VLC Media Player

There is an exceptionally good media player called VLC Media Player. Here is the description from the website here.

VLC media player is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, …) as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It can also be used as a server to stream in unicast or multicast in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network.

It will play just about anything you can throw at it. It is my favorite media player. Check it out, it will amaze you.

Using Older Computers in the Classroom

Windows Vista is new operating system by Microsoft.  An operating system is a program that tells the computer how to communicate with all of its parts.  Vista can cost around $200.  A copy must be bought for each computer.  This is too expensive for most school budgets.  Vista also requires the latest hardware in order to operate.  This means that older computer labs cannot run Windows Vista.  However, there is a solution to this problem of running a modern operating system on older computers.  Old or donated computers can still be used effectively in the classroom if the proper operating system and software is used.

The answer to our operating system dilemma is to use a different operating system.  What if we could use a free, powerful operating system with thousands of free programs?  I am using Linux right now to post this article.  Wouldn’t this be cost-effective for our schools? 

Introduction to Open Source Education

What is an Open Source Educator?  An educator who uses open source software and “open source ideas” in the classroom.  What is open source software?  Basically, it is software that has been donated by programmers from around the world to be used free of charge.  “Open Source” means that the source code of the program is available to use or modify as one wishes.  Most of this type of software is released under the GPL license.  These programs cannot be sold, they are free to use.  “Open Source Ideas and Methods” are used to allow educators from all over the world to share their expertise and knowledge freely for the betterment of humanity.  This is a helpful and positive concept in the field of education.