By Kat Sanders

Technology is now being implemented in classrooms around the globe. Both traditional and online schools have discovered how effective it is to blend technology with instruction. However, this effort can prove to be very expensive. Thanks to open source software, which is freely available to anyone, teachers can use many educational tools without worrying about insurmountable costs.

Educational open source programs are being launched every
day, so the following list is hardly exhaustive. However, these 10 open source
tools have proven to be invaluable to many teachers worldwide.

1. OpenOffice – This multi-platform,
   open source office suite is a robust alternative to Microsoft Office. It
   is growing increasingly
   popular with both teachers and students. OpenOffice is available in
   many languages and can be used for word processing, spreadsheets,
   presentations, graphics, databases and more.
2. Moodle – This free distance learning
   platform allows educators to create online, interactive courses. It can be
   used on any computer and is scalable, which means you can use it if you
   have a classroom of five or a university of 300,000.
3. OpenEducationDisc – This
   isn’t an individual tool but rather a free collection of various open
   source educational programs. From video editing software to educational
   games, teachers at all levels should benefit from the free offerings in
   OpenEducationDisc.
4. LogiCampus – This course
   management Web application can be utilized by both traditional and
   distance educators. Here, you will be given everything you need to manage
   your courses, including a built-in master calendar and textbook
   requisitions.
5. .LRN – Pronounced as “dot LRN,”
   this is the most widely used open source eLearning platform. Originally
   developed by MIT, this software is employed by many people in both K-12
   and higher education.
6. MIT OpenCourseWare – This open source project makes almost all of the course materials used by MIT educators
   available online. Here, both teachers and students all over the world will
   have free access to reading lists, discussion topics, exams, lecture notes and more.
7. dokeos – This open source learning suite is very popular with distance educators, as well as teachers who implement blended learning in the classroom. The robust software allows teachers to
   create content, develop lesson plans and interact with students through
   online lectures and quizzes.
8. Dspace – Dspace is an open source
   platform for capturing, managing and sharing “scholarly works.”
   Here, you can share your research with the world, as well as gain access
   to a wide array of educational materials.
9. LAMS – Learning Activity
   Management System, or LAMS, is another open source platform for creating
   and sharing online courses. Rich interaction between teachers and students
   is a large focus for the developers of LAMS.
10. Stellarium – This is a fun program that can be very educational. Stellarium is a free planetarium for your
    computer. Using this program is like looking through your telescope into
    the night sky and can be very effective for science teachers.

Many teachers and/or schools cannot afford a large amount of
commercial software. For that reason, educators the world over are being
enticed by the growing open source movement. While not every commercial program
has an open source alternative, the tools
above should definitely aid teachers with their online and on-campus instruction.