Open Office

Open Office



Main Features: Open Office is a free alternative to Microsoft Office Suite. It features a word processor, a spreadsheet program, a power point presentation program, and a graphics program. Open Office can open, edit, and save files in the format of Microsoft or to allow sharing and reading of documents made on other programs. As the name suggests, Open Office has an open software license, meaning it can be used by anyone for any purpose with no threat of action from the developer.

Level of Difficulty: All of the Open Office programs are easy to use. They are no more difficult than the comparable Microsoft Office programs. Writer, the word processor is the easiest to use with easy options to edit your text. Calc, the spreadsheet program, is easy to use to great charts and tables, but would require some more knowledge to perform math functions like Excel. Impress, is very similar to PowerPoint, you can make basic presentations with little prerequisite knowledge. Draw, the graphics program would require some basic visual arts ability.

Classroom Application: Open Office can be used in a classroom by teachers and students. Teachers can prepare presentations to go along with lectures using Impress. Students can use Writer to type their homework assignments. Calc and Draw can be used for other assignments that require more than typed work. Since it is compatible with any computer operating system (Widows, Mac, or Linux) it can be used by everyone in the class.

Conclusion: Open Office is a great tool and worth using. Buying licenses for Microsoft Office can be expensive for a school and students. Open Office provides a free alternative that is just as easy to use. It is the kind of tool that you will get out of it what you put into it. If you only want to type documents, you can; but if you want to do more than that, the program is capable of it and you just need to learn it.

Video Chatting: Good and better

Skype: How to connect no matter where you are

Skype is a video conferencing tool,which combines video and audio along with screen sharing to communicate across the globe. This tool allows for you to not only chat in real time and be seen, but also allows you to share information.

Skype has few main features, making it simple, but also capable for use in the office. The video feature allows for you to see your conferees, enhancing communication. Screen sharing is the other feature that takes Skype beyond regular video chat. Through the screen sharing function, you view media on the other person’s computer. This can allow for collaboration between chatters on documents, however this feature is limited. There is no way for both conferences to edit media and it cannot be edited in real time, a significant set back.

Skype can be a great tool to connect students who are learning across the globe. A great application could have been used for the cross education between U Albany and students abroad this semester. This would allow for students to communicate more effectively across the globe. It can also be used for students traveling abroad to communicate back to their home school, talking with students about their experiences as they are happening.

Skype is a great tool to keep in contact with people and brings video conferencing to a new level with screen sharing. Although this is a useful tool, it does have limits. Therefore, I searched to see if there was another tool that would be more useful and interactive for remote meetings and conferences. Here’s what I found.

Unity: Bringing people and media together

Unity is an up and coming tool that combines video, audio and media technologies on one place. This tool is used in real time, allowing you to share and edit media from pictures, to presentations to video in real time with anyone across the globe.

Some may compare it to other video chatting devices such as Skype or Facetime, however this tool actually moves beyond these simple video chats to allow for true virtual collaboration. Media can be annotated, edited and shared in real time, making instant connections in real time.

Main Features

Unity has several features that make it a unique research and teaching tool, including:

• Video – video conferencing allows you to see those you are talking to and can allow 25+ participants to join the conference.
• Audio – audio feed lets you communicate to others in real time.
• Screen sharing – screens can be shared to show rich media and interact with it (see below).

• Chat – A chat option allows you to instantmessage those in the conference anonymously, increasing communication.
• Notes – a note function allows you and others to type notes during a session that can easily be saved reviewed later (see screen shot left).

• File Transfer – files can be easily transferred to your computer and are automatically saved to your computer, allowing for faster collaboration (downloads can be completed and reviewed before a session takes place) and review of the documents after the session with completed edits.
• Editing Function – allows for all media, video, text, photos, etc. to be edited in real time by all participants and saved as a final document for later use.
• Moderation of Sessions – Each session has a moderator that controls who can edit what and when, controlling interactions but also limiting distractions.

All of these features combined bring this tool beyond the usual video chat and make it a true collaboration tool.

Level of Difficulty

I was able to learn this tool fairly quickly, having been born in the technological era. Older generations who do not use Skype or other video conferencing tools may need a quick tutorial to get them started. Media sharing is very easy with the drag and drop option, allowing you to simply drag files from your desktop and drop them into the viewing area where all participants can see and interact with it.

Classroom Application

Although Unity is still being tested, it has many applications. For the classroom, this tool makes learning more student centered. Students interact with media directly. In addition, teachers can view, moderate and assess student work in a rapid assessment form. Unity is currently being tested at SUNY Potsdam. In the Biology lab, students are using cameras to document what they view in the microscope using Unity and can share it instantly with classmates. This instant feedback can help students determine if they have their microscope set-up correctly, if they are viewing an organism correctly and can gain instant help from other students on how to improve their microscope use. In addition, students can take screen shots of their work, saving it for later. Drawing the organism is no longer needed as live shots of organisms are taken.

To read more about how this application is used, visit the Solar Digital website.

Is this tool worth learning?

I think that Unity is definitely a tool of the future that is worth learning. It has really taken video conferencing and brought it to a whole new level. Being able to interact so instantly allows for meaningful learning and collaboration. Products are easily created for review including notes, screen shots, annotation of videos, photos and text documents. Therefore, learning this tool can open up a whole realm of possibilities for classroom use to get students interacting with media and technology as well as provide rapid assessment to students, improving their learning and teaching in the classroom.

Maple

http://www.maplesoft.com/products/maple/students/

Maple is a general non-free commercial computer algebra system. The Symbolic Computation Group first developed the software in 1980. It is now developed and sold by Waterloo Maple Inc. The latest version is Maple 15, a software tool for mathematics and sciences. Maple incorporates symbolic and numeric with a wide range of applications with over 4,000 mathematical functions. High school students in math and science are often asked to graph and solve difficult math problems. Maple provides a way for students to work out these problems.

Maple has created a user interface to accommodate every type of user. There are three different editions of maple available now, Maple 15 Professional, Academic, and Student Edition. To use Maple in the classroom I would suggest the student version. Maple has a portal which provides examples for the students to explore progressing into more difficult tasks. There are templates set up within the program to solve certain types of problems. Students can use these templates to work through difficult problems or check their final answers. Maple is incorporated with different tutors. For example, the integration tutor is used so students can practices different ways to integrate equations. Often calculus problems are long and tedious, a miscalculation can alter the final answer. Maple can identity these problems simply. Maple can also be used for students to create plots. In these plots they will be able to see trend lines and view 3D spaces. Another use is to be used to solve for large matrixes. Like most technology, Maple should not be use in place of teaching students mathematical skills to enforce them.

Teachers can use Maple to check students work, identify where there may have been mistakes in calculations, or as a resource in the classroom. Maple Cloud allows the teacher to share worksheets with students as well as allow students to share with other students. However, if Maple is not installed on the computer that the student is using the Maple files are not accessible. Help on how to use Maple is embedded within the program and addition references can be found on their website.I do believe that this program is not easy to use because it has its own computing language which should be learned to use its applications. The teacher can cover and explain how to use Maple in one to two class periods. Maple is very sensitive to cases and spaces; an extra space between numbers or command will result in an error message. I believe that the time which needs to be invested for students to learn how to use Maple will be well worth it. Its vast range of mathematical applications can be used in the classroom can be carried with the students in the future. I personally would include Maple in upper level math classes like calculus. Students often struggle with topics taught in these classes but can become clearer with an engaging technical approach.

Watch Documentary

http://watchdocumentary.com/

Main Features: This website has hundreds of documentary movies and series that can be watched online. Documentaries are sorted into many categories for easy browsing. Probably not everything in there is appropriate for a classroom, so the teacher will have to be selective, but there are a lot of documentaries on History, Politics, Science, Environment, Money, etc. which can be used. Some are full length movies; others are short 10 to 15 minute films that can be quickly integrated into a lesson.

Level of Difficulty: This tool is very easy to use. You only need basic web navigation skills to browse the listings. The documentaries plays in the web browser so there is no need to install a separate video application for viewing. Most of the documentaries require adobe flash or html5. These are standard on most computers and should not be an issue. The website will guide you to install adobe flash if need be.

Potential application in the classroom: The films available on the website can be used to supplement instruction. Including videos in instruction is a good way to diversify the learning and keep the students engaged.

Conclusion: This tool is worth learning because it is easy and will require very little investment, but have a good payoff for the teacher and students.

Scribd

Scribd is the world’s largest social reading and publishing company. They've made it easy to share and discover informative and written content online and through mobile devices. Their vision is to "liberate the written word", to connect people with the information and ideas that matter most to them, and to make it possible for anyone to share their written documents from anywhere in the world. Scribd is mostly used for academic papers and other research documents.

Main Features: This website is a new addition to the social networking phenomenon. It allows its users to upload original content, whether it be school work, your resume, or novel you are working on, and share that content across the internet with people all over the globe. Each piece of literature that a user uploads becomes searchable through internet search engines. Along with self-publishing, you can gather followers and follow your friends like on Twitter or Facebook. You can read their work and "readcast" it, to make that piece of writing more popular. Also, your profile includes a nice "Stats" feature that allows you to see how many people have read your shared work, where they are from and on average how long people are looking at your documents.

Level Of Difficulty: This website is like any other social media site; very straight-forward and easy to use. It allows you to set up a profile within minutes and import your friends as followers/followees from Facebook and other social media sites. It requires a slight learning curve, but nothing that cannot be accomplished in a few short minutes, even by the most technologically fearful individual.

Potential Application: This website would be a great tool to use in the classroom. If each student sets up an account, they could all follow one another and upload their written work for each other to see, read, and critique. You could assign homework in terms of group evaluations where student's read over their peers work and offer constructive comments.

Conclusion: This website is a great addition to the social media phenomenon and a potential classroom tool. Scribd helps create a bridge between academics and peer social interactivity. It is akin to Facebook, Twitter, and Google Docs, in that you can share your ideas with other members of the online community. However, unlike other social networking sites, Scribd allows you the post long academic papers and other documents- a social studies teachers dream come true!

VLC Media Player

VLC Media Player
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/



VLC media player was created by the VideoLan Organization. It is a non-profit group dedicated to promoting free, open-source multimedia solutions. I have used this a few times before but this semester I really figured out how it worked. All the video clips for my classes originally provided me some problems. VLC media player can play almost any type of file and with great quality. This helps to play videos, sound clips, etc.

Main Feature
The main application for the classroom of VLC is to play clips and sound bites. It allows teachers to bring in DVDs or movies and know that VLC will be able to play it without trouble. An example would be a teacher could bring in “Saving Private Ryan” and play the opening scene. Teachers will be able to play music or songs that might be relevant to their content area. The ability to play any movie on a computer for a projector helps greatly especially in schools that might not have the money for DVD players.

Level of Difficulty
VLC is relatively easy to use. It does most of the work for it. Downloading and installing it is simple and the VLC official site has directions accordingly. Double clicking your media clip is about all you have to do once VLC is installed. It will open automatically in VLC or if not, you can select VLC as your default media player by right clicking the clip. Teachers should be able to pick this up and learn it in 5 to 10 minutes. Students can also use it for video projects and it is even easier for Students who are usually much more exposed to technology.

Potential Application
The applications for this are pretty simple. To play video clips/sound bites. Teachers can use it for lectures while students can use it to create digital projects.

Conclusion
This tool is absolutely worth learning. It provides a free and easy way to bring media clips into the classroom. It makes almost any type of file compatible and takes away the stress of having to find the right media player for a specific type of file.

Crocodoc

1.Crocodoc.com
2. This tool allows
you to annotate Word Documents, PDF’s and other files. Very quickly
and easily you can upload a document and take notes on it when reading an
e-document. You can also email your annotated document and work on documents
with a group of collaborators when reading an article.

3. This tool is very simple to use, it only requires users knowing how to sign
in to an account, upload a document and then take notes (using simple tools
such as “add a comment” and “highlight”). The ease of this tool is less of a
burden to students than taking out a notebook
and pencil.

4. In a classroom setting this tool can be very beneficial. Annotating and
making edits to a
document are essential for writing and reading. Students are often asked to
research documents, read different files and take notes on all of them- quoting
the original texts later on for a given assignment . Handwritten notes can get
lost, messy, and
confusing- students often having to squeeze in more information than room
allows- this tool allows students to do everything on the computer screen- a
place where more and more students are doing their reading.


5.This tool, although similar to other editing tools(such as google sites) is
worth learning. As a student in this course I took notes on the required
e-reading by using my notebook, quotes I initially jotted down referring to
these documents were hard to find in order to quote when I needed them later on
in the class. This would have saved me a lot of time from sifting through my
pages of notes.

As a teacher, I’ve had
assignments where students needed to annotate a short story or file and It was
hard for me to sometimes tell if they did it correctly or not. Therefore, I'd
use this tool primarily for that purpose. This tool allows teachers to clearly
see what the notes students made. I’ve also done track changes and have taught
students to do this in Microsoft Word but always struggled in knowing
electronically annotating PDF files. When exploring PDF’s for this project I
realized you can add comments if you have a more advanced version of Adobe
Reader, but that
requires sometimes another download or another purchase. My thinking is also,
why
learn multiple tools? If you teach students to annotate and edit in this
program , they can use it for virtually any document.

The only thing I was not pleased about is I cannot highlight on an uploaded PDF file although it
works fine on a Word document. (I think it is because a PDF's texts do not
often line up as nicely as a word document's. This was discouraging but would
not make me not use the tool. I emailed customer support and have not heard
back. What is great though about this tool is the “Customer Feedback” section
where people have asked questions and made suggestions of ways to improve the
app. Most of the questions and suggestions are replied back to by tech support
and changes have been made. Who knows they may find a way to fix it before I
use it in my classroom, it’s great that users have say in this tool!