25 April 2007
Offline Version of Wikipedia
WikipediaOnDVD through the help of the wikipedia community has released a DVD containing about 2000 articles from the English Wikipedia. The articles have all been reviewed for quality and importance and include topics about geography, the arts, literature, science, history and natural sciences. This is version 0.5 and later versions are expected to include articles in other languages as well as a larger collection of articles.
The CD is compatable with Windows 98+, OS X running on the Intel-based Mac and Linux also running an x86 and can be purchased for 13.99 USD or downloaded free.
The resource is intended to be used by people without Internet connections, but I would consider it more of a preview for those people as with only 2000 articles it is very limited.
The CD is compatable with Windows 98+, OS X running on the Intel-based Mac and Linux also running an x86 and can be purchased for 13.99 USD or downloaded free.
The resource is intended to be used by people without Internet connections, but I would consider it more of a preview for those people as with only 2000 articles it is very limited.
23 December 2006
What can adding a second mouse do to help education?
Microsoft has announced the development of the ability to use multiple mice concurrently on one machine to control Office and other applications. They say this will benefit schools in developing nations where there are more students than schools can afford computers. This allows for all the students to be able to benefit from using the program.
There is just one problem I see, what good can come when 2 people are trying to control the same application. The most appropriate development would be allowing virtual systems to run off of one computer on multiple displays. This would allow all the children to use a computer and still keep the costs considerably lower than having multiple computers. This has already been done with Novell Enterprise SUSE, which has the ability to use one computer to create up to 10 workstations consisting of just keyboards, mice and monitors. This provides for a better learning environment than having 2 mice controlling one application.
There is just one problem I see, what good can come when 2 people are trying to control the same application. The most appropriate development would be allowing virtual systems to run off of one computer on multiple displays. This would allow all the children to use a computer and still keep the costs considerably lower than having multiple computers. This has already been done with Novell Enterprise SUSE, which has the ability to use one computer to create up to 10 workstations consisting of just keyboards, mice and monitors. This provides for a better learning environment than having 2 mice controlling one application.
Labels: education, linux, microsoft, novell, suse
02 December 2006
Electronic Bookworm In Education
The W32.Spybot.ACYR worm is attacking educational sites and computers. It using vulnerabilities in Microsoft and Symantec. Users who have patched their Symantec security in May are safe, but others may not be. Those who don't have a patched version of Symantec's software should consider blocking port 2967 at their firewalls.
For the most part households should have no problems as it seems to only be targetting .edu domains, but people should still be prepared in case there is a change.
For the most part households should have no problems as it seems to only be targetting .edu domains, but people should still be prepared in case there is a change.
Labels: education, microsoft, symantec, vulnerability
14 November 2006
Look into the Past with Google Earth
Google has added another innovation to Google Earth.
Now users are able to view maps dating back to the 17th century. These maps can be overlaid on modern satellite images. This is a wonderful feature for students learning history and can be useful in a classroom setting as well as for those interested in history. Also it can be used to research an area to find what a piece of land or area was in the past.
Now users are able to view maps dating back to the 17th century. These maps can be overlaid on modern satellite images. This is a wonderful feature for students learning history and can be useful in a classroom setting as well as for those interested in history. Also it can be used to research an area to find what a piece of land or area was in the past.
Labels: earth, education, Google
13 November 2006
Free Books for All
For those who like to read, there is a few sites out there offering free ebooks. These are not the ebooks one finds of unknown authors, but rather the popular authors who's books have recently been released from copyright protection.
One such site, Planet PDF, offers about 70 books from various artists including, Charles Dickens, Hans Christian Anderson, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy and H. G. Wells to name a few. As the site's name implies all of these books can be found in pdf format. Along with the titles and author, the first paragraph of the book is displayed to help viewers search for an interesting book.
Another site featuring many different authors and even more books, The Online Books Page, allows viewers to search through a large catalogue of different books which can be found in HTML and text format mostly. The HTML format may not be as easy to work with as it requires that you save the complete directory of pages if you want to view it offline, but for those willing to make the effort, or to simply read it online, this can provide a lot of interesting books.
A third location with an impressive author list featuring, from what I have seen, most if not all of the works of various authors, The Literature Network, features all of it's books in HTML format. This again makes for a little extra work saving it for offline reading, but their extensive list makes the site definitely worth a visit.
One such site, Planet PDF, offers about 70 books from various artists including, Charles Dickens, Hans Christian Anderson, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy and H. G. Wells to name a few. As the site's name implies all of these books can be found in pdf format. Along with the titles and author, the first paragraph of the book is displayed to help viewers search for an interesting book.
Another site featuring many different authors and even more books, The Online Books Page, allows viewers to search through a large catalogue of different books which can be found in HTML and text format mostly. The HTML format may not be as easy to work with as it requires that you save the complete directory of pages if you want to view it offline, but for those willing to make the effort, or to simply read it online, this can provide a lot of interesting books.
A third location with an impressive author list featuring, from what I have seen, most if not all of the works of various authors, The Literature Network, features all of it's books in HTML format. This again makes for a little extra work saving it for offline reading, but their extensive list makes the site definitely worth a visit.
Labels: books, education, internet
27 September 2006
UK schools to teach responsible Internet usage
Starting in November schools in the UK will begin providing security presentations to teenagers. The presentations will be given by security professionals who volunteer their time for the service.
In these presentations the children will be taught about the potential dangers of the Internet and as well how the Internet can be advantageous to the teenagers. They will be encouraged to be responsible in their use of the Internet in order to make it safer. Personal safety, data protection and rights management will also be discussed.
This is something other schools around the world should consider introducing as well. I am sure there are many IT professionals who would be willing to donate some time to help children protect themselves. Teens tend to have a lot more free time than adults to spend on the Internet and also are more likely to take part in behaviors that can put them at risk. Knowing how to prevent risky situations will protect teens now and as they get older.
In these presentations the children will be taught about the potential dangers of the Internet and as well how the Internet can be advantageous to the teenagers. They will be encouraged to be responsible in their use of the Internet in order to make it safer. Personal safety, data protection and rights management will also be discussed.
This is something other schools around the world should consider introducing as well. I am sure there are many IT professionals who would be willing to donate some time to help children protect themselves. Teens tend to have a lot more free time than adults to spend on the Internet and also are more likely to take part in behaviors that can put them at risk. Knowing how to prevent risky situations will protect teens now and as they get older.
Labels: education, internet, safety
13 September 2006
Microsoft Student to help students succeed.
Microsoft has a product to help students "succeed in school." Microsoft Student combines Microsoft Math, Research Tools (namely the Encarta encyclopedia), language and literature resources and different templets and toolbars.
Microsoft Math helps students solve math and science equations and is compared to a personal math tutor. The language and literature resources help improve writing and reading comprehension and has other features such as book summaries. MS Student as well includes templets and help for creating presentations and reports in Microsoft Office.
The product seems very user friendly and is created for junior high and high schools students. I would say it's definitely worth investigating the product and will probably be very helpful for students and at $69.95 it's not too expensive for students and provides a good all-in-one resource.
Microsoft Math helps students solve math and science equations and is compared to a personal math tutor. The language and literature resources help improve writing and reading comprehension and has other features such as book summaries. MS Student as well includes templets and help for creating presentations and reports in Microsoft Office.
The product seems very user friendly and is created for junior high and high schools students. I would say it's definitely worth investigating the product and will probably be very helpful for students and at $69.95 it's not too expensive for students and provides a good all-in-one resource.
Labels: education, microsoft, office, student
11 September 2006
Linux for children and schools
Ubuntu Linux has several varieties, one of which I will focus on today because of its specific focus on children.
Many people may be thinking that Linux is not something for children, it's too complicated or something similar. It doesn't have to be and when it is running it isn't at all complicated. Windows can be complicated as well when installing it on a virgin machine.
The Edubuntu operating system is made especially for schools and educational environments. It was designed so a teacher or administrator could install and setup a classroom "quickly and easily". It was also created with the idea that if children like it they can get a copy of the operating system and all the software from their teachers and install it on a computer at home and share it with their parents and friends.
Edubuntu is released every six months. It's last release in June of 2006 included over 14000 applications that can be installed at the time of installing Edubuntu. These applications include an office suite (Open Office), professional desktop publishing software (Scribus), graphics packages, applications for teaching and learning, and resources for schools.
The software is already in use in schools and public institutions. ACTUS computer lab for the local community of Poznań, Poland, Mount Rainier Public Library in Mount Rainier, Maryland, and St. George Catholic School for Boys all use Edubuntu. Don't think they all are using it in English, Edubuntu is offered in many languages and if you're willing to help you can help translate it into your language if it isn't already, but most languages already have a translation.
Many people may be thinking that Linux is not something for children, it's too complicated or something similar. It doesn't have to be and when it is running it isn't at all complicated. Windows can be complicated as well when installing it on a virgin machine.
The Edubuntu operating system is made especially for schools and educational environments. It was designed so a teacher or administrator could install and setup a classroom "quickly and easily". It was also created with the idea that if children like it they can get a copy of the operating system and all the software from their teachers and install it on a computer at home and share it with their parents and friends.
Edubuntu is released every six months. It's last release in June of 2006 included over 14000 applications that can be installed at the time of installing Edubuntu. These applications include an office suite (Open Office), professional desktop publishing software (Scribus), graphics packages, applications for teaching and learning, and resources for schools.
The software is already in use in schools and public institutions. ACTUS computer lab for the local community of Poznań, Poland, Mount Rainier Public Library in Mount Rainier, Maryland, and St. George Catholic School for Boys all use Edubuntu. Don't think they all are using it in English, Edubuntu is offered in many languages and if you're willing to help you can help translate it into your language if it isn't already, but most languages already have a translation.
Labels: edubuntu, education, linux, os, ubuntu
08 September 2006
Education help for students and teachers
Those with children out there can find over 80 different free edutainment programs for children at Linux4Kids.
Let me point out the main negative aspects of the site before going into its use. Most importantly it is not the most friendly interface for people to search for some useful software. The interface consists of a table with the file name listed then date, file size, number of downloads, and a description of the file. To find anything a person would have to read or skim through the descriptions until they find what they want. Of course also the software is for Linux rather than Windows or Mac.
Those negative points being said, the software is very useful and interesting for children. It includes things such as applications to create flashcards, calculators - both standard and scientific, typing tutors and vocabulary learning applications. There are also games that provide a learning experience and some scientific applications such as a chemistry lab simulator. There are also several applications for teacher, one of which allows teachers to post materials and share course materials with other teachers and students, while another provides the functionality of a grade book.
Whether you're a teacher, student or parent this site is worth looking at. The software listed here can make your life a lot easier and the list is not so long that it would take no more than 10 minutes to go through the list.
Let me point out the main negative aspects of the site before going into its use. Most importantly it is not the most friendly interface for people to search for some useful software. The interface consists of a table with the file name listed then date, file size, number of downloads, and a description of the file. To find anything a person would have to read or skim through the descriptions until they find what they want. Of course also the software is for Linux rather than Windows or Mac.
Those negative points being said, the software is very useful and interesting for children. It includes things such as applications to create flashcards, calculators - both standard and scientific, typing tutors and vocabulary learning applications. There are also games that provide a learning experience and some scientific applications such as a chemistry lab simulator. There are also several applications for teacher, one of which allows teachers to post materials and share course materials with other teachers and students, while another provides the functionality of a grade book.
Whether you're a teacher, student or parent this site is worth looking at. The software listed here can make your life a lot easier and the list is not so long that it would take no more than 10 minutes to go through the list.
07 September 2006
Another School System Switches to Linux
We can add another area to the growing list of places that have switched to Linux.
Oxfordshire has switched over 282 schools over to Red Hat Enterprise Linux. These are not classroom computers like some systems have done, but the school servers. The project is designed to provide the schools with local web caching and to improve the response time for their "safe schools" Internet connection.
The school system decided on the system because of the cost and as well because of the stability and reliability of enterprise Linux.
Oxfordshire now joins New Zealand, India and New York school systems among others as the latest school systems to switch to Linux although others have also used Linux in a classroom setting.
Oxfordshire has switched over 282 schools over to Red Hat Enterprise Linux. These are not classroom computers like some systems have done, but the school servers. The project is designed to provide the schools with local web caching and to improve the response time for their "safe schools" Internet connection.
The school system decided on the system because of the cost and as well because of the stability and reliability of enterprise Linux.
Oxfordshire now joins New Zealand, India and New York school systems among others as the latest school systems to switch to Linux although others have also used Linux in a classroom setting.
03 September 2006
Encyclopodia - added value for your iPod
Many children and teens bring their iPods to schools to listen to music, but why not use it as an encyclopedia too?
It seems someone has thought of it and created Encyclopodia which allows iPod owners to view the wikipedia encyclopedia on their iPods. Generation one to four as well as iPod minis and Photo iPod are supported. Fifth generation iPods, the ones including video support, are not supported and may or may not be in the future.
This application makes an iPod even more valuable for students. Yes, teenagers and many people love music, but something that teens and college students take to school normally also have an educational value by having an included encyclopedia as well as the music becomes twice as valuable.
It seems someone has thought of it and created Encyclopodia which allows iPod owners to view the wikipedia encyclopedia on their iPods. Generation one to four as well as iPod minis and Photo iPod are supported. Fifth generation iPods, the ones including video support, are not supported and may or may not be in the future.
This application makes an iPod even more valuable for students. Yes, teenagers and many people love music, but something that teens and college students take to school normally also have an educational value by having an included encyclopedia as well as the music becomes twice as valuable.
27 August 2006
Indian State's Schools to Switch to Open Source
One of India's states will no longer be teaching children to use Windows, but rather will include Linux and open source software in their computer labs for 12500 high schools.
India will be transitioning in the same way that a province of Spain has successfully done recently. They were convinced by Richard Stallman, a free software guru, who visited the state last week. The idea in the state started in 2004 when they decided to focus on open source systems, but never really followed through, giving the schools the option of using Windows or Linux to teach students. Now they have actually implemented the plans fully with the with the 8th class being implemented this year and by 2008 the 10th class will have been implemented.
The full story can be found here.
India will be transitioning in the same way that a province of Spain has successfully done recently. They were convinced by Richard Stallman, a free software guru, who visited the state last week. The idea in the state started in 2004 when they decided to focus on open source systems, but never really followed through, giving the schools the option of using Windows or Linux to teach students. Now they have actually implemented the plans fully with the with the 8th class being implemented this year and by 2008 the 10th class will have been implemented.
The full story can be found here.
Labels: education, linux, os, windows
26 August 2006
Textbooks online for a discount.
Amazon.com is offering up to a 20% discount on new textbooks and up to 90% on used.This is perfect timing for people starting school and university. Also those who want to get rid of their old books can sell them on Amazon's website.
Also located on the site is a place to purchase books for parents choosing to home school their children or for parents who want to add more to their child's education than they get in school. The books are both for children to learn from and to help parents teach their children.
Of course Amazon.com has textbooks for students of all ages from primary school children to university students and adults who want to enrich their knowledge.
Also located on the site is a place to purchase books for parents choosing to home school their children or for parents who want to add more to their child's education than they get in school. The books are both for children to learn from and to help parents teach their children.
Of course Amazon.com has textbooks for students of all ages from primary school children to university students and adults who want to enrich their knowledge.
Labels: books, education, online
Scrabble to help learn math?
There's a fun way to practice your math skills, TuxMathScrabble is a scrabble like game, but instead of using letters it uses numbers and functions requiring players to create equations and add onto ones already created.
This program of course would not be good for young children but children that can even do math at a fairly basic level could use this and improve their skills with equations looking like: 5 + 3 = 9 - 1. Of course multiplication and division are involved as well.
This program of course would not be good for young children but children that can even do math at a fairly basic level could use this and improve their skills with equations looking like: 5 + 3 = 9 - 1. Of course multiplication and division are involved as well.
Advance graphing application
For students studying geometry, trigonometry and other areas of mathematics that requires graphing, gnuplot may be a very useful program for you.
Gnuplot was made originally for scientists and students as a visualization tool, but has since advanced to be useful for everyone. It supports both 2D and 3D graphs using boxes, lines, points, contours and vectors and other specialized graphs. Most importantly this program will work on your computer no matter what OS you have, UNIX, Linux, Windows, Mac, DOS, and others.
The demos speak for themselves about the capabilities of this product and I encourage anyone interested to view them.
Gnuplot was made originally for scientists and students as a visualization tool, but has since advanced to be useful for everyone. It supports both 2D and 3D graphs using boxes, lines, points, contours and vectors and other specialized graphs. Most importantly this program will work on your computer no matter what OS you have, UNIX, Linux, Windows, Mac, DOS, and others.
The demos speak for themselves about the capabilities of this product and I encourage anyone interested to view them.
Labels: education, linux, Mac, math, os, windows
24 August 2006
Virtual microscope available to learn about the world around us
For researchers, teachers, students and just those interested in the microscopic world, NASA has funded the Virtual Microscope.
This project allows you to view objects in a Scanning Electron Microscope or Light Microscope. Of course both of these are virtual and you're limited to a list of items that can be viewed, but the list is updated with 71 different samples currently and 1 to 2 added each week.
People can learn about the world around them in a way that is impossible without this technology. There is no other way that a high school student, for example, is going to be able to view martian dust for example through a microscope.
This project allows you to view objects in a Scanning Electron Microscope or Light Microscope. Of course both of these are virtual and you're limited to a list of items that can be viewed, but the list is updated with 71 different samples currently and 1 to 2 added each week.
People can learn about the world around them in a way that is impossible without this technology. There is no other way that a high school student, for example, is going to be able to view martian dust for example through a microscope.
Labels: education, internet, science
23 August 2006
Easily manage a school's website and intranet
Here's an interesting application for primary schools to help them manage their website. Site@School requires the school to have an Apache webserver (I believe IIS will work as well), PHP and MySQL running on Windows or Linux and does not require a very powerful computer to function.
Site@School offers schools the ability to easily maintain a website without any special technical knowledge. Most of the editors look very much like a standard text editor or word processor. It allows both students and teachers to post personal web pages with teachers being able to view a student's web page before allowing it to be posted to prevent any inappropriate content. Teachers can set up an intranet to improve communication and sharing of ideas between teachers. Of course there are also other modules that can be included such as calendars and agendas, a photo albums, guestbook, or a newsletter and forum.
This is something worth looking into for people who are managing a schools website or network and who don't want to spend much money for such services.
Site@School offers schools the ability to easily maintain a website without any special technical knowledge. Most of the editors look very much like a standard text editor or word processor. It allows both students and teachers to post personal web pages with teachers being able to view a student's web page before allowing it to be posted to prevent any inappropriate content. Teachers can set up an intranet to improve communication and sharing of ideas between teachers. Of course there are also other modules that can be included such as calendars and agendas, a photo albums, guestbook, or a newsletter and forum.
This is something worth looking into for people who are managing a schools website or network and who don't want to spend much money for such services.
Labels: education, internet, linux, networking, windows
22 August 2006
More free learning for younger children
GCompris is an open source application for children between the ages of 2 and 10. This application teaches children with games and other activities.
There are currently over 80 activities with more in development. Because of the software being open source, you can change and improve it and share it with other children.
Some of the activities involve learning to tell the time, learning how to use the computer keyboard and mouse, and mathematics, including algebra. Children can learn about science topics such as locks, water cycle, and submarines. There's a activity where children place countries on a map or practice reading.
This application supports Windows, MacOS and Linux and features very colorful screens to make children even more interested. Another bonus is that it covers most topics children up to 10 should know or learn about. There are even several schools using it in the States, Europe and Africa.
There are currently over 80 activities with more in development. Because of the software being open source, you can change and improve it and share it with other children.
Some of the activities involve learning to tell the time, learning how to use the computer keyboard and mouse, and mathematics, including algebra. Children can learn about science topics such as locks, water cycle, and submarines. There's a activity where children place countries on a map or practice reading.
This application supports Windows, MacOS and Linux and features very colorful screens to make children even more interested. Another bonus is that it covers most topics children up to 10 should know or learn about. There are even several schools using it in the States, Europe and Africa.
Labels: education, linux, Mac, OSS, windows
21 August 2006
More educational software
Continuing our search for free educational software for back to school. Sofofotex has just that type of site.
In the Education section on the site you can download many pages worth of software, the most popular of which include language translators and dictionaries, vocabulary trainers, typing practice, a periodic table application and drawing programs.
The site is not entirely education focused with many different topics of software to download including antivirus, business and internet applications, utilities, multimedia applications and any other type of software you can think of.
Be careful though some of the software is shareware and does have a registration fee. When you're browsing the site it does say which is free and which is shareware with a license so it is easy to tell which is which.
In the Education section on the site you can download many pages worth of software, the most popular of which include language translators and dictionaries, vocabulary trainers, typing practice, a periodic table application and drawing programs.
The site is not entirely education focused with many different topics of software to download including antivirus, business and internet applications, utilities, multimedia applications and any other type of software you can think of.
Be careful though some of the software is shareware and does have a registration fee. When you're browsing the site it does say which is free and which is shareware with a license so it is easy to tell which is which.
Labels: education, internet, safety, security
Three useful sites for parents and children
Again for children and parents, Kaboose is a website with a goal of bringing parents and children together with fun and educational things to do both online and off. The question they want to answer is "What do I want to do with my family today?"
Kaboose itself is for parents and teachers providing resources, information and activities for children aged 3 to 11. There are more than 10000 pages related to parenting and educations and thousands of ideas and tips to involve the whole family in a child's learning on the Internet. Also included are ideas for easy to prepare dinners and personal care ideas for mothers/women. It is a all-encompassing site that is definately worth the visit.
Baby Zone focuses on pregnancy and parenting, bringing information and advice from doctors, child development specialists, writers and other parents to you. Of course you can also comment and give your advice to other parents making it an all-around parenting forum.
Fun School provides online games, activities, puzzles, and printable activities as well for children from preschool to sixth grade. These activities include matching shapes and numbers and geography, math and history activities for older children. The activities are categorized by grade level so it's easy for children and parents to find a suitable activity. The categorization actually involves having one page for older children and another for only preschoolers with general categories across the top with pictures and names that children will not directly associate with school and subjects there.
Kaboose itself is for parents and teachers providing resources, information and activities for children aged 3 to 11. There are more than 10000 pages related to parenting and educations and thousands of ideas and tips to involve the whole family in a child's learning on the Internet. Also included are ideas for easy to prepare dinners and personal care ideas for mothers/women. It is a all-encompassing site that is definately worth the visit.
Baby Zone focuses on pregnancy and parenting, bringing information and advice from doctors, child development specialists, writers and other parents to you. Of course you can also comment and give your advice to other parents making it an all-around parenting forum.
Fun School provides online games, activities, puzzles, and printable activities as well for children from preschool to sixth grade. These activities include matching shapes and numbers and geography, math and history activities for older children. The activities are categorized by grade level so it's easy for children and parents to find a suitable activity. The categorization actually involves having one page for older children and another for only preschoolers with general categories across the top with pictures and names that children will not directly associate with school and subjects there.
Labels: education, family, internet, safety
