The istituto Tecnologie Didattiche (ITD) has recently started a survey, technical evaluation, analysis and cataloguing of Open Source educational software.
An Open Source educational software is characterized by the free access to its souorce codes and can therefore be modified by all those who wish and can do it. In this way teachers have an opportunity to afford functional and personalized technological tools. Most available Open educational software packages run under Linux operative system which share the same open, non-commercial philosophy.
hen, should the teacher wishing to enter in this world and explore this more flexible educational software necessarily learn to use Linux?
The So.Di.LINUX CD collectionprepared by ITD with the collaboration of AICA, is an answer to this question and wishes to demonstrate how any teacher can view and use open source code educational software under LINUX with no effort and no previous technological training. No content and configuration changes are needed and they simply have to use their PC as it is.
So.Di.LINUX consists of a CDLIVE and AUTOBOOT which, when installed on a PC under Windows shifts automatically under LINUX; it is a derivation of KNOPPIX CD where some applications of no interest for education are replaced by specific products.
The collection is made of three CDs each of which contains a series of applications and utility software peculiar to the LINUX environment (games, utilities, word processors, spreadsheet, graphics etc..) and about 40 directly executable Open Source educational software packages classified according to the subject matter and the school level (an overall number of 120).
These software packages are directly executable and feature a specific documentation oriented to their educational use; each software includes a descriptive file containing a summary, images, general, educational and technical information; where possible, this file is integrated with experiences of use, reflections, observations and data from experimentations.
The educational software packages of this collection deal with various subjects and are intended for dfferent school levels; the selection favoured products in Italian both original editions and “translated” ones; the types range rfom drill&practice to open environments which allow the minipulation and construction of geometrical figures, graphics of functions etc..
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