Tuesday, June 3, 2008

New Zealand Educational Software

Click on the menu bars below to access the software programs on this DVD. Some of the menu bars take you immediately to software installation options, while others take you to sub-menus containing more programs. Programs in red text are new to this edition of the CANZ Resource DVD. Many of the existing programs have been updated and these are shown in blue text. Programs marked with have links to TKI Software for Learning website pages giving more information that may include teacher support material, screenshots, and examples of how students are using the software in their learning.

Notes about installing and using the software are at the bottom of this page.


Asynx Planetarium, Celestia, Home Planet, Orbiter, Stig's Sky Calendar, Solar Model, Star-Calc, Win-Stars.


Visual Assistant


Graphics editors & image viewers: AnkerCAD, Artrage, BlockCAD, CadStd Lite, Drawing for Children, FastStone, FastStone Capture, FastStone MaxView, FastStone PhotoResizer, Google SketchUp, HTML Slideshow, Irfan View, IrfanView plugins, Microsoft Photo Story 3, Paint.Net, Palette, Photofiltre, Picasa, Image Resizer powertool, Pixia, Shrink Pic, The Gimp, Tux Paint; Animation and video: 3D Canvas, 3D Screen Creator, Anim8tor, Array Animation, Pivot Stickfigure Animator, Sqirlz Lite, Sqirlz Morph, Sqirlz Water Reflections, Tales Animator; Sound editors and media players: Audacity sound editor, iTunes, Podcasting, Spider audio player, Winamp, Windows Media Player 11, Zoom Player


Alice, 2+2 Math for Kids, AC 1.0 algebra calculator, EggMath, Geogebra, Graph, Mathflash, Matrix Discovery, QuikGrid, StarLogo, Timez Attack, Tux Math, Z-Plot. (Elementary maths programs are also in the Adders and Riverdeep collections.)

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ACID XPress, AWS Guitar Tuner, Best Practice, Breakdance Machine, Finale Notepad 2007, KoZong chord generator, Metronome, MidiNotate Player, Noteworthy Composer, Mr Drumstix Lite, Notecard, Power Tab Editor, Tiny Piano, vanBasco Karaoke, various programs from Metronimo and Happy Note.

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Microsoft Office is effectively free to all schools, but alternatives on this DVD include AbiWord and OpenOffice.Org.


Crocodile Clips Elementary, Electric Field, Equilibrate, Funny Bones, Ideal Gas in 3D, Periodic Library, QuickField, Virtual Microscope, World Wind.


C-Evo, GameMaker

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Excellent collection of free educational software – especially maps.

Schoolhouse Technologies worksheets
(Formerly called Worksheet Factory). Maths and language worksheets.

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Clocks, dinosaurs, mazes, times tables, solar system and more. All free.

Riverdeep collection
Critical thinking, language, maths, science, social studies. (These programs were previously marketed by Edmark, which is now part of Riverdeep.) A wide range of newer pay-for programs are now on the website, but these oldies may still be worth investigating.

Miscellanous software
ABC Kid Genius, Ace Reader, Cmap Tools, Eclipse Crossword, ESB Calc, ESB Unit Conversions, Excel Calendar, Freemind, PDFs for printing out graphpaper, musical staves etc, Jigs@w Puzzle 2, Keyboard Pounder, Kiran's Typing Tutor, Powerpoint Search & Replace, Portable Apps Suite, Railendar, SimQuest, Roxie's ABC Fish, Stickies for Windows, Tux Typing, Vertex42 (Excel calendar), WordWeb.

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Acrobat Reader, AutoUnbreak, CC Cleaner, Childproof, Copernic Desktop Search, , Easycleaner, Email Stripper, Google Desktop, Network Notepad, PC Inspector File Recovery, Quicktime Alternative, Quicktime, Real Alternative, Realplayer, Graph and specialist papers, Maori language keyboard, Maori spellchecker, Sandra Lite, screen magnifiers; PDF writer alternatives to Acrobat: CutePDF Writer, PDF ReDirect, PrimoPDF; file compression programs: Stuffit Expander, TugZip, Zip Central, Winzip.

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Email clients: Eudora, Pegasus & Thunderbird, Mailwasher; browsers: Firefox, Internet Explorer; instant messaging, phone: ICQ, Skype, Trillian, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger; anti-spyware: AdAware, Spybot, AVG Antispyware; anti-virus: AVG Antivirus, Avast Home edition; Firewall: Commodo, Online Armor; miscellaneous Internet programs: Hector Protector, Hot Potatoes, Yahoo Widget Engine.


USING THE SOFTWARE

After clicking on a software title, a message will appear giving you the option of running the installation program from this CD-ROM (click on 'Open'), or saving the program to a folder on your hard drive (click on 'Save').

A few of the files are actually zipped-up installation files – unzip into a temporarily folder on your hard drive and then install from that folder.

Note: some of the installation files, particularly for the 'office' suites, are fairly large and if you don't have a fast machine, there will be a delay before the message appears.

Most of the software is free, but some is shareware which you should pay for if you continue using it. Some is also 'demoware' which will run in full mode, but only for a specified period.

These programs are for Windows computers only – Windows 95 and newer. Many work well with lower powered computers, some need at least a Pentium III some are designed for Pentium IV. If you have slower computers, check the minimum requirements at the software makers' websites.

Most software is designed for Windows 2000 or XP (often specified as Service Pack 2). None of the programs have been checked for Vista compatibility, but many of the updates marked in blue above were stated to be Vista-compatible. If you have Vista or operating systems older than Windows 2000, please check their suitability at the software makers' websites.

There are some specialist subject areas, but also check in the software house sections such as Owl & Mouse, for programs which might otherwise have been put in these 'subject' categories.

Disclaimer: though this CD has been virus-tested before publication, CANZ cannot be held responsible for any damage to your system caused directly or indirectly by any of the software, corrupted files, faulty CD-ROM media or viruses (or similar programs such as 'Trojan horses' or 'worms'). Third-party freeware and shareware are supplied 'as-is'. CANZ does not have the resources to support these programs, and nor does it have the expertise to evaluate the programs for educational use in New Zealand. Any questions you have should be directed to the producers of these programs, via the web addresses given.

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COMPUTER ACCESS NZ TRUST (CANZ)
Refurbishing office computers for schools and the community

Text processing class at Rutherford College(13122 bytes)

Students in a text processing class at Rutherford College, using networked refurbished CANZ computers.

Computers are now a vital part of our children's learning and a basic tool for most community organisations. Today it goes without saying that information and communications technology (ICT) is New Zealanders' ticket to the 21st Century.

It’s one thing to understand all this, but quite another to give all groups in our society access to the ICT revolution. Prices for new computers – even entry level models – can be a barrier for cash-strapped schools and not-for-profit community organisations.

To help solve the problem, the Computer Access New Zealand Trust (CANZ) was set up in 1999. It was an initiative of the 2020 Communications Trust, supported by the Ministry of Education.

CANZ accredits computer refurbishing companies, which use the CANZ quality brand. This means they share a code of practice and an acceptable use policy for branded machines. T

Accredited refurbishers sell used equipment donated by commercial and government organisations, usually about three years from brand new. This equipment, all quality ‘name’ brands, is refurbished, upgraded as necessary and sold with a warranty and after-sales service. Prices are considerably lower than for new computers. Schools which have bought CANZ machines in the past have consistently found them reliable and good for several years more service. When CANZ computers finally reach the end of their useful life, refurbishers take them back for environmental recycling.

For many schools, a mix of new and refurbished computers can be a sensible approach. CANZ computers are less expensive than new models, yet they are network and Internet capable and handle almost all software used in schools today. (Some high-level graphics and video applications work better on new equipment.) Click here to read case studies of schools using CANZ refurbished computers.

As well as being available for schools and community groups, CANZ refurbished machines are being used for the Computers in Homes project, which is reducing the digital divide problem in low income New Zealand communities by supplying families with computers, internet connections and training.

FAQ

Case studies of schools using CANZ computers – click below


E-waste

Not all older computers can be refurbished for continued use, and New Zealand has poor facilities for environmentally acceptable end-of-life disposal. Since 2005, CANZ has worked closely with the Ministry for the Environment and other stakeholders to help develop solutions to this problem. In 2005 and 2006 we published reports and recommendations, and in 2006 we partnered with Dell Computer to run New Zealand's first free pickup day for old computer gear. (Information and photos from this event are here. We were also the main driver behind the 2007 national eDay and we're working toward a similar event in 2008.

A table showing the environmental impacts of materials used in computer production is here.)


Contact CANZ:

Phone: 04-495 2334
Email us

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Last modified: 28/3/08


DONATE
Help close the digital divide by donating to the CANZ accredited recycling programme.

Click here to read about the donor programme.

E-WASTE

Click on the logo above to go the the national eDay website for information about how you can safely dispose of your unused home computer equipment.

CANZ has been helping develop national e-waste policy. In July 2006 we published a major government-funded action report. Click here to download a PDF version.

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