Our Blog has moved..!

As from today, Monday the 31st of January, 2018, we are on the new social media called MeWe. Our new writings are found at:

https://is.gd/70HwSn

See you there! 

 

 

How to use VLC as a Media Player in order to Listen to Internet Radio

Languages are taught in a different way today. Some years ago, students could sit for a language exam without speaking that particular language. Nowadays it’s impossible! Part of the exam includes listening and speaking. How about using a radio to improve the level of the language? It would be a good idea because students would start listening to a native speaker, speaking at his/her own speed! 

 

I do remember some students who would take great interest to participate in a quiz. Besides practising the language, they had to use their minds to formulate the answers. The best of it was that as they were listening to a live transmission, they could take part in it. On the other hand, they couldn’t play back at the moment to re-listen to some parts! So they had to listen in silence and work together as a team!

Today we’re showing how to use VLC in order to listen to the many internet radios!  It is available for Windows, Mac, Android and Linux. Just click here.

 

Apart from using the search field, you can search for radio stations by countries, languages, and tags.

Cpod : An Open Source, Cross-platform Podcast App

Listening and speaking are two of the most important assets in education. Students, teachers and parents need to listen to each other. On the other hand, communication consists in a 2 way traffic. In this sense speaking becomes important too.

Today with this explosion of electronic sources one finds that podcasts could be a wonderful way in order to promote better teaching, understanding and communicating with all the partners involved!

As podcasts involve the audio part, it becomes easier for busy people to listen to as they can perform other tasks whilst listening to the podcast.

It could help busy teachers to give instructions to students in order to listen to it at home or elsewhere. On the other hand, students themselves can produce wonderful podcasts to show what they have learned or else to work together in a project and explain the part played by each one of them! There could be many other uses for, in education. If one is creative, one can find numerous reasons to use a podcast in class.

Today we are suggesting a podcast which is free, open source and available for Mac, Windows and Linux. It is Cpod. One can download it from here. There is no documentation available online but it’s very simple to install and use. The cpod was mentioned in this article. 

 

Sourcegraph : An Open-Source Source Code Search Engine

One of the most challenging exercises when it comes to coding, is to remember a code you have used some time ago...but alas you can’t figure it out this time! What makes it frustrating is that you have built something on your own, where you have used a lot of time, now because of memory loss, you can’t simply remember how you did it!

Well today we’re presenting Sourcegraph to our ICT students. Sourcegraph is a free, open-source, self-hosted code search and intelligence server that helps developers find, review, understand, and debug code. Use it with any Git code host for teams of any size. Start using it now, then install the Sourcegraph Docker image on your private code.

Search in files and diffs on your private code using simple terms, regular expressions, and other filters. Syncs repositories with your code host and supports searching any commit/branch, with no indexing delay.

One can use it on a browser too as an extension (Firefox or Chrome).

Download;

Documentation;

YouTube videos.

Open Source 3D Printing

It’s very easy to go and buy from shops ready made products if money is not a problem. Yet as educators, we know that money is a problem for most students. Besides the financial problem, one wishes to present our students with a challenge: why not build it yourself? In this case open source becomes an integral part of modern education where students do their research work and make the product themselves! It might take much longer but the learning benefits outweigh all challenges!

 

We wish to introduce something which is gaining popularity nowadays: 3D printing!

Open Source 3D Printing eliminates all the issues created by proprietary products. Not only does it reduce costs, it enables easier innovation to solve issues faced during 3D manufacturing.

Apparently, the phrase, “Open Source 3D Printing” is also gaining popularity as is evident with a simple search online. 

 

It is now possible for users to completely go Open Source, making it possible to greatly reducing production time and manufacturing costs!

Some quick examples where 3D printing is of immense use are:

• Vehicles
• Environment
• Construction
• Dentistry
• Gadgets and Tools
• Organs

More information is found in this website. YouTube videos are found here. Another interesting website would be here. If you would like to read about the best open source 3D printer, go to this website. 

 

jBilling : Complex billing solved

Some students in high school are practically in a very delicate situation: they’re still studying, yet they are on the verge of coming into close contact with the business world. One hand they’re studying in class, on the other hand they would like to have some experience in the real world!

Today we’re presenting jBilling. It is the world’s leading open source billing solution as it gives you all the flexibility and customizable options you need for highly complex billing. Students will learn how to bill future clients in their own business office etc…

As it is open source, one can change the program according to his own business model! One can add new items as well. jBilling lets you get to market fast with your innovative products and services by allowing you to isolate your custom code and change it whenever you need to.

The official website is here.

YouTube tutorials are here.

Some screenshots are here.

Forum (practical challenges).

Open Online Physical Education Network

How many teachers seem to hold all their notes, books, experience under a tight padlock? It seems that they are holding on to their ‘secret’ lessons! Well the advantage of having an open mentality and sharing your experience means that others will share too. Consequently one gains rather than loses information, tips etc…!!

This is the experience of the Open Source software. Besides, some challenges can never be solved by one person. More people means more input. It’s a win win situation.

Today we’re presenting just a normal website. Yet it is completely open. One can give one’s contribution. It regards the physical education of our students. It was created for the US but one can adopt it for other countries of the world [obviously doing the necessary changes].

It is Open Online Physical Education Network. Hopefully more teachers in other areas will develop the same concept of sharing online other educational ideas with the rest of the community.