Resource Computer Solutions Inc.

Each year schools struggle to determine the appropriate level of funding for technology.  This is partly due to the unique needs of a well supported and funded technology program.  Technology funding, unlike funding for textbooks, athletic equipment, and landscaping, doesn’t happen every five to ten years, it is constant.  Why is this, we may ask?  Technology, unlike books, sports equipment etc…, is constantly being developed, improved and newly created.  We live in a digital society where, students create YouTube videos, maintain websites for their parents, program video games to share on Xbox Live for their friends, and stay connected with their 350 friends on facebook. As educators we are trying to come to terms with preparing these digitally minded students with the appropriate skill set to ensure that they are competitive when they leave us and move on to their next school or enter the work world. To prepare them properly it requires significant ongoing investments in technology.

I have read countless articles on how to evaluate the return on technology spending.  As far as I have been able to determine, no successful models have been created.  Despite that, certainly, standards leading to the determination of what is appropriate funding, need to be developed.  Perhaps part of the dilemma is our own unfamiliarity and intimidation, as educators, by technology.  We have all heard during parent or faculty technology meetings, “I’ll never be able to understand technology the way the students do.”

These obstacles aside, there is something in us that knows that we are doing a disservice to the students when we don’t actively integrate technology throughout their educational experience. Educators often will shy away from projects because they know the budget can not support anything else to be added. How wonderful would it be to say to a teacher that wants to create a podcast or video project with their class, “You know what, we can probably do that with little or no funding. The technology is already in place, have at it!”  The reality though is that software is expensive, especially when you have to license 20 or more machines.  Academic pricing helps, but it is very difficult to keep classrooms, labs, and schools loaded with the software that teachers need and want for their curriculum. That is where Open Source Licensing and freeware can help out.

These free resources come at a price, your time. They are self supported, so you may need to spend time solving your problems. There are no phone numbers to call for support. You use the Internet, and hope to find answers. However, some of the more widely used products are well documented and well supported online.

There are a number of ways to get started with Open Source software and freeware. It used to be that I would look for free utilities online to help with very specific tasks.  Now, you can download operating systems for servers. There are photo editing suites, virtual server systems, 3D modeling programs, and more.

Here are a few pieces of software that I’ve found to be very effective:

Open Office – word processor, spreadsheet, and slide show           Windows, Mac, Linux

GIMP – graphic design, bitmap                                                          Windows, Mac, Linux

Inkscape – graphic design, vector                                          Windows, Mac, Linux

Scribus – desktop publishing                                                  Windows, Mac, Linux

Blender – 3D content/movie  creation suite                          Windows, Mac, Linux

Audacity – record and edit sounds                                         Windows, Mac, Linux

Moodle – online course authoring software                          Windows, Mac, Linux

Ubuntu – operating system                                                    Linux

Google is a wonderful source for educators. If you haven’t checked out Google Earth yet you have to. Once it is loaded go to: http://earth.google.com/rome/index.html

Google Docs is a completely free program that can replace your current word processor, spreadsheet, or presentation software. A huge advantage is that students can collaborate online with their files if they choose to.

Now I am not suggesting that you throw away all of your licensing and switch your entire school over to open source licensing and freeware. However, I do think it is a viable solution in education for certain applications. Next time, before you spend technology funds on licensing software, take the time to explore open source and freeware solutions.