Free Technologies and Software


GIMP

Open

Open-source alternative to Photoshop, available for OSX, Windows and Linux

https://www.gimp.org/

Krita

Open-source tool for digital painting

https://krita.org/en/

Opentoonz

An open source 2D animation tool

https://opentoonz.github.io/e/

Audacity

Open

Open-source audio software

https://www.audacityteam.org/

Amara

A free subtitling and captioning tool

https://amara.org/en/

OpenShot

Open-source video editing software

https://www.openshot.org/

Loom

Open

Web-based and desktop screencasting

https://www.loom.com

Loom Pro is now free forever for people with .EDU email addresses! https://www.loom.com/blog/coronavirus-response

Aegisub

Open

Cross-platform open source tool for creating and modifying subtitles. Time subtitles to audio and style fonts while previewing video in real-time.

http://www.aegisub.org

Fast method for subtitling:

How to use subtitle files (hardsubbing vs softsubbing):

Swivl

Record, view, share and collaborate in classroom video recordings. Audio markers ensure the camera tracks the speaker(s) and provide good sound quality.

https://www.swivl.com/

Flipgrid

Engage and empower every voice in your classroom or at home by recording and sharing short, awesome videos...together!

https://info.flipgrid.com/

Flipgrid is completely FREE and UNLIMITED!! Unlimited Grids, unlimited Topics, unlimited student videos. Create videos 15 seconds to 5-minutes in length, with video moderation and privacy features, automatic closed captions, and many more features.

Web Captioner

Real-time captioning tool

https://webcaptioner.com

Currently only available for Google Chrome. To select an audio source other than your default microphone, select it from Chrome settings: https://webcaptioner.com/help/general/change-microphone/

After the captioning session, you can save the file as text. Then you can do any needed quality control and/or import the text into a captioning program to align it to timestamps.

HUE Document Camera

An inexpensive, portable option for individual instructors. Good quality, compatible with screen sharing in video conferences, and includes recording options for hands-on demonstrations.

https://huehd.com/pro/

Caren at stories@idrc.ocadu.ca

The Storytelling Project

A place to share/explore all types of stories. 

https://stories.floeproject.org/

Storytelling space for this project: https://aihec.inclusivedesign.ca/welcome.html

Wordpress

Open

Open source tool to create blogs and websites

https://wordpress.org/

Pressbooks

An open source self-publishing tool for creating and editing blogs, textbooks and websites

https://pressbooks.org/

info@anthro-media.com

We will invite as guest speaker.

Anthro Media

Access science-focused media developed from diverse perspectives. Identify project ideas and possible collaborators.

http://anthro-media.com/

Godot

An open source game engine

https://godotengine.org/

David at dernst@umn.edu

Open Textbook Library

Comprehensive list of openly licensed and free college textbooks.

https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks

ArcGIS Story Maps

User friendly tool for creating sophisticated, visually appealing web-based information products that integrate diverse media types, including dynamic GIS and digital maps, video, audio, text and graphics.  Part of the Esri suite of ArcGIS-related software applications.  License-based.

https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-storymaps/overview

Information about the Tribal Story Map Challenge:

https://www.esri.com/en-us/industries/government/departments/tribal/tribal-challenge/overview

Examples from 2019 Winners Gallery: 

https://www.esri.com/en-us/industries/government/departments/tribal/tribal-challenge/winners/2019-winners

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

12 Things Story Maps Can Do:

https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/story-maps/constituent-engagement/things-you-can-do-with-story-maps/

How to Make a Story Map:

http://storymaps-classic.arcgis.com/en/how-to/

And more...

https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-storymaps/resources

Office 365

Office 365 is free for Education (faculty and students). It includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, SWAY, STREAM, Microsoft Teams, and additional classroom tools.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/products/office

WeTransfer

Super simple file sharing, especially for large files. 

https://wetransfer.com

Free / No Sign-Up account allows for files up to 2GB. 

If you're uploading a file without signing in, you will need to click an email verification email before the file sharing link will be made available. Recipient does not need to sign in to download file.

Storyboard That!

Drag-and-drop storyboarding tool

https://www.storyboardthat.com

Free version allows you to create up to two 6-panel storyboards per week, with hundreds of available scenes and characters and other objects. For-fee upgrade enables more powerful features.

Open