55 Ways to Bring Open Source into Education - page 2

Management, Collaboration, Science

Earth Science

12. Seismic Toolkit (STK)

This app makes it easier for scientists and researchers to analyze data from seismic events. It includes tools for filtering and plotting data, evolutive polarization, and more. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.

Elementary Education

13. Tux Paint

This award-winning art program lets kids create small drawings using paintbrush, rubber stamp, line, shape, and text tools, as well as "magic" special effects. TuxPaint is designed for kids age 3-12, but its simple design and cartoon characters (including help from Tux the Linux penguin) make it most suitable for kids in preschool through second grade. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.

14. TuxMath

In this arcade style game, kids prevent comets from destroying igloos by solving math problems. You can set the preferences so that it focuses on a particular type of problem-anything from simply locating the right number on the keyboard through addition and subtraction to multiplication and division with both positive and negative numbers. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.

15. ChildsPlay

ChildsPlay includes a number of different games suitable for preschoolers and kindergarteners. Some of the games are educational (letter memory) and some are just fun (classic Pong). The CognitionPlay version contains similar activities designed for people suffering from mental illness. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.

16. GCompris

This educational suite currently contains more than 100 educational activities for children ages two through ten and more are being added all the time. It includes games that teach keyboard skills, math, science, geography, reading, and several games that are mostly fun, but also develop problem-solving skills (chess, sudoku, etc.) Operating System: Windows, Linux.

Foreign Language

17. jVLT

The Java Vocabulary Learning Tool, or jVLT combines a flashcard-like tool with a dictionary and a quiz tool to help students learn a foreign language. You can input your own vocabulary list or use one of the downloadable files, which include German-French, Thai-English, French-English, practical Chinese, and several others. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.

18. ZWDisplay

Input Chinese characters and ZWDisplay will show the pronunciation (in Pinyin) and the English translation. You can also use it to create flashcards and keep track of which Mandarin characters you've learned. Operating System: Linux.

19. Zkanji

Zkanji is designed to help English speakers learn Japanese. It includes a dictionary, vocabulary lists, a study program, tests, and other helpful features. Operating System: Windows.

Flashcards

20. FlashQard

With FlashQard, you can create flashcards to help students review just about any subject matter. It allows you to create different cards for different purposes, insert pictures, record answers, and it includes an "espeak" feature. Operating System: Windows, Linux.

Other Stories on LinuxPlanet Why Code For Free? Yet More Linux/FOSS Devs Speak! (part 3) Why Code For Free? Linux/FOSS Devs Speak! Protect Your Network with the Linux-based Untangle Gateway Linux and Free/Open Source Software: Why Code For Free? (part 1) What's Bogging Down Your Linux PC? Tracking Down Resource Hogs

21. The Mnemosyne Project

In addition to allowing you to create your own flashcards, this app uses a sophisticated algorithm to determine which card should appear next in order to maximize your learning (in other words, the cards you get wrong frequently will appear most often). If you use the software, you can also choose to upload your data to a research project studying memory. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.

22. Pauker

This flashcard app is designed to strengthen your ultra-short-term, short-term, and long-term memory. Because you create your own flashcards, you can use it to help you remember vocabulary words, capitals, important dates, and other facts. In addition to the standard version, it's also available in a mini version for mobile devices. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.

23. jMemorize

Like the other software in this category, jMemorize lets you create your own flashcards and then quizzes you on those cards. The feature that sets this app apart is the series of graphs on the main screen which make it easy to keep track of how many of your cards you know well, which you sometimes know, and which you don't know at all. Operating System: OS Independent.

Geography

24. WorldWind

Developed by NASA, WorldWind allows you to access satellite imagery of any point on earth. It's very similar to Google Earth, but does offer some different features, including the ability to access satellite imagery of the moon. Operating System: Windows.

Language Arts

25. BingoCardMaker

Elementary school and foreign language instructors often find that a game of Bingo breaks up the monotony of learning new vocabulary words. This app makes it easy to generate random cards from a set of images. Operating System: OS Independent.