Koha has been around for quite a while, and I almost installed it on a test server a couple years ago. The Linux.com article mentions a newcomer called Evergreen, and it looks pretty promising too. With two good options out there I think it’s time to give serious consideration to moving away from the expensive, proprietary library systems.

We almost have our InfoCentre system running acceptably now, but our media specialists are so frustrated that I think they’d be willing to consider other options. And here’s another situation where our move toward a virtualized server infrastructure pays off. We can create two fully isolated virtual test servers for Koha and Evergreen without having to scrounge up any real hardware. It’s not the highest priority at this point, but I’ll post some observations about both systems when I get around to trying them.

koha, evergreen, ils, library, infocentre

• Moodle, online learning management system
• Audacity, audio editing
• Inkscape, vector drawing
• Scribus, desktop publishing
• OpenOffice.org, office suite
• NeoOffice, Mac version of OpenOffice.org
• Linux, free Unix-like OS
• Creative Commons
• Open Source
• Flickr, online photo sharing
• Wikipedia, world’s biggest encyclopedia
• VLC, media player
• Drupal, content management system
• Joomla, content management system
• WordPress, blogging platform
• GIMPShop, Photoshop-like image editing
• Edubuntu, Linux distribution targeted for K–12
• Request Tracker, trouble ticketing system

Update: Here are a few more links to products that came up during the session.

• Jahshaka, video editing and effects
• Loudblog, audio blogging and podcasting
• dirCaster, easy podcasting
• Stellarium, awesome astronomy software
• Clam Antivirus, server-based virus scanning

ties, ties2006

From tech support systems to graphics applications, there are hundreds of free and open source applications that will fit easily into your school’s technology environment. Participants will learn about the open source software model and get a “top 10” list of open source applications.

Now I’ve got plenty of ideas in my head about what apps will constitute my top 10 list, but I’d like to hear from you. What open source applications would make it on your All-Star team?

ties2006

Parakey is intended to be a platform for tools that can manipulate just about anything on your hard drive—e-mail, photos, videos, recipes, calendars. In fact, it looks like a fairly ordinary Web site, which you can edit. You can go online, click through your files and view the contents, even tweak them. You can also check off the stuff you want the rest of the world to be able to see.

Ross is the prototypical digital native. He says, “We all know ­people…who have all this content that they are not publishing stored on their computers. We’re trying to persuade them to live their lives online.” If this is how young people think, is it any wonder that their digital immigrant teachers don’t understand them?

blake ross, parakey

Party affiliation is irrelevant here. It’s likely that thousands of voters next Tuesday will have their votes miscast or not accepted at all. While I don’t discount entirely the possibility of carefully planned attempts to manipulate the results of the vote, I’m also reminded of what Napolean said, “Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence.” My bigger concern is that large numbers of voters will be disenfranchised by simple technical glitches that won’t be properly handled by poorly trained (however well-intentioned) election judges.

Others have called for a government-sponsored project to develop open source voting software and hardware. I think that’s the only solution that has any hope of producing a secure, reliable, and trustworthy system. I would also recommend the Verified Voting Foundation as a good source of information on this topic.

Please read the Ars Technica article and be prepared to stand up for your right to vote next Tuesday.

electronic voting, midterm election, verified voting foundation, election 2006

openoffice, openoffice.org, neooffice, office suite

Stellarium is an open source desktop planetarium for Linux/Unix, Windows and MacOSX. It renders the skies in realtime using OpenGL, which means the skies will look exactly like what you see with your eyes, binoculars, or a small telescope. Stellarium is very simple to use, which is one of its biggest advantages: it can easily be used by beginners.

I love the fact that it’s open source and cross-platform. There’s no reason not to download it and try it out, but if you want a bit of a preview you can check out the screenshots. Just beautiful.

stellarium, astronomy, astronomy software

Each of our schools has its own email address for tech support requests. Teachers and other staff simply send an email message to that address describing the problem and a ticket is automatically created in the RT database. The building tech support person then gets an email notification for each new ticket and the teacher gets an email “receipt” so they know that the information was received. The teachers like it because they know that their requests haven’t been lost. The techs love it because it helps them avoid the dreaded “hallway ambush” where a teacher corners them about a tech problem and expects them to remember every detail until they get back to their desk to write it down.

We’ve found lots of other uses for Request Tracker too. The Buildings and Grounds Department is starting to use it for their requests and we hope to eliminate the “fill out in quadruplicate” work order forms entirely. Now we’re building a system to process technology purchases so the tech support staff in the buildings aren’t surprised when new equipment arrives. It will also help us ensure that the technology is appropriate for the curriculum and compatible with our computers and network.

Top notch tech support is absolutely crucial if teachers are going be confident enough in their technology systems to be innovative with their curriculum. I saw an example of this recently when we were having some stability issues with our student file server. It only took one bad experience for many teachers to put their technology plans on hold. Unfortunately, it takes much longer to build confidence than it does to ruin it.

There are dozens of ticketing systems to choose from (many of them free), but the important point is that any organization that relies on technology needs a system like RT. I guarantee it will improve the tech support in your school or district and encourage teachers to use technology more frequently.