ESL etc.

In the course of preparing materials and trying to save money, I’ve come across a variety of open source software packages that are really useful. All of the materials that made for this site were created using this software.

OpenOffice – OpenOffice is a complete office package with word processor, spreadsheet, presentation software and so on. It’s easy as pie to open and save documents in .doc format.

Engrade – Engrade is a free online gradebook. It allows for weighted grades and also has attendance and calendar features.

Dropbox – Dropbox is a great tool for keeping files synchronized across multiple computers. It’s free for up to 2 gig of space.

GIMP – GIMP is a full-featured image editing software package, comparable to PhotoShop. I’ve only used the basics, but it looks good so far.

Inkscape – Inkscape is an open source vector graphic editor.

Dia – Dia is an easy to use diagram / chart creation tool.

AoA Audio Extractor – AoA Audio Extractor is an easy way to pull audio from video files. The free version lets you process three video files at a time, and export as either WAV, MP3 or AC3.

AVG Free Edition – Grisoft offers a free edition of both their anti-virus and anti-spyware programs.

ZoneAlarm – For a great free firewall, ZoneAlarm can’t be beat.

Mozilla Firefox – Firefox is a great alternative to Internet Explorer.

Audacity – Audacity is a sound recording and editing program. Used to record the podcasts, this program can be used to create all manner of audio material.

FileZilla – FileZilla is a free FTP client.

Wink – Wink allows you to create animated tutorials using by capturing screenshots and mouse movements, and adding pop-up explanations. It is a very useful tool for creating websites or presentations explaining how to use a certain piece of software.

OurMedia.org / Archive.org – OurMedia.org and Archive.org (one and the same) offer free, lifetime hosting of media files. All of the mp3s for my podcast are hosted there, saving me valuable bandwidth.

Edxor – Edxor is a free, lightweight text editor.

Notepad++ – After years and years of using simple text editors to do my web design, I finally installed Notepad++. It’s lightweight, but it still manages to highlight HTML tags and format your code with indentations and all that good stuff.

Autostitch – Autostitch has nothing to do with English teaching, but it is fantastic. It stitches photographs together (automatically) to make panoramic shots. Here are two examples: Diamondhead & Halemaumau Crater

Mozy – Mozy is a free online backup service offering 2 GBs of space.

WordPress – WordPress is a PHP-based content management / blogging system.

Zilla Data Nuker – Zilla Data Nuker is useful for permanently deleting files from your computer. It can sweep all blank areas of your hard drive, perfect for when you are selling a computer or returning it to your school.

HTTrack – HTTrack is an easy to use program that copies entire websites to your hard drive. Good for grabbing a lot of resources at once, or backing up your website.

FlashGot – FlashGot is a Firefox plug-in that lets you grab all the files on a page, helpful if you want to download a bunch of images or audio files from a site.

PeerBlock – PeerBlock (based on PeerGuardian 2) blocks an extensive list of governmental and anti-P2P computers from connecting to your computer. It is a must-have if you use any peer-to-peer file sharing software, and a recommended privacy tool even if you don’t.