Free & Open Source Software Downloads:  

Assignment:

For EACH of the tools below, do the following (5 to 10 sentences total):

• Copy and Paste the Link
• Describe what the software does
• Describe how you could use the product in an education setting.
• Give your opinion about the software

Gimp:
Gimpship has become the most preferred software for photo and image editing among most professionals. This free, professional quality, open source comes with image editing. For example, the use of masks, filters, advancement pattern matching are just the begining of this amazing editing software. In an education setting, this product can be used for students to add photos to research papers or any project they are assigned.The photo will add a more lively and professional appearance to the assignment. . In my opinion I think this software is great for educational purposes, along with personal use. It is free, works on all computers and has professionl quality, what more could you want? 

SketchUp:
SketchUp is a 3D modeling software that is fun and easy to use. In addition, this open source ranges from applications such as arthitectural, interior design, civil and mechanical engineering, film and video game design. Educationally, teachers can do a lesson on architecture and have students sketch their dream home. Personally, I think SketchUp looks interesting, however I do not think I would need to use it. 

Adobe Photoshop Express:
SketchUp is known as photo magic at your fingertips because of the on-the-go photo editing app. The app works only on Windows 8 and Windows 10, therefore it is not compatable with Macs. However, the software has the ability to use your webcame, access your internet connection, use photos in your library and use your rear-or front-facing camera. I like this photo editing program because it is fast, easy and on the go. I think it would work great for educational purposes because it is fast & easy. For example, students could get to know one another by sharing their favorite pictures to describe them to get a sense of community within the classroom. 

Google Earth:
With this free and open source, users can virtually go anywhere, on any device for free. Google Earth offers street views, 3D Trees, historial imagery, navigation, drawing and measuring, and tour guides. Educational wise, this source is perfect to virtually take students to a place. For example, in history class if the teacher is discussing Presidents, the teacher may use Google Earth to show students the white house. I think this is a great source because it has great images and brings the word to life!

PDR Creator:

PDR has the ability to convert any document into a PDF, JPG, PNG, TIF and more. In addition, this open source can merge multiple documents into one,use automatic saving to have a fully automated PDF printer, compress and resize images to reduce a file size and prevent unauthorized access to PDFs by changing the security settings. For educational purposes, PDFCreator, would be a great tool to use for students to work together on assignments. For example, this source can merge multiple documents to one file, therefore students can be working together on a task and merge their documents together. I think this is an average tool, I have not had the need to convert any document, howeverm I could see how it could be helpful to some. 

Movie Marker:
With Windows Movie Maker you have your very own movie studio! With this open source you can add and edit audio, import and edit slide shows and video, along with edit your movies and chooose a theme. I think this would be great for students to make an educational video project to share with the class, or post online for an online class. It is a great way to get students to use a hands on tool. I am not a fan of making movies, however I do think this is a great tool for other people. 

AbiWord:
AbiWord is a free word processing program similar to Microsoft Word. This open source is available for alot of languages and operating systems. In addition, AbiWord  can merge mail, allows you to share your documents, and advance document layouts are provided. I think this would be a great collaborative site for students, then can edit, write and share word documents to their peers. I am interested in this software because I do not have word on my computer, therefore this open source can be helpful .

Audacity:  
Audacity is a free, easy-to-use, multi-track audio editor and recorder for multiple operating systems. The great features this open source has to offer is the ability to record live audio, record computer playback on any Windos Vista, and convert tapes and records into digital recordings of CDs. Audacity has the ability to cut, copy, splice or mix sounds together, in addition to change speed or pitch. For educational purposes, students can record their voice for an assignment and post their audio for students to listen to. I am not necessarily impressed with Audacity because there are other easier sites or apps to record your voice, however I could see how it can be used. 

Apache Open Office:
Apache Office is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. Some great features of Apache are the many languages that are abailable, along with the easy to use software. I think Apache would be a great open-source tool to use for students who do not have the luxary of purchasing Microsoft Office. However, my opionion on Apache is that it is unnecessary, I would prefer Google Docs instead. 

KompoZer: 
KompoZer is a web authorizing system that combines web file managementa and easy to use WYSIWYG web page editing. It is designed to be easy, making it ideal for non-technical computer users who want to create professional-looking sites without needing to know HTML or web coding. This open source would be great for students to develop their own website where they can post news, assignments and/or anything else important. I think this is a great open source that I would like to take more time to look into.

Skype:
Skype: keeps the world talking - for free! It allows you to have group chats, or video chat for sychronous communication! Some features include the use of emojis and the ability to call on someone's mobile or landline numbers. Skype can be used for students to socialize face to face. Therefore, online students can have that interaction factor that it is hard to bring into a classroom. I think this is a helpful open-source, it is an easy way to communicate and fun to use.  

Blender: http://www.blender.org
Blender is a professional free and open-source computer graphics software product used for creating animated films, visual effects, art, 3D models and video games.   In addition, some key features are complete node support for full customization and  an impressive set of rigging tools such as easy eight painting,  bone layers and colored groups for organizations. Educationally, students could potentially use Blender as a way to express themselves and allow their creative side to come out. Personally, I am not creative, therefore I would not use this open-source. However, I think it is great for those who are!

Darwin Steaming Server: http://dss.macosforge.org
Darwin, for short, is an open source server that allows you to send streaming media to people across the Internet using the industry standard RTP and RTSP protocols.It is intended for developers who need to stream QuickTime and MPEG-4 media on alternative platforms such as Mac, Windows, Linux, and Solaris Darwin Streaming Server provides a high level of customizability and runs on a variety of platforms allowing you to manipulate the code to fit your needs. For students, I think this open source is a great tool for students to have collaboration, since it is possible to steam media. I am intersted to learn more about this open-source, I think it is a helpful collaboration source. 

NeoOffice: http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php
NeoOffice is a complete office provider for Mac OS X. With NeoOffice, users can view, edit, and save Open Office documents, and simple Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. In addition, in NeoOffice, menus are available even when a document is not open. This feature allows users to access some of the frequently used menus such as the Recent Documents and NeoOffice Help menu items that previously were not accessible unless you opened a document first. Educationally, this open source can be used for students who do no have access to word processing document. Therefor, this allows students to have an equal opportunity to use a word processing document. I think this is an interesting source that has potential to be useful since not everyone has the same access to office providers. 

Ardour: http://ardour.org/features.html
Ardour is a recoding system that allows the use of recording, editing and mixing to produce the best audio. One great feature about this open source is the fact that there is not a limit  on the number of tracks, buses, plugins, inserts, or sends. Therefore,for students, they can produce a great audio project with the use of this open sourse that has the ability to  export the audio to many different data and dile formats. I think this recording system has potentional, I think it is an easy to use sytstem that is great for creative audio tracks.