Presented by

Richard “Andy” Jeter

FETC 2010Thursday, January 14, 2010

Technology plays a vital role in the 21st

century classroom. It enhances the way

our students learn and impacts the way we

teach. It also enables us to prepare

students for future careers and everyday

life as technology skills are increasingly in

high demand.

Effective technology integration can be

expensive and most schools have limited

budgets. This session will provide money-

saving solutions to budgetary woes as we

explore freeware alternatives to pricy

commercial software as well as resources

for acquiring funding for projects that

incorporate innovative technologies.

Freeware is software that is available

at no cost.

There are different types of freeware:•Open-Source (libre software)•Cloudware – Web-based applications that are often free

•Donation-ware / Care-ware – While the software is

free to download, donations are accepted.

•Ad-Ware – The software author(s) make money by placing

ads within their programs rather than charging the user directly.

•Shareware – Trial / Basic versions of “cost-ware” that either

expire or offer limited functionality. A “Pro” (or pay) version of a program may offer expanded features beyond the “Basic” version.

Obviously – It’s FREE!

The money that would have been spent

on licenses for commercial software can

be spent on hardware.

Updates are FREE!

Open-source freeware is flexible and can

be adapted to fit the needs of your class.

Most freeware opens and saves (or

exports) to a variety of formats (even from

commercial software).

It’s accessible to students who wish to

use it at home. Students continue to

practice tech skills and learn beyond the

walls of the computer lab or classroom.

While the benefits of freeware outweigh

the drawbacks, there are some issues that

must be considered:

Freeware often has less centralized

technical support available than

commercial products. This means that

users with questions might spend more

time researching solutions to problems.

Freeware alternatives are not as

recognizable as the commercial programs.

Commercial

Software

Price (Single

license)

Freeware

Alternative

Microsoft Office (Word,

Excel, Powerpoint,

Publisher, etc.)

$100-200 Open-Office – All the features of

MS Office.

Adobe Photoshop $400 GIMP – The same features plus

some expanded functionality.

Autodesk 3-D Studio Max $300-400 Google SketchUp – Less robust

than 3-D Studio Max, Simpler,

Access to Google Warehouse.

GenevaLogic Vision Class

Kit (Computer Lab

Management)

$900 classroom

license

iTalc – Doesn’t come with hardware

accessory but works effectively.

GIMP – graphics editing softwareStory Telling Alice – animation / programming softwarePivot Stickfigure Animator – stick figure animation softwareArt Rage – painting softwareSqirlz Morph – morphing softwareSqirlz Reflections – image effectsPhotoStory – photo slideshow softwarePicasa – graphics/photo collection organization and editing

Movie Maker – video editing softwareAudacity – sound editing softwareScratch – video game design / programming softwareTerragen – photo-realistic landscape generatorSketchUp – 3-D modeling softwareGoogle Earth – virtual globe software3-D Anaglyph Maker – 3-D image creation software (for red/blue glasses)

Open-Source is a type of software where

its source code is made available to the

public.

The public actually helps develop the

software or it can be adapted by the user

to suit his/her needs.

Many open-source applications are

projects of colleges and universities,

therefore, they often already cater to the

education community.

Cloudware is software that resides on the

web and is run through a web browser.

Web-mail such as Yahoo Mail and Gmail

are considered cloudware as they are web-

based applications that aren’t restricted to

a specific desktop.

Cloudware According to Wired’s Geekipedia

http://www.wired.com/culture/geekipedia/magazine/geekipedia/cloudware

There are now a variety of diverse applications

available as cloudware:

•Graphics Editing / Diagramming

•Word Processing / Spreadsheets

•Video Editing

•Web Design

•Gaming

•Collaboration / Social Networking

•Blogging Platforms

Some of the cloudware applications I use in my classroom include:

Sumo Paint (Graphics Software)Imagination Cubed (Paint Software)My Webspiration (Brainstorm / Diagrams)Bubbl.us (Brainstorm)Ether Pad (Collaborative Word Processor)

Now that we’ve covered software, we’ll discuss ways to get hardware and techno-gadgets for your classroom.

Fundraising is one solution but it involves a lot of work.Some websites have been set up so that potential donors can connect with classrooms that need funding for projects.

•Donorschoose.org allows teachers to post their projects and request funds for specific items. The website collects donations and makes the purchases on the teacher’s behalf.

Some organizations that are famous for their support of education through grants include:

•The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (gatesfoundation.org)•The Airborne Trust (airbornetrust.com)•The Best Buy Foundation (bestbuyinc.com)

Research your own local organizations as well. Chambers of commerce, and education foundations in your community may offer a classroom grant program. Business partnerships are another great way to raise funds for classroom tech.

The freeware applications and websites we discussed today as well as others we didn’t cover and further information are available on a Ning community I set up for session attendees. Feel free to join and share your discoveries and project ideas. Here’s the address - http://teachnology.ning.com/The Teacher Tech Toolbar is a free browser add-on for Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari. It is regularly updated with freeware, cloudware, grants info, and other ed tech resources - http://teachertech.ourtoolbar.com/

A massive online professional learning community where educators discuss a range of ed tech related topics including freeware, open-source tech, cloudware, project ideas, and grants is Classroom 2.0 – http://www.classroom20.com

Here are some websites where you can learn about and download all kinds of freeware applications:•ABC Freeware - http://www.abcfreeware.com•Freeware Files - http://www.freewarefiles.com/•No Nags - http://www.nonags.com/•Source Forge - http://sourceforge.net/•TuCows - http://www.tucows.com/

Here are some websites where you can learn about different grants and funding opportunities:•Grantsweb - http://grantsweb.com/•Grants Alert - http://www.grantsalert.com/•Grant Wrangler - http://www.grantwrangler.com/•Donors Choose – http://www.donorschoose.org•Adopt A Classroom – http://adoptaclassroom.com

Some great places to spend your money:•PC Mall – http://www.pcmallgov.com•Qwizdom - http://www.qwizdom.com/•Amazon – http://www.amazon.com•New Egg – http://www.newegg.com•Best Buy – http://www.bestbuy.com

Contact me with any questions about any of the topics I presented, My email is richardaj@leeschools.net

Feel free to visit me on the web:•Class Website – http://dpm.leeschools.net/DEMO•My Website – http://www.andyjeter.com