linux! He also told about a little known part of the Adobe site where all of their beta and "lab" stuff can be found. Very cool! You can find links to the podcast at http://www.actem.org. I'm sitting here in a high school parking lot using my n800 to blog about this podcast while I wait for my daughter to get out of softball practice...why? Because you really should listen to it!

FOSSED 2008 Flyer has been posted!

2008-04-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

Download the 2008 FOSSED flyer here! Print it, download it, share it! (far and wide)

Using Skype and a bluetooth headset to replace my cellphone

2008-03-28T07:15:00.001-07:00

Hi all. Yet another snowy day here in Northern New England (darn it!). I love snow, but it's APRIL! Enough already! Hard to play baseball when there's 2 - 3 feet of snow on the field.

Last night I was in Staples buying some blank CD-R's when I came across a "clearance table" where they had lots of things marked down, like external hard drives for $60 and other things like a Motorola H550 bluetooth headset for $17! Needless, to say...I bought the headset. I've always wanted to try using a BT headset with Skype. Here was my opportunity. I began by pairing it to my MacBook Pro running Leopard. Very simple and straightforward. I went into System Preferences and set my Sound output and input to use the headset. It worked fantastic with Skype as I had about an hour long conversation with a colleague.

Next was to try it with my little Nokia N800 and Skype. Pairing was a bit tricky and it could have been because my MacBook was nearby. Once detected it went very easily. I wasn't able to test it beyond having conversations with myself by calling my own cell phone via SkypeOut. It was a bit choppy and overmodulated, but it could have been a network issue. I have to experiment more.

Last was my System76 Darter2 running Ubuntu. I had to install Stephan Graber's BT headset pairing application (which works fantastic!), but once I did it paired and worked great. Skype defaulted to it right away. I use SkypeOut to call my wife at her work number and she sounded very clear and vice versa.

Why do this? Some of you may be like me. I have a weak cellphone signal here in my classroom and many times I can't make or take calls depending on where I am, however, my building is completely covered with WiFi and accessible via WiFi from anywhere. So, I paid my $29 per year for an unlimited SkypeOut account (only calls to the US and Canada...I'd have to buy more credits for international calls) which allows me to call landlines (computer to computer is free) from my computer. Now that I have a bluetooth headset, I'm no longer tethered to my laptop. :-) Skype is a wonderful VOIP tool and it makes life a bit easier for me when I'm unable to use my cellphone and still need to be able to move about my classroom or school.

Mobile Blogging from my Nokia N800

2008-03-05T10:39:00.001-08:00

I finally got it working! It was actually quite simple...basically a matter of me not following directions ;-) What am I talking about? I am making this blog post from my Nokia N800 internet tablet Click Here for more info. I'm using a neat little program called MaemoWordPy which is a blogging agent that allows you to post to your blog (Wordpress or Blogger) and have all the features of a blogging client on a desktop computer.

I'm pretty excited now that my mobile blogging can be kicked up a notch. Of course, I could blog via email or via the web browser, but this is so much more powerful and better for me. Keep a lookout for more mobile blog posts! If you have an N800 or N810, I encourage you to give MaemoWordPy a try!

FOG...a free computer cloning solution!

2008-03-04T10:51:00.001-08:00

Chuck Syperski is working on an Open Source project that aims to make computer image deployment for companies and organizations very easy. Version 0.12 of FOG includes many new features including printer
management, inventory, client side registration, reporting, and a
client updater, just to name a few. I have yet to try it, but the screenshots look very intriguing. According to Chuck...It is a ghost-like imaging solution that can be used to image Windows PCs in large network environments. It does everything without boot disks/CDs, it also includes some pretty advanced features like multicast support, a client side service that does printer management, hostname changes, AD registration, user tracking and more. The FOG management suite does imaging plus hardware inventory, AV scan, memory testing, and disk wiping. It is all web based and can run on Fedora or Ubuntu. Sounds pretty cool! I'm looking forward to trying it!

FOG :: A Ghost-like Computer Cloning Solution - Home

Miro "Using the Internet TV for Education"

2008-03-03T19:43:00.001-08:00

There's an awesome application out there called Miro. Miro is a free application that turns your computer into an internet TV video player. You can download it here for Windows, Mac, or Linux. Miro is open source...which has gotta' make you feel good, too! I've found that Miro plays just about anything, but its strength lies in that there are literally thousands of channels that you can subscribe to and download internet TV shows.

So...how does this play into education? There are many channels dedicated to such topics as nature, science, history, space, tutorials and so much more! I just watched a very interesting show from NASA and a news show compiled from newscasts from Middle East TV stations! The video quality is superb! Students can download their own shows or better yet, the teacher can download the content to a master computer and show the video up on a screen for the entire class! Miro is a powerful tool that can really enhance learning in your classroom...check it out today!

Using OpenOffice extensions to enhance productivity!

2008-03-03T19:35:00.001-08:00

Many people know about OpenOffice, StarOffice, and NeoOffice, but few seem to know about one of the most powerful features of OpenOffice...extensions. OpenOffice has a built-in extension manager (go to "Tools" > "Extension Manager") where one can add extensions to enhance the function and usability of OpenOffice. Visit the OpenOffice Extensions Page and download your favorite extensions...then use the extension manager to install them to OpenOffice. I highly recommend you grab the OpenOffice.org2GoogleDocs extension.

Export and Import your documents to Google Docs from OpenOffice.org, and from OpenOffice.org to Google Docs.

It can upload:

* Documents: OpenDocument Text (.odt), StarOffice (.sxw), Microsoft Word (.doc, but not MS XML), Rich Text (.rtf)

* Spreadsheets: OpenDocument Spreadsheet (.ods), Microsoft Excel (.xls), Comma Separated Value (.csv)

There are several template, clip art, and accessory extensions which will populate your OpenOffice installation with clips, templates, and more!

Firefox keyboard shortcuts! Improve your surfing!

2008-03-03T18:07:00.001-08:00

Today I stumbled across a blog post about voting for your favorite
Firefox keyboard shortcut. I thought to myself, “I wonder just how
shortcuts there are?” I know the old standby’s like CTRL-C to copy,
CTRL-V to paste, and my favorite…CTRL-T to open a new tab. (Yes, I know
more too, but these are a sample) Lo’ and behold…I found even more!
Some of them have already changed my surfing habits! I’m much faster
now. How about CTRL-L which highlights and selects the address bar….or
try this…

Type a word in the address bar such as “openoffice” (no quotes)

Now press CTRL-Enter Voila! Firefox automatically puts in the www
and .com for you! To use .org press SHIFT-CTRL-ENTER and for .net use
SHIFT-ENTER. Pretty cool huh? Between CTRL-L and the others, I can
pretty much avoid using the mouse or trackpad most of the time!

Find out all about the shortcuts and more on this page from the folks who bring you Firefox! Click Here

Comments (0)

£99 laptop could hatch the Linux generation

2008-03-01T19:44:00.001-08:00

PC manufacturer Elonex is launching ONE,
an ultra-portable laptop, at this week’s Education Show at the NEC. The
machine provides a 7″ LCD screen, wireless Internet access and 1GB
on-board solid state memory (there is no hard disc to save on costs).
It runs Linux with what looks like OpenOffice for word processing and
is being aimed at the education market. It costs just £99. Read all about it and check out their page! Click the link below!

£99 laptop could hatch the Linux generation « Tech Lunch

The ultimate collection of Linux/Unix cheat sheets!

2008-02-24T15:54:00.001-08:00

For those of you who know him, Trey Bachner actually sent me this link the other day. He figured I'd seen them already and he was right to a degree....I have seen some of them, but not all of them and not all in one place! This is an awesome resource! Linux newbie, OS X command-line junkie, guru, geek, or whatever....these cheat sheets can be VERY handy. Expect to see copies of them at FOSSED this year! Check them out! (also...looking around this site will yield other cheat sheets for networking and so forth)

Linux-Unix cheat sheets - The ultimate collection >> Scott Klarr

The Top 50 Proprietary Programs that Drive You Crazy — and Their Open Source Alternatives

2008-02-24T15:44:00.001-08:00

While browsing around this evening I stumbled upon a fantastic article about those pesky proprietary programs that drive you nuts either due to feature overload, clumsy interfaces, or price and lock-in....and their Open Source alternatives that you can use to replace them! Jimmy Atkinson does a pretty good job of picking out some that really drive me nuts! These programs are not just for Linux, but rather they run the gamut of Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X. Number 35 is pretty interesting. It mentions replacing iTunes with Songbird. Just so happens that at this very moment I am listening to U2's Joshua Tree album on my noise reducing headphones...using Songbird! Also...number 39 is pretty cool too! If you've never used Miro, then you owe it to yourself to check it out...it's pretty awesome! For #42...I personally recommend Clonezilla. Clonezilla has proven to be a godsend for us at VCS and Union 52. Be sure to check the comment section as many folks have suggested even more alternatives!

The Top 50 Proprietary Programs that Drive You Crazy — and Their Open Source Alternatives | WHDb

FOSSED registrations and planning underway!

2008-02-23T19:42:00.001-08:00

Finally! I just finished a major project at another school and finally have some time to "come up for air". Springtime is just around the corner and that means it's time to get ready for another great FOSSED conference! I'm actually really excited as I feel I have a really good handle on some things this year that have given me trouble in the past. One of those things is the registration process. I have switched to a fantastic Web 2.0 solution some of you may be familiar with...Zoho Creator. The solution we had in the past worked well, but it was a bit cumbersome for me and very susceptible to SPAM. We had a lot of Russians who registered for the FOSSED conference last year and still are ;-) (in other words Russian SPAM sites...etc.) You'll notice that I've added a "Captcha" (the little picture with letters and numbers you have to enter) to the registration process just before you submit to verify that you are indeed...human. I'm also excited about our new location! We have decided to move our second FOSSED conference location from UNH to The Governor's Academy in Byfield, MA. The reasons are many, but suffice it to say...keeping the price reasonable was a large factor. We're excited as we feel The Governor's Academy will generate much of the same type of atmosphere we have at Gould Academy every June. The good news is that it's only about 10-15 miles difference from the distance to UNH...for many of us... it's a straight shot on the interstate. I'm hopeful that in addition to our colleagues from New Hampshire that we'll also have many folks from Massachusetts and beyond.

Well that's it for now. I gotta' get up early in the morning and hit the slopes! Headed to Saddleback for what I hope will be a fantastic day of skiing. Check out the links above with regard to sending us session ideas! We need your input! After all, it's YOUR conference! Wanna' present or teach a session? Let me know! copperdoggy@gmail.com

Looking forward to another great year!

David

Wow! Our new SmartBoard and Edubuntu!

2008-02-07T18:29:00.001-08:00

Recently I was able to purchase an interactive whiteboard called a "SmartBoard" for our school. I have several more in the budget for next year, but this one gives us an opportunity to learn more about how to use one. I was excited to find out when I ordered it that it would be compatible with Linux, but I had my doubts. Often times manufacturers make claims to be compatible with Linux, but generally with a loss of features or a very difficult installation. I was a little nervous when I stuck in the CD to the drive on my Edubuntu desktop....and I couldn't get the installer to execute. So...I went to the web site and downloaded the installer from there. The installer was a breeze to work with! It's an autopackage that simply asked me a couple yes or no questions...and then VOILA! That was it! Suddenly the SmartBoard software launched and we were in business! The total install time took less than 2 minutes! Guess what else? Everything works! Every feature from the notebook software to the screen captures and more! I'm truly impressed! The folks at Smarttech have really taken a look at the future of Linux and FOSS in Education. Today was simply my first day...all I got a chance to do was put it together, load the software and play around a little. I'm finding myself a bit excited to get to school tomorrow so I can really try things out. Just in the few chances I got to try it out today, I can really see how it will totally change the way I teach! I'm psyched!

Really cool Web App! Bubbl.us!

2008-01-01T10:52:00.001-08:00

I found this while researching apps to help me keep my New Years Resolutions...bubbl.us. I often use graphic organizers when creating presentations and getting ready to teach a specific class. I just signed up for an account (FREE of course) and have found it to be remarkably easy to use! Flash-based mindmap creator bubbl.us allows you to quickly and easily
make effective, attractive mindmaps that can be exported as images or
as HTML outlines, or shared with others who can add new items or draw
new connections between existing ones. Check it out!

bubbl.us - free web application for brainstorming online

Very cool new Open Source archive! Check it out!

2007-12-26T09:14:00.001-08:00

I was just on Digg and found this great Open Source software archive! It's quite comprehensive....lots if great cross-platform offerings. You oughta' check it out! Maybe you'll find something new and useful for your new computer that you got over the holidays ;-)

Open Source Living

OS in Education Grad Course at UMaine

2007-12-16T07:28:00.000-08:00

Thought I would give everyone a heads up on a new course at the University of Maine. We are offering EDT 598 section3: Open Source in Education. It will be offered online through Moodle. It is aimed at teachers and administrators whose schools may be going toward open source solutions and meant as an introduction to OS. Participants will learn what open source software is, why it exists, and look at how to implement popular open source software packages into the classroom.

If you know anyone interested in this course please email me at timothy.hart@maine.edu.

TechTip Podcast Episode 002!

2007-11-14T20:01:00.001-08:00

download episode 002in MP3 format (plays on most common MP3 players and computers)

download episode 002 in OGG format (free and open source format high quality...works very well with Linux)

Today we're talking about setting up extensions and themes in Firefox. It doesn't matter whether you use Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X. Firefox is cross-platform and so are the extensions and themes! It's really easy...listen to the podcast and then check out the show-notes for links, screenshots, and more!

Click here for the show notes

Our first day with the Intel Classmate PC running Edubuntu!

2007-11-05T14:00:00.001-08:00

Last week at the Ubuntu Developers Summit in Boston I was given a shiny new Intel Classmate PC loaded with Edubuntu 7.10! Aside from being a nice little tiny laptop that I could play around with, I was really excited to get it home and show it to the kids. I used it as a prop for a lesson on free vs. freedom in the world of computers and software. I also discussed with the kids how computers can play a vital role in opening up the world for kids who have never even seen a computer, especially kids in the developing world. It was a great discussion! Check out the excitement for yourself!

Classmate PC at VCS

Basic System Administration on Ubuntu Seminar

2007-11-05T09:21:00.001-08:00

The Informatics Institute held a Seminar on Basic System Administration on Linux, more specifically, Ubuntu. Mr. Jed Berones, a Network Security Engineer, was tapped as the resource speaker for the said seminar.

Most SMB's and Enterprise businesses are already running Linux, and this seminar will benefit the participants by exposing them to a more stable Operating System. Participants were also provided with hand-outs and certificates of attendance. And because of the success of this event, plans are underway for future seminars.

The topics discussed were:

Ubuntu Installation
Configurations
Customization
System Administration
Advanced Techniques
Applications

More images at Flickr.

Using Flock

2007-11-04T17:13:00.001-08:00

Going to try Flock again. I have heard that the new release is much better.

Blogged with Flock

Great news! Local Applications on Edubuntu thin-clients!

2007-11-01T14:15:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! History has been made at UDS Boston! Last night, Halloween, four developers holed up in a room in the Hotel@MIT and hacked away on what would become a working version of local apps running on an Edubuntu thin-client! This is VERY big news. Normally in a thin-client environment, the applications all run on the server. This is fine except when you have a whole lab of kids using Firefox and Flash to access an educational web site or to (*gasp*) play games. What about YouTube? Well, with local apps you take advantage of some of the processing power on the thin-client itself (which largely goes unused). In essence we simply ask a particular application to run on the thin-client rather than the server. This will be something that can be defined for individual thin-clients or groups of thin-clients. As schools already have or possibly may purchase more powerful thin-clients, the choice to be able to run some applications such as firefox may become more desirable. Right at this moment I am watching a very smooth video running locally in Firefox on a thin-client. Normally it runs quite choppy on a thin-client, but when running locally it's very smooth just like running it on a desktop or laptop. I just tried an educational subscription site called BrainPOP...the flash movies ran very well. I'm excited about this new development...it will revolutionize the whole Linux thin-client industry. It still has a ways to go before it's fully implemented, but it won't be long! Look for local apps on LTSP coming to a server near you!

Visit Scott Balneaves' blog for more information

Extend OpenOffice with OxygenOffice

2007-10-22T10:14:00.001-07:00

Windows/Mac/Linux: Add clip art, advanced PDF functions, and in-editor Wikipedia searching to open source office suite OpenOffice.org with OxygenOffice Professional, a modified installation package and extension. Along with adding roughly 3,400 clip art files and templates, OxygenOffice's extensions also add support for Microsoft's Visual Basic for Applications in the Calc spreadsheet program and conversion tools for the Office Open XML format used in Office 2007. Combined with the Writer's Tools package, this gives OO.org a number of exclusive features.

To install, download the extension, open OO.org, go to Tools -> Extension Manager and click the "Add" button in the My Extensions section, or download a binary to make a fresh OO.org install. OxygenOffice is a free download that runs wherever OpenOffice.org does. (via Lifehacker.com)

Featured Download: Extend OpenOffice with OxygenOffice

Ubuntu 7.10 "Gutsy Gibbon" - My First Impressions

2007-10-15T17:45:00.001-07:00

As of this post, the release of Ubuntu 7.10 is only 3 days away. This past weekend I blew away my Feisty Fawn installation on my old Dell laptop and replaced it with a shiny new installation of Gutsy Gibbon, other wise known as Ubuntu 7.10. I used the latest "release candidate" which is essentially the finished product minus some tweaks which I'll grab with the Update Manager anyway. In fact, over the past couple of days I've noticed some artwork changes and things like that. When I first installed Gutsy the OpenOffice splash screen was the default OpenOffice blue and white, but as of yesterday it had been changed or "upgraded" to the familiar Ubuntu brown and orange. I suspect that there are many little things, or finishing touches, like this that are being applied each time I update over the next few days until the release (on October 18th).

So...what do I think? I'm lovin' it! First thing that really jumped out at me was the easy screen and printer setup. Setting up multiple screens is a snap! There's a nice GUI for setting up most of your video settings. Very cool. My printer? The easiest I've ever encountered. Last night I needed to print something here at home. I have a networked Xerox Docuprint N2125 Laser Printer. In the past I would have had to input the IP address, port number, and so forth. This time? The printer dialogue asked me to select whether it was a local or networked printer. I selected "networked". It then asked me if I'd like the computer to search my network for the printer...I clicked "Yes". Next thing I know, it has found my printer with the correct IP address and port settings...AND it then offered to find the correct driver for me! Which it did...and that was IT! Off to work I went....printing and printing some more!

Next stop...F-Spot Photo application. The new F-Spot is AWESOME! Now I know that's not an Ubuntu issue, but it is included as part of a default installation so I feel it's part of the "package". I was able to easily grab photos off my digital camera, import them to F-Spot and then easily upload them to my PicasaWeb account! So far I am very impressed with the polish and improvements in Gutsy Gibbon.

I have ordered a new laptop from System76 which should be here soon. I'm very excited and look forward to "moving in" to my new laptop. What's different about this one? System76 only sells Linux based laptops...more specifically Ubuntu laptops. The nice thing is that I'll always know that my hardware will work with Ubuntu as I have a company standing behind it. I can't wait to see how Gutsy flies on my new System76 Darter laptop. I'll write a review as soon as I get a chance to "move in"! In the meantime, download Ubuntu 7.10 and give it a try!

K12Online - let the fun begin

2007-10-15T07:01:00.001-07:00

(Cross posted from SharonsShare) These presentations have been published today at K12OnlineConference 2007!

Direct links to the presentation are provided.

This is a must attend conference - at your own time and place. Even have CEU's and college credits offered. The presenters names are a list of visionary educators.

Technorati Tags: sharonbetts,k12online07

FOSSED Attendee/Presenter now writing about Education!

2007-09-25T06:11:00.001-07:00

Deborah White of the Asa Adams School in Orono, Maine is now a columnist with the Bangor Daily News! She has been asked to write about education and how it applies to all of us. Not only that, Deb is a FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) user! Deb has been using FOSS in her own classroom for a couple years now. She wrote an excellent column on Software Freedom Day. Check out her articles....click below.

Deborah White, Bangor Daily News Columnist

Need help making the jump to Ubuntu?

2007-09-10T20:31:00.001-07:00

Need help making the jump to Ubuntu? Check this site out! This web site attempts to create an "Ubuntu for Dummies" blog to help people with ZERO experience with Linux get through the day. The site is "human readable" and a great help for those migrating from the Windows world. The most recent post deals with migrating Outlook to Thunderbird and Evolution. Check it out!

Ubuntu Help

Content Management

2007-08-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

Just put out a plea from Techtwaddle - but wonder if the readers here would also like to participate?
All summer I have been studying the different Content Management Systems for a change to some of my sites. I have decided on Joomla - wondering what opensource systems you are using and how you feel about them.

I now use Metadot (school) and do not like its sluggish load time - also not a big fan of Perl (probably because I just don't understand it well enough).
Also use Wiki's and Blogs - and am now into Ning. All of these are great for personal and social sites, but I still think CMS is the way to go for a district. Anyway - any comments here or at Techtwaddle are appreciated.

sharonbetts
cms
joomla

Lady of Lourdes College goes Open Source

2007-08-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

Our Lady of Lourdes College Foundation has followed the footsteps of Royal Roads University, Durham Academy, and Handsworth Grammar School by using Free and Open Source Software in their classroom. But this time, the school's administrators decided to take it one step further: eliminate all proprietary software from their computers and their courses and use FOSS exclusively. This move was seen as the most cost-effective solution for the Foundation while at the same time providing quality education that the students need.

Open Source is a set of principles and practices that promote access to the
design and production of goods and knowledge. The term was initially and is
most commonly applied to the source code of software that is available to the
general public with relaxed or non-existent intellectual property
restrictions. This allows users to create software content through
incremental individual effort or through collaboration.

By using Open Source Software, the Foundation managed to cut down the Total
Cost of Ownership dramatically. The school's IT budget was used to purchase
additional computers for students instead of paying software licenses for
Microsoft Windows Vista Basic and Office Basic which costs as high PhP 14,000
per PC (based on PCBodega.com's pricelist). Xubuntu was the Operating System
of choice and OpenOffice for Office applications, both of which are free,
stable and secure. Xubuntu is a derivative of Ubuntu, a Linux distribution,
but is designed for old and low-end computers which will extend the life
cycle of computers from 5 to 8 years. Security and Stability are also
guaranteed by Xubuntu. Due to its impeccable design, viruses fail to thrive
in a Linux environment and its strict permission-based method made sure that
no system files can easily be modified or deleted rendering the system prone
to crashes. Software and security updates will always be free and a new, also
free, version available to the public every six months. Because of it's
faster release cycle, active development, and community participation,
Xubuntu has become very appealing even to first-time computer users
disproving the myth that Linux is for programmers and experts only.
OpenOffice has gone a long way and has evolved into a direct competitor of MS
Office. It has Word Processing, Spreadsheet, Database, Presentation,
Mathematics, and Vector Graphics applications which can also open, edit, and
save MS Office files which made sure there won't be file incompatibilities.

But the foundation won't stop there, they'll also adopt Drupal for their
content, Moodle for eLearning, and SchoolTool for their school administration
needs. The Department of Computer Studies would replace Visual Basic and
Visual C++ with Gambas and Anjuta/KDevelop respectively. Eclipse would be
utilized for Java subjects and MonoDevelop for C# and .NET. Plans are also
underway to offer courses on 2D and 3D Animation using Blender and GIMP. The
Contact Center Course would use Asterisk and SugarCRM. And all of these would be implemented next semester.

Two of the many workstations with Xubuntu Feisty Fawn

The teachers/participants during the Seminar

Our Lady of Lourdes College Foundation is located at Vinzons Ave, Daet, Camarines Norte
For inquiries, you may contact Dr. Joaquin Palencia at jgp88 at yahoo dot com.

Portable Apps revisited!

2007-08-16T19:48:00.001-07:00

I recently stumbled upon portableapps.com (literally I was using StumbleUpon)...again...as I've been there before, but this time I noticed they have the Portable Apps Suite!  Sweet!  You can download and install all the apps at once to your USB drive and truly have a "portable" suite of apps!

PortableApps.com - Portable software for USB drives | Your Digital Life, Anywhere™

Unix/Linux Command Cheat Sheet

2007-08-07T15:36:00.001-07:00

The good folks at FOSSwire have created a really cool Unix/Linux Command Cheat Sheet! I'm by no means a command line newbie, but there are often commands that escape me and thus I have to turn to Google for my answers....this cheat sheet may just save the day! Check it out...and while you're there...check out the FOSSwire site! I'm adding it to my Google Reader! Great job!

FOSSwire » Unix/Linux Command Cheat Sheet

Getting ready for the roll-out of Edubuntu

2007-08-04T20:55:00.001-07:00

Well, the summer is beginning to wear on and I have to get back to work at getting things ready for the upcoming school year. I've been in to school a couple times, but for the most part I've stayed away. No longer. I must return and begin another adventure. I'm actually looking forward to it. This year I am rolling out Edubuntu (click here for more info) throughout the entire school. I'm also taking a major step at breaking our dependence on Windows (even more). Up until now each classroom has had a Windows machine (or a Mac in some cases) in addition to a "mini-lab" of Linux thin-clients". This year I'm replacing them with Edubuntu machines. Now...before you gasp too loudly...Windows will still be available in two forms. One is via our Windows Terminal Server and the other is quite unique if you ask me (go ahead...ask me) Ok I'll tell ya'. I'm installing the free VMWare Player on the Edubuntu desktops and creating a Windows XP Pro virtual machine to push out to these desktops. So...if the users MUST use Windows, they can. My hope is that by having the base operating system as Edubuntu...they will see that they can do more than 90% of their tasks right there without having to go to Windows. I will also be using Edubuntu on all of the thin-clients...so the transition around school will be effortless for the users. I also will be using Samba/LDAP as my central point of authentication regardless of platform. Matt Oquist has created a fantastic installer for Samba/LDAP called "smbldap-installer" (click here for more info) which makes it a snap to install and configure a Samba/LDAP server in minutes. I'll be running mine on an Ubuntu server so it'll be nice and stable...and lightweight. My mind is racing with new ideas and that's kind of exciting. I'll keep ya'll posted on my progress!

sharon's share: Online presentation tool

2007-07-08T05:34:00.000-07:00

sharon's share: Online presentation tool

This free presentation tool ranks even above my favorite from ZOHO.

230+ Keyboard Shortcuts for Top Web Services

2007-07-05T08:34:00.001-07:00

Ok, this is very cool...if you use a lot of Web 2.0 services like I do (I'm a major Google user...PicasaWeb, GoogleDocs, iGoogle, GMail) then you'll love this article. These shortcuts really make things go a lot faster! Enjoy!

230+ Keyboard Shortcuts for Top Web Services

Back from NECC

2007-06-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

All I can say is "WOW". NECC (in Atlanta) was a fabulous motivating experience. There are many blog postings for those who didn't attend -
Some on my network - which I invite everyone to join: http://newlearning.ning.com

and all fed through Hitchhikr.
sharon+betts
hitchhikr
necc2007

A bit of a hiatus...

2007-06-30T08:15:00.001-07:00

Hey all...I'm taking a bit of a hiatus for the next couple weeks as I'll be on the road with the next FOSSED conference...taking in a Red Sox game in Boston...and heading off to camp for a week. So...I will have my N800 in case I get inspired, but at the moment I'm storing up all sorts of cool ideas for the months ahead. Stay tuned!

Also...there are many others who are able to post to this blog...check out their articles. If you'd like to become a contributor...email me at [copperdoggy_AT_gmail.com]

Moodle Installation Document

2007-06-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to the Moodle Installation Document.

Don't you wish you were here?

2007-06-21T06:46:00.001-07:00

Open Source Software on the Mac!

2007-06-21T06:29:00.000-07:00

What? Free & Open Source Software for the Mac? You bet! Click Here

Web 2.0 in the classroom

2007-06-21T03:23:00.001-07:00

What fun - there was such enthusiasm in the sessions yesterday. You can see the Moodle presentation (it is open to Guests).

and please think about joining the participants in our Social Network (you will need to join to post and get your own page) at http://newlearning.ning.com

Sharon

First Day at FOSSED 2007 (Gould Academy)

2007-06-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

Well...we have finally begun the 5th year at Gould Academy...and what a day it was! The sessions all went very well. I was shocked to see how many teachers were here and how many had packed in to participate in the Web 2.0 session and the FLOSS in the classroom session. So cool! As usual the food, atmosphere, and conversation is incredible. Tomorrow is jam-packed....so I gotta' get some sleep! :-)

-David-

Intro to Linux Docs

2007-06-20T07:51:00.000-07:00

The Intro to Linux session begin taught by David Trask is going quite well. The link for the documents for this session is HERE.

Bloggin at FOSSED by a Participant

2007-06-20T07:18:00.001-07:00

This proves that Sharon is a good teacher. The lab is filled with the sounds of rapid-fire key strokes as we all try out blogging.

Blogggin at FOSSED

2007-06-20T07:06:00.000-07:00

This is an example post from the FOSSED bloggers.

Phew! Almost ready...

2007-06-18T12:18:00.001-07:00

As Sharon said in a previous post...this is FOSSED week. I'm headed to Gould Academy for the 2007 FOSSED conference tomorrow afternoon. I must say that organizing a conference is a whole lotta' work, but for me it's a labor of love. I look forward to this week almost as much as I look forward to Christmas. It's so much fun to eat, sleep, and breath Linux and Open Source for 3 whole days. I meet some incredible people who are very passionate about what they do. It's refreshing to know that there are folks out there who've had enough of banging their heads against the wall and are ready to move forward whether it's with FOSS or whatever. It's encouraging to hear the success stories and see the growth that has happened since the first NELS/FOSSED conference was held five years ago! So...if you're reading this...and attending the conference at Gould Academy....I'll see you tomorrow. If not, I hope you'll join us in July at UNH! That one's just as fun! http://www.fossed.com  for more info. Off to FOSSED....

Hey everyone

2007-06-18T07:58:00.000-07:00

Thank you to David for inviting me to participate in this blog. This is FOSSED week - as you know - and very busy. Next week I am off to NECC and plan to blog both for myself and for eSchoolNews. I will attempt to remember to cross post any open source sessions that I attend here.
See many of you at Bethel.
Sharon

sharon+betts
necc07
FOSSED

"Ask Me About....."

2007-06-17T19:44:00.000-07:00

As I start to pack up cables, CPUs, lamps and LAMPs, swag and pillows in preparation for the Hadj to Bethel, I am thinking about the incredible opportunity that these next few days present. These are my favorite conferences of the year and if I had to pick my very favorite thing about these NELS/FOSSEd conferences, it would not actually be the food (though that is really a close second) but the fact that I learn something from every single person I talk to, eat with, listen to and drink among. From incredibly knowledgeable network people to first year teachers for whom this is their first tech conference, everyone has some expertise to offer. People that have never seen FOSS software and were dragged to the conference by a friend offer great insight as to how people view our world from the outside. And the people who are actually coding some of the magic will really listen to concerns and feedback in a way that really doesn't happen at national development conferences. Usually I am having so much fun that I forget how amazing this fact actually is.

So I always start thinking about this time of ways to turbo-charge this process. Could we ask people to provide a digital picture of themselves and 3 topics that would go under the heading of "Ask me about..." Topics like RAID installation, classroom FOSS use in K-2, international FOSS conferences, magic shell commands, good introductory books on OpenOffice, FOSS Library software, educational software horror stories, or backup strategies for rural tech coordinators. And then we post all this on a wall in the science center.

And beside it a huge sheet of paper (how analog!) where people leave questions like "How do I connect two computers to share files on linux machines?" or "Has anyone gotten a Ubuntu LTSP to support Flash 9 and where do I find you?" or "Is there FOSS software for Macs?" Then someone would leave their name saying they can help with that questions and by checking the other board the questioner can seek out that face at some meal or break.

Perhaps something to be discussed this year for implementation at a future conference.

...now where did I leave that hub......

Installing Moodle 1.8 on Ubuntu Server 7.04 (Feisty)

2007-06-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

FOSSED 2007 at Gould Academy is only a couple days away and I figured it's time to begin posting some of the how-to's and so forth in preparation. Back in February I created a document that detailed the easy installation of Moodle 1.7 on Ubuntu Server 6.10 (Edgy). Moodle 1.7 turned out to be a pretty buggy release (even the Moodle guys said so), so I had also created another one for installing Moodle 1.6 (very stable). I chose to "redo" the Moodle 1.7 document for Moodle 1.8 and Ubuntu Server 7.04 (Feisty Fawn). You can find that document HERE.

If you have any suggestions or comments...please post them below in the comments section. I'm constantly striving to make this document better. It is a Google Doc so any changes are automatically republished...check back often. Hope it works well for you...share your successes!

Free & Open Source Software in Education

2007-06-17T10:34:00.000-07:00

This blog is all about FOSS in Education! It is also the posting and storage point for the annual FOSSED conferences. (http://www.fossed.com) I hope you visit often and learn some new things!