COVID-19: Free Educational Software for Teaching and Working from Home

As we’re all staying home, students, teachers and workers may find this list of free software useful.

These programs are free of cost and free to be changed by anyone, and most are available for various operating systems. Many of these have closed source proprietary equivalents so this list will mostly be of interest to people wanting to pursue a low cost or open software philosophy.

For organisations

  • Big Blue Button – Web conferencing system that could be used for distance learning. Similar to Zoom.
  • Jitsi – Web conferencing system for distance learning
  • Collabora Online – Office Suite on the web
  • Mattermost – Written communication for teams and communities
  • Moodle – Distance Learning
  • Canvas LMS – Teaching management platform created to help schools build a digital teaching environment.
  • Mumble – High-quality, low-latency audio communication.
  • Etherpad – Collaborative text editor
  • Nextcloud – Document management in the cloud (similar to Google Drive)
  • Omeka – Creation of virtual exhibitions and collections
  • Rocket.chat – Written communication for teams and communities
  • WordPress – Content management system to create and maintain websites, blogs or applications
  • Drupal – Content management system, having some modified versions for teaching, such as Opigno LMS
  • Grav – Content management system to create and maintain websites, blogs or applications, extensible and without the need for a database
  • OpenVPN – VPN access

For individuals

  • Caliber – Organization, edition, and cataloguing of ebooks
  • FisicaLab – Physics problem solving
  • Framalibre – Toolkit and resources
  • GCompris – Activities for children from 2 to 10 years old
  • Geogebra – Application of geometry, algebra, statistics and calculus
  • Gephi – Graphs
  • GhostwriterMarkdown editor
  • Joplin – Take notes, with markdown and sync support
  • LibreOffice – Office suite (text editor, spreadsheet editor, etc.)
  • Mathics – Algebra
  • MuseScore – Writing and reading musical scores
  • Octave – Language similar to MATLAB for numerical computing
  • Okular – Reader and annotator of pdf and other formats
  • Palladio – Creating complex historical data visualizations
  • Scilab and Xcos – System similar to MATLAB and Simulink
  • Solfege – Ear and music training
  • TextGridText analysis and editing
  • TimelineJS – Creating timelines
  • Tracker – Analysis and physical modeling of videos
  • Zotero – Bibliography management
  • QGIS – Complete GIS / GIS program for creating, editing and analysing Geographic Information
  • LibreCAD – Free 2D CAD drawing program, for technical drawing, topography, etc. 2D, equivalent to AutoCAD.
  • FreeCAD – Free parametric 3D design program, applicable to modelling.
  • SweetHome3D – Free 3D architecture and interior design program, equivalent to BIM solutions.

Image

Audio and video

  • Ardor – Audio recording, editing and mixing
  • Audacity – Audio editor
  • Kdenlive – Video editor
  • Natron – Video composition and colourisation
  • OBS Studio – Online recording and broadcasting studio for online classes and lectures
  • Olive – Video editor
  • OpenShot – Video editor
  • Toonloop – Stop-motion animation

Collaboration

  • Atom Teletype – Text editor with extension for simultaneous editing
  • Jamulus – Real-time distance rehearsals for musicians, without latency.
  • Jitsi Meet – Video conference in the browser
  • KDE Connect – Controlling the computer with a phone on Linux KDE systems
  • Riot – Group communication on the Web (text, voice and video)

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