Opportunities of Free and Open Source Software for Education

VVOB - Open Resource Centre, Cambodia

VVOB – IMIH, Vietnam

What is Free & Open Source Software (FOSS)?

FOSS is software that offers the freedom

to run the program for any purpose,

to study and modify the program, and

to redistribute copies of either the original or

modified program

Advantages of FOSS

Localization and translation

Price

Flexibility

Local job creation and capacity building

Microsoft looks ahead

Examples of FOSS GNU/Linux

Open Office

Mozilla/Firefox

Moodle

Apache

Centre / Focus SIS

Wikipedia

Hot Potatoes

Other interesting initiatives

Open Resource Centre project, Cambodia

ICT as a tool in education, not as an end in itself In line with national policy Teachers and school managers primary schools (16

pilot schools) Students and teachers Teacher Training College

http://www.orcsrp.com

What is Hot Potatoes ?

The Hot Potatoes suite is a set of six authoring tools, created by the Research and Development team at the University of Victoria Humanities Computing and Media Centre. They enable you to create interactive Web-based exercises of several basic types.

Hot Potatoes enables you to create interactive Web-based teaching exercises which can be delivered to any Internet-connected computer equipped with a browser.

The exercises use HTML and JavaScript to implement their interactivity, but you do NOT need to know anything about these languages in order to use the programs.

All you need to do is enter the data for your exercises (questions, answers, responses etc.), and press a button. The program will create the Web pages for you, and you can then upload them to your server.

What do these programs do?

Five basic programs in the Hot Potatoes suite:

JCloze

JQuiz

JCross

JMix

JMatch

JCloze JCloze

The JCLoze program creates gap-fill exercises. Unlimited correct answers can be specified for each gap, and the student can ask for a hint and see a letter of the correct answer. A specific clue can also be included for each gap. Automatic scoring is also included. The program allows gapping of selected words, or the automatic gapping of every nth word in a text.

Main screen of the JCloze program.

JQuiz JQuiz

The JQuiz program creates question-based quizzes. Questions can be of four different types (multiple-choice questions, short-answer questions, hybrid question, multi-select question). Specific feedback can be provided both for right answers and predicted wrong answers or distructors.

Main screen of the JQuiz program.

JCross JCross

The JCross program creates crossword puzzles which can be completed online. You can use a grid of virtually any size. As in JQuiz, a hint button allows the student to request a free letter if help is needed.

Main screen of the JCross program.

JMix JMix

The JMix program creates jumbled-sentence exercises. You can specify as many different correct answers as you want, based on the words and punctuation in the base sentence, and a hint button prompts the student with the next correct word or segment of the sentence if needed.

Main screen of the JMix program.

JMatch JMatch

The JMatch program creates matching or ordering exercises. A list of fixed items appears on the left (these can be pictures or text), with jumbled items on the right. This can be used for matching vocabulary to pictures or translations, or for ordering sentences to form a sequence or a conversation.

Main screen of the JMatch program.

Stage 1 : Enter your data

Stage 2 : Adjust the configuration

Stage 3 : Create your Web pages

  

How do the programs work ?

There are three stages in creating exercises withthese programs:

You type in the questions, answers, feedback etc. which forms the basis of the exercise. In this step you also can add a reading text, a timer, graphics, links, sound and video.

Stage 1 : Enter your data

The "configuration" is a set of information used to compile the Web pages. It includes instructions for the student, captions for navigation buttons, and other information which is not likely to change much between exercises. It allows you to change the language output of the web pages. Also, when you need a special font (like Khmer font), you can choose it here. 

Stage 2 : Adjust the configuration

Example on how translate output

This is simply a matter of pressing the "Export to Web" button on the toolbar, choosing a file name, and letting the program do the rest.

Stage 3 : Create your Web pages

Hot Potatoes: conclusionsEasy to create exercises in local language

Access to internet and image library is helpful

Promotes independent learning and self-study

Not a replacement, but complementary to

classroom teaching

Training is necessary and takes time

What is Moodle?

is a free, open source course management system, which helps educators to create and publish online course material, a true example of electronic learning.

It has been translated in 75 languages and is being used in 130 countries. It can easily be scaled and adjusted to the needs of your local institution.

e-learning on Moodle?

The following types of learning delivery could be regarded as e-Learning:

Accessing or downloading a course from a virtual learning environment, and working through it online

Reading through and reflecting on supportive information compiled at the Moodle

Communicating with a tutor or peers via e-mail, messages on a bulletin board and entering a chat box or reflecting in a blog

Participating in etivities as part of knowledge building in groups

Pedagogy is in the lead!

Flexibility in the pedagogical structure: learning by searching for information, with multimedia, increased communication, collaboration, documentations, exploration, representing learning results, simulation, and in virtual reality

Pedagogy is in the lead!

Moodle promotes a social constructionist pedagogy which includes collaboration, activity-based learning, critical reflection and useful evaluation tools.

http://www.hrctem.org/el

Some findings and conclusionsRealistic, rich learning tasks are the

driving force for learning Well designed and stimulating learning

tasks A fertile knowledge base that allows for

transfer to daily life or future work settings Importance of guidance and feedbackAdd supportive and JIT information

Some findings and conclusions

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