Open Source Education

Open source is a term that has grown in use and while once was confined just to software has grown to include many different disciplines including education, such as MIT's Open Courseware which offers MIT coursework for free. In regards to software though open source as defined by the Open Source Initiative has 10 components which include more than just access to the source code. Open source software must also allow for the modification of the source code and redistribution.

Image via Columbus State University

Here are a list of my top five open source applications that have a use in the classroom:

1. OpenOffice.org - a multi-platform and multi-lingual office suite that is compatible with all versions of Microsoft Office and is a very good replacement for those looking to get away from the cost associated with Microsoft.
2. Scribus - Page layout software similar to Adobe PageMaker, that runs on Linux/Unix, Mac OS and Windows.
3. Audacity - a great audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux operating systems.
   
4. Moodle - a learning management system (LMS) that provides functionality similar to Blackboard, WebCT or Angel.
5. Firefox - a web browser from Mozilla that has been around for a long time and with the release of version 3.5 is even faster and more stable. This browser is also way more secure than Internet Explorer as well as standards compliant (although IE is getting better).

If you're interested in finding more open source software solutions for your classroom, consider visiting SchoolForge.net, a site that brings together many open resources for classrooms, not just software.