Free Alternatives to Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office is the most widely used office productivity suite, but it isn't the only one. It used to come included with many computers, but nowadays it is only a trial version. This means that people are having to pay for Microsoft Office in addition to the cost of a computer. Many people are still using Office 2003, which Microsoft will stop supporting in the future. With budgets a major issue, as usual, schools, teachers, and students can get free alternatives to Microsoft Office.

There are some free alternatives out there. The two I use are Google Docs and Openoffice.org.

Google Docs, detailed more here, is great for online collaboration of documents because you can share the documents with others. Everything is hosted online, although there is an offline version. It is great for students because their documents are stored online and they can access them from any internet accessable computer. Google Docs includes word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation applications. Because it is web based, you can use it on Windows, Mac, or Linu. And, it's free.

Openoffice.org is free software from Sun Microsystems. Unlike Google Docs, Openoffice is software you download to your computer and the files reside on your computer. (for ideas on syncing files among multiple computers, check out SugarSync).

Openoffice is a fully functional office productivity system that rivals Microsoft Office in many ways and includes applications for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, databases, formulas and graphics. I have found it really easy to use coming from Microsoft Office since the menu's and commands are very similar. Openoffice can save files in many formats, including Microsoft Office formats so that you can use them on other computers without a problem. Openoffice is available in multiple languages and for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Google Docs and OpenOffice can save students, faculty, and schools a fortune in licensing fees and allow better collaboration and productivity.

Free Stuff for Educators - New TL Blog posted today

I posted a new TechLearning blog today about Free Stuff for Educators. Originally posted at TechLearning HERE. 

One of the beautiful things about the 21st Century and the Internet is the amount of free stuff you can find out there. This month's Tech&Learning magazine talks about funding resources, but I want to address some of the things that are free.

The first free resource I use is Google. Google Mail, Calendar, iGoogle, Google Docs, Blogger, Earth...and the list goes on and on. If you are looking to start using Google, the best place to start is the Google Educators page (http://www.google.com/educators/index.html ). This site describes the applications available to educators for free, how to use them in class, and has lists of resources to help you use these resources. I personally use so many Google resources because they all "play well together." There are a lot of other free resources out there that I will list below.

Free Productivity Software:

1. OpenOffice - http://www.openoffice.org - free office software that can be downloaded onto a computer. It includes documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

2. Google Docs - http://docs.google.com - online, hosted office software. Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentations.

3. Zoho - http://www.zoho.com - online, hosted office software. Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentations, and much more.

Free Grade book

1. Engrade - http://www.engrade.com - online, hosted grade book. Students and parents can be given access codes and will be able to see their grades at any time.

Free Windows Power Toys

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx

A variety of free tools that Microsoft programmers created on their own. Includes SyncToy (for syncing files across multiple disks or computers), Alt-Tab replacement (adds a thumbnail view to the task switcher), Power Calculator and Taksbar Magnifier (which allows you to magnify part of your screen).

Miscellaneous Free Stuff

1. CutePDF - http:// www.cutepdf.com - free download that allows you to "print" any file to a pdf file. Very easy to use and very useful.

2. Adobe Acrobat Reader - http://get.adobe.com/reader/ - read pdf files.

3. Foxit Reader - http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php - read pdf files.

4. Evernote - http://www.evernote.com - note taking system. Very powerful. Mobile, desktop, and online versions are available.

5. PBWiki - http://pbwiki.com/education.wiki - free wiki creation and hosting

6. Currki - http://www.curriki.org - educational wiki's, wiki hosting, and more.

7. Objectdock - http://www.stardock.com/products/objectdock/ - free download that allows Windows users to organize their shortcuts, applications, and programs in an attractive animated dock at the bottom of the screen. It is similar to Mac OS's dock.

8. Ninehub - http://www.ninehub.com - free Moodle hosting. Ninehub will host your Moodle classes for free.

Free Resources

1. Tech&Learning Magazine - http://www.techlearning.com - free educational journal

2. THE Journal - http://www.thejournal.com - free educational technology journal

3. eSchoolnews - http://www.eschoolnews.com - free newsletters and "Classroom News" educational technology newsletter.

4. Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators -http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/ - list of web sites and educator resources

5. Teachopolis - http://teachopolis.org - huge resource for educators, with information on educational technology, pedagogy, and more

I also share my class website, http://www.physicsmedic.org , with other teachers. Besides having resources on here for my students, I have links, articles, and downloads for teachers.

I also have my own blog, http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com , that I invite teachers to visit, read, and comment.

This is just a small sampling of some of the free resources out there for educators. It can be overwhelming at times, so start small, try a couple of them out, and then move on.

For a more expansive list of resources, click HERE and then download "Ed Tech 103 - Free Educational Technology."

Posted by Tech Learning Blog Staff at 04/23/2009 02:31:56 PM | 

Free stuff for students

I just found this web site today. The site is College Tips and Resources, specifically for online courses. 

This article has a list of 69 Free or Open source tools for students.

I use many of them myself, as do many other teachers.

I really like this list as it contains a lot of great resources.

 Share it with your students.