Least Tern > Resources for Teachers

About Software

Tutorials | Recommendations | Where to Purchase | Web Design Apps

Tutorials & Courses Online - There are numerous tutorials online, prepared by school districts, graduate students, and individual teachers, as well as commercial tutorial providers. We have selected a few of the more comprehensive examples. Most of the application sites now contain tutorial materials, as does most application software. And by all means learn to look for the Help menu!

General | Online Courses | Digital Media | Application Specific

General

 

Application Specific Tutorials - see also Adding Application-specific Projects to Web Pages, the above listings and Digital Media (for video, audio software and hardware) 

How can I include an animation in Word that will play when the document is projected?

Answer

Digital Media - Practical advice from practicing tech coordinator John Orban - Recommended media software is listed separately

Multimedia In the Classroom - guides for beginners - this site accompanies a workshop

Digital Image/Media sharing - CD, DVD, VCD - burn student projects to inexpensive CD's or share them online - see also Creating Your Own Instructional Materials

Burning, Archiving

top

Recommendations - Software for Schools

 Criteria | Administrative | k-12 | Elementary | Middle-Upper-Teacher
Digital Portfolio | Programming | k-12 Freeware/Shareware

Criteria - This listing has been developed by Least Tern as a result of our combined experience over the years. It is a short list, compared to the toolkits installed in many computer labs. Our criteria for inclusion on the list is:

 Criteria | Administrative | k-12 | Elementary | Middle-Upper-Teacher
Digital Portfolio | Programming | k-12 Freeware/Shareware
Create Your Own Application Apps

All Levels (k-12) - * indicates Mac only - ** indicates PC only - see our separate listing of Applications that support and encourage inquiry-based learning and collaboration and Creating your own instructional materials

Browsers

  • Internet Explorer
  • Netscape 7.0+ / Composer - web editor built-in, with online library and OK support - a caution about Netscape: it installs an IM client that you should delete - or Mozilla, an open source browser and editor
  • Opera - now available for Mac (OS X +) and Windows - has some features that make it attractive, such as multiple page view, kiosk mode - free to schools (ads) - available in 7 languages

Productivity - teacher

  • 3D Writer** - inexpensive application sold only to schools - creates hypertext, saving all files as .htm - instant web pages!  Useful for hyperfiction, web pages, school web sites  - images can be easily included, text can be formatted
  • Acrobat, PrintToPDF* (Mac, $20 shareware), or pdf995** (Windows - free) - create .pdf files from any application - if you have OS X, this is built into your system
  • Easy Grade Pro or Grade Book Plus - for digital gradebook and report data - the programs have very different features - Gradebusters / Making the Grade is another alternative with a tutorial from Merill Public Schools - a Palm version is available for many of these
  • Impatica for Powerpoint - this is really fine - an application built for business, but can be invaluable to a teacher wanting to quickly include an animated, narrated slide show in a web page - converts PowerPoint to web content - it is expensive, however - the school will want to purchase only a few licenses
  • iTunes* and Audacity (all platforms) - this combination works wonderfully for a language classroom - teacher generated tapes can be streamed to all Mac inside the network - read about it in this note from Ken Ambach.
  • OmniPage Pro - simply the best OCR software - exports directly to Word
  • QuickTime Pro* or dBpowerAMP** for audio file conversion (QT also works with video, of course)
  • SnapZ Pro* - use this video screen capture tool with Quicktime Pro to create tutorial "movies" for software tools. See a sample movie teaching Inspiration rapid-fire (requires Quicktime Player). Now shipping in sample version with new OS X machines - purchase full version license. For the PC, purchase Camtasia and Snagit (combined) or HyperCam to do the same thing
  • TK3 - a new product and very exciting - easily produce multi-media "books" that export to html or can be exported in proprietary format to CD or DVD for distribution (with a free reader) - uses the concept of "media assests" in building - fully hyperlinked internally or to external files and web pages - imports .html (eg. etexts) and rtf files (not .doc).

Productivity - student/general

  • 3D Writer** - inexpensive application sold only to schools - creates hypertext, saving all files as .htm - instant web pages!  Useful for hyperfiction, web pages, school web sites  - images can be easily included, text can be formatted
  • AppleWorks
  • ClickBook** - creates booklets, business cards, postcards, labels, stickers...many uses for the classroom - think of it in relation to e-texts too - Mac version is NOT compatible with OS X - PC trial is available
  • FileMaker Pro
  • Google Deskbar or Altavista Toolbar** - insert search, highlight and other features (translation, dictionary lookup, more) into the content of any website
  • Inspiration or, especially if you have Smartboards, SmartIDEAS - new applicationInspiration is now available for the Palm OS.
  • LightWay Text - an word processing application that is shareware ($25), cross platform (OS X and XP), and available in French and Italian versions - supports formatting, images, and interesting features such as background "papers"
  • MicroWorlds
  • OneNote or TexNotes** (download trial from PC World)
  • OpenOffice** - or StarOffice** - Microsoft alternatives, freeware (to schools) - available to download or on CD - read about them in a comparison (provided by Chris Brown)
  • PowerPoint - best when coupled with Producer**, a free add-on for users of PowerPoint 2001 and 2003 that significantly extends it use for training and archiving multimedia products.
  • TimeLiner - we are fans of this inexpensive application - it has hidden uses (for example, it make wonderful electronic portfolios and terrific budget/project planning presentations)

Collaboration - see also our large set of collaboration resources at Learning & Lobstering and Who's On First

  • AOL Instant Messenger 5.5** - free download, video chat requires XP
  • Colligo ** - wireless multi-device network, including ad-hoc networking (no server, no hub, no access points) - uses radio frequencies and allows Internet connection sharing - Workgroup Edition includes whiteboard, chat and other collaboration tools - available for Palm, tablet PC, Windows PC handhelds in Personal Edition
  • iChat AV* - for OS X - uses networking inherent in the system to enable easy and fast collaboration - with video or without - newest version for Panther allowers users to chat with AOL / AIM 5.5 using PC pals!! - great for video chatting
  • iStorm and iChalk * - new web-based conference and collaboration apps with an education mission - require LAN to be used - take advantage of OS X Rendezvous technology - web cam, chat, simultaneous scapbook and editing, voice - educational site license based upon per-simultaneous user fee - iChalk is a drawing board, bundled free with iStorm licenses or available as a stand alone - includes a calculator and built-in equation editor for advanced calculations and expressions - demo has 30 minute limit
  • SightSpeed Video Messenger - cross platform app for using DSL and computer for video calls - monthly or yearly fee
  • VidiTel** - with a PC and a webcam (both parties having same software), share voice, video, documents

      IM specific - the following is a selection of GPL (open source) free applications for non-video real-time messaging

  • Fire* - Mac OS X client works with AOL, MSN, Jabber, Yahoo! Messenger, ICQ and most other clients
  • Gaim - cross platform client that works with the above and other clients
  • Jabber - IM server - provides many additional utilities - there is a wonderful description of how it works at the Information About Jabber page - big-time users might want to install a Jabber server in the school; otherwise, they should use a Jabber client (below) and access one of the free public Jabber  servers available.  After downloading, be sure to read the clearly written User Guide. 

    Note: if you want to use Jabber in a cross-platform group collaboration, you all register at the same server (not absolutely necessary, but smooth)

Media

  • Audacity - available for all platforms - open source (free) sound editor - tutorials and support available on site
  • Audio Record Wizard** - shareware realtime audio record app - may be a necessity in the PC Smart Classroom
  • Freeware or shareware sound recorder/converter: Sound Recorder ($18.95) or UltraRecorder* (Mac) - search online for others - make sure you get an app that works with your system, cards, etc.
  • Band-in-a-Box* - like GarageBand (below), works with a small MIDI keyboard for composition
  • GifBuilder* - shareware - use this to create short frame animations, a great way to reinforce & teach copy/paste and simple imaging skills - web ready files
  • Graphic Converter* - for Mac - shareware fee
  • iMovie * - for PC, try ScreenBlast Movie Studio**, or Microsoft Plus!**, VideoWave Movie Creator**, Pinnacle Studio** (hardware and software package), or Ulead's VideoStudio** (this last one has a good online tutorial)
  • iPhoto *
  • iTunes*
  • iLife* - Panther machines ship with this fabulous media studio, including and extending the other "i" products - includes GarageBand, making your Mac into a music studio
  • Microsoft Plus! Digital Media Edition ** - for a low price, create video CD's from your still pictures, add effects, more - moving in the direction of iMovie and iPhoto - Windows
  • Music Ace - composition and music training application for elementary and middle school - used by many music departments.
  • Photoshop Elements
  • Pinnacle Studio** - all elements of digital video authoring, including DVD pressing
  • Quicktime Pro - wonderful way to do just about anything you need with video and sound - very simple and flexible tool that works in tandum with many others - what you purchase is an upgrade to the QT player that releases its power
  • Roxio Easy Media Creator** - photo and video management, burning and editing - the PC equivalent of Toast*

Other

  • MasterPointer ** - for the PC, an inexpensive screen annotation application - put power into projected lessons - and save the work!  Does the work of a Smartboard (for those who can not afford one)

 Criteria | Administrative | k-12 | Elementary | Middle-Upper-Teacher
Digital Portfolio | Programming | k-12 Freeware/Shareware

Elementary School (k-5)

 Criteria | Administrative | k-12 | Elementary | Middle-Upper-Teacher
Digital Portfolio | Programming | k-12 Freeware/Shareware

Middle School - High School (6-12) - Web Design Software is listed separately - Applications that are administrative in nature (assessment, content delivery, student information management) are listed in our A Pool of Tools - also check out the Freeware listed below and the All Levels tools above

 Criteria | Administrative | k-12 | Elementary | Middle-Upper-Teacher
Digital Portfolio | Programming | k-12 Freeware/Shareware

Freeware / Shareware - we hesitate to recommend php and open source solutions - schools will need significant tech support to get many of them up and running, balancing the cost break - we know that the following will work:

Where to find them: Shareware

FREESerifSoftware.com** - no gimicks - it's all free for download: DrawPlus, PagePlus, WebPlus, PhotoPlus, 3DPlus - PC only

 Criteria | Administrative | k-12 | Elementary | Middle-Upper-Teacher
Digital Portfolio | Programming | k-12 Freeware/Shareware

Digital/Electronic Portfolios - many tools will create digital portfolios, but we recommend that the following be investigated first:

check this out Read:

check this out To learn about pressing a CD, VCD or DVD, follow our link to Digital Media

Where to Purchase & Read About Software - Schools and districts will have software resellers with whom they contract. Individual teachers can preview or demo software through the sources listed below, as well as local resellers and individual software companies (Tom Snyder, etc.)
If you want to investigate on your own, begin with this Software sources summary table from Redmond, OR
CCV Software - educational reseller - 30 day preview policy - online purchasing and good academic licensing discounts - 30-day preview available

Download shareware (use for small fee) or freeware or drivers or open source software:

A small source for downloads is kept current at Downloads - find PC Typing Master here and some use templates for Word and Excel Educational Freeware list - links to sources of free software in both platforms - subject listings

Read reviews - get ideas:  Quickstop:  Information Resources: Online Resources for Finding and Evaluating Educational Software

Creative Commons License
This page is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Elizabeth Sky-McIlvain 8/11/04