Open Source Software

Open source software is many times referred to as free software. This software is usually created by groups of people and they grant access to the public for free. For example, Firefox, Audacity and Linux are all various types of free open source software. Audacity provides a way to edit multiple tracks of audio and can import/export audio.

I would utilize open source software in the field of education so that I may take advantage of free software that I cannot purchase. In preparing presentations for my future students I know I will be utilizing many different software. Thus, with open source software I cant still use quality tools and applications without the expensive price.

Gimpshop is a type of free open source software that allows users to edit and manipulate images. It is very similar to Photoshop because has many of the same features that Photoshop provides. I would utilize Gimpshop primarily because I do not have Photoshop on my laptop nor would I like to pay the expensive price for it.

Social Bookmarking

Social bookmarking provides a manner for people to organize different sites that they find of interest by bookmarking. The list of bookmarks can be further organized into categories so that identifying sites under a certain topic may be easier. Another benefit of social bookmarking is that other people are able to view the list of bookmarks. Hence, other people can utilize these bookmarks as well.

I would utilize social bookmarking as a tool to organize interesting educational websites. For example, I would have math, science, and English bookmarks. Not only would I be able to locate websites that have a similar topic easier but I would also be to utilize the bookmarks that my fellow teachers created.

I found the Delicious website to be a great example of social bookmarking. It has phenomenal features and I know that I would find use in it when working on group assignments. For example, I would use Delicious to have all the website references my group plans on utilizing so that we can quickly retrieve the information when needed.

Google Docs

Google Docs is a form cloud computing where a user can use applications as a service instead of being limited to s certain platform. This application allows people to share information with numerous people without having to send a tremendous amount of emails. People are able to either view, edit, or provide comments to Google documents which helps during the revision process.

I believe that shared documents and presentations provide a manner for teachers to inter-exchange ideas on documents from a central location. Hence, I would use it to gain insight from other teachers on projected lesson plans and projects. In addition, I would use shared documents to plan class field trips that would involve multiple classes or grade levels. This gives teachers, including myself, an opportunity to make corrections or add points that everyone would be able to see and revise.

The youtube video provided me more insight on how to navigate through Google Docs. There are numerous tools that GoogleDocs provides and from the video I was able to visualize how to effectively use those tools.

Concept Map

This concept map provides incite in how I will use various social tools within the field of education.