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OpenWith.org provides detailed information about most file extension and links to free programs that can open and create each type of file. All of us at OpenWith.org have found ourselves helping our parents and friends open obscure file types time and time again, and decided that this information was best shared with everybody. There are plenty of great programs out there that will cost you hundreds of dollars to do what you need. What you probably don't know is that there is usually free software that it just as good. You just don't know about it.

For this list, we've collected educational apps from a variety of categories that can replace popular commercial software. In many cases, the open source options listed here offer features that aren't matched by their closed source counterparts. And while we limited our list to 50 apps, you can find many more on the Web.

A virtual drum roll please… We are thrilled to officially open the application process for the Discovery Student Adventures Pilot Program. Join us as we discover more of our incredible planet earth together with adventure trips to Australia, South Africa, and China. In order to participate in this pilot trip, you must be a STAR Discovery Educator. Not only are you able to take part in this once in a lifetime opportunity, each STAR selected will be able to choose four of their students to join them on the adventure! This is at no cost to you or your students! So with no further ado… here's the official wording and post importantly the link to apply.

The website provides information and articles about open source software, advice on getting started, case studies of its adoption in schools, a directory for exploring what is available, and a glossary.

You can even add video and/or audio by recording it directly within the site! SlideSix supports a ton of different presentation formats: * PPTX (PowerPoint 2007) * PPT/PPS (PowerPoint 97/2000/XP) * PDF (Adobe Acrobat) * ODP/SXI (Open Office) * MOV (QuickTime)

OpenGoo is an Open Source Web Office. It is a complete solution for every organization to create, collaborate, share and publish all its internal and external documents.

Scribus is an open-source program that brings award-winning professional page layout to Linux/Unix, MacOS X, OS/2 and Windows desktops with a combination of "press-ready" output and new approaches to page layout. Underneath the modern and user friendly interface, Scribus supports professional publishing features, such as CMYK color, separations, ICC color management and versatile PDF creation.

So what does this mean for K12 education?

"MyPaint is a fast and easy open-source graphics application for digital painters. It lets you focus on the art instead of the program. You work on your canvas with minimum distractions, bringing up the interface only when you need it."

The SMART Notebook app for iPad enables students to open their own version of a SMART Notebook lesson on their iPad and take it with them, wherever they go. Now students can work with the same SMART Notebook file - individually on their iPad and then collaboratively in class on the SMART Board interactive whiteboard.

Have a file but can't open it because you're missing a program or have the wrong operating system? Check out Zamzar.com! It's a free, web-based file converter that will email you the new version. It's a great first stop to get your files switched over to the format you want!

Synergy lets you easily share your mouse and keyboard between multiple computers on your desk, and it's Free and Open Source. Just move your mouse off the edge of one computer's screen on to another. You can even share all of your clipboards. All you need is a network connection. Synergy is cross-platform (works on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux).

via http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/06/booktype-open-source-digital-publishing.html

More teachers are equipping their classrooms with little keypads - often called clickers - that let students instantly, and anonymously, answer questions. Teachers say the clickers are improving the quality of education by measuring how engaged students are in the material they are learning.

A few suggestions to school IT people everywhere

Hey there! Get ready for all sorts of wacky, physical fun - okay, more mental than physical, but there are physics involved - from the comforts of your computer chair! This is IncrediBots, and you'll be building, guiding, jumping, and doing all sorts of wonderful things with your very own robots, spawned from the depths of your creativity, in a wide-open, physics-based playground!

Quick Media Converter (QMC) is a universal video converter that was specifically designed to convert video formats to other video formats, to do this we are using open source code from a software engine called FFMPEG using its own codec library and Player.

Expand your kids online experience with KidZui, the Internet for Kids. KidZui is a Firefox add-on that with one click turns Firefox into a kid-safe environment with over a million kid-friendly websites, games, pictures, and YouTube videos. Real parents and teachers review content for KidZui so your kids can surf independently. Kids build avatars to express themselves online. They earn points for exploration and discovery. They can tag content and share it with parent-approved friends. When locked down, KidZui prevents kids from closing the browser, downloading files, or opening other applications. This is a great way to let your kids independently explore on Firefox without worrying about them using the adult Internet, or accidentally deleting important files.