Open source and creative commons resources for study skills with examples

1. Open Source & Free
Technologies
for Study
Skills
Mrs E.A. Draffan

2. Where we are now…
• Support for students taking HNC, HND, Degree or
equivalent level courses - specialist software,
computers but not equipment that all students on
a particular course require.
• Statutory Code of Practice for Services, public
functions and associations “where a provision,
criterion or practice places a disabled person at a
substantial disadvantage, and this relates to the
provision of information, …it is reasonable to
…ensure that the information is provided in an
accessible format (p 102).
Adapted thanks to Alistair McNaught (JISC) and Abi James

3. • Creative Commons – free content?
• Open Source – free software?
• Commercial options – freemium,
premium and subscription ?
• Provide information – social
media?
What can we use?

4. • Open Educational
Resources (OERs) -
consideration
of Intellectual
Property Rights (IPR),
and copyright
• Images
• Third party resources
Creative
Commons

5. So OERs are…helpful?
• “ensure that the information is provided in an
accessible format”
AdaptedthankstoAlistairMcNaught(JISC)andAbiJames
5
text rich
resource
image rich
resource
video rich
resource
audio rich
resource

6. Supporting multiple formats
• Structured Word document (using headings and styles
e.g. Microsoft Accessibility Checker)
• Accessible ebook checker – preferably ePub3 format
• Accessible web content - testing online pages –
Automated tools available from W3C WAI
• Accessible PDFs – Simple guide to Creating Accessible
PDFs – Try the free checker PAVE
• Synote for accessible audio and video recordings

7. Open source software
• Quality of code – can be superb?
• Documentation – should be perfect?
• Maintenance – always up to date?
• Training – always on hand?
The 2015 Future of Open Source Survey Reveals 78% of
companies make use of open source, yet many lack
formal policies to manage legal and security risks – In
2015 JISC also offered advice on open source software.
https://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/how-can-my-institution-
use-open-source-software

8. Tools for tasks
• Text to speech
• Spell checking
• Graphical mapping
• Reminders
• Speech Recognition
• Scanning and OCR
• Dictionaries
• Calculators
• Note taking
• References
Think skill, strategy & setting first then tools

9. Text to Speech
Open Source
• ClipTalk
• Good for instant speech
feedback
Portable
• Dspeech & Balabolka
• Useful when on the move if
USB access available
Free
• NaturalReader 14
• Good for simple text to
speech – free Windows
Phone
• Vod Lite iPhone app and
Speak it! for Android Free
Daisy & TTS or Built-in
Commercial
• Texthelp, Claro, Dolphin,
Don Johnston etc.
Online
• Voz Me and ATbar
• Copy and paste or browser
based option

10. Spell checking
Open Source
• Aspell
• Basic used in many apps for
Windows
Portable
• OpenOffice.org and
dictionaries
• Portable Wordprocessor
Free
• FreeSpell
• Based on Aspell but works
with clipboard and hotkeys
Phone
• Speller iPhone app
• Spell Checker for Android
• Built-in
Commercial
• Oribi VeritySpell
• specialist checker integrates
with text to speech
Online
• Ghotit, Ginger, Google and
ATbar
• Web or browser based and
as mobile apps

11. Graphical mapping
Open Source
• XMind
• Keyboard friendly & has
spellcheck
Portable
• Freemind
• Basic compared to Xmind
but less MB
Free
• M8! - Mind Map
• Windows 10 –app store
Phone
• SimpleMind+ iPhone and
Android app
• V. easy link with Dropbox
Commercial
• Inspiration, MindView, iMindmap,
MindGenius, Mindmanager,
ClaroIdeas, Spark Learner etc
Online
• MindMeister, Gliffy and
many others
• Keyboard or mouse and as
apps

12. Reminders
Open Source
• TaskCoach to do lists and
reminders
• Tasks and to do lists
Portable
• Portable Stickies
• Always with you – colour,
fonts, print, languages
Free
• VueMinder Calendar and
Rainlendar Lite with
alarms
Phone
• AnyDo: Reminder works
with Siri and Talkback
• To do list, voice recording
Commercial
• Calendars as part of the
Operating System or Office
Suite
Online
• Remember the Milk
• Task list, Google Calendar,
SMS, email, IM reminders

13. Speech Recognition
Open Source
• CMU Sphinx
• Carnegie Mellon speech
recognition project
Portable
• Android CMU Sphinx demo
Free
• Built in to OS
• Windows speech
recognition & Mac dictation
Phone
• Built in or Dragon Mobile
apps
• Need to be online
Commercial
• Dragon Naturally Speaking
/ SpeakQ
Online
• Google Voice recognition
via browser or mobile app
• Based on location

14. Scanning and OCR
Open Source
• Tesseract-ocr
• For techy savvy folk!
Portable
• SnapReader for Windows
10 ($2.99)
• Keyboard accessible
Free
• SimpleOCR
• For techy savvy folk!
Phone
• Office Lens OCR for
Windows, iOS and Android
• makes images readable
Commercial
• Lite versions come with the
scanner
• ScreenShot Reader
Online
• SensusAccess or Free OCR
for limited amounts
• Text from images and PDF

15. Dictionaries
Open Source
• Yadabyte portable
dictionary
• Finds highlighted words
Portable
• Lingoes dictionary with
translation, pronunciation
Free
• WordWeb Dictionary and
Thesaurus (Win)
• Audio pronunciations
Phone
• Dictionary! iPhone app &
English Dictionary for
Android - Thesaurus
Commercial
• Concise Oxford English
Dictionary with speech
Online
• Dictionary.com and
HowJSay -talking
• Browser buttons - ATbar

16. Calculators
Open Source
• SpeedCrunch
• Helps with formulae – type
expression, colours
Portable
• Converber Portable
• Unit converter
Free
• FRS Talking Calculator
• Simple sums, speech and
large buttons
Phone
• Built in & Fusion Calculator
Lite iPhone & Speak n Talk
Calculator Lite Android
Commercial
• Premier Talking Calculator
• See the whole sum
Online
• Online-calculators for many
different settings

17. Note taking
Open Source
• Laverna -Windows, Mac etc
• Collect & organise notes,
images and links etc
Portable
• Evernote
• Jot notes and sort, tag and
organise
Free
• IdeaRover
• Outline structure, links
research papers, PhD level
Phone
• Evernote iPhone app
• Jot notes and sort, tag and
organise
Commercial
• Microsoft OneNote
• Links with OneDrive and
apps
Online
• Zoho Notebook
• Similar to Google Docs
• Google Keep – Chrome.

18. References
Open Source
• JabRef
• Good for Science – LaTeX -
BibTex
Portable
• Zotero with Portable
Firefox
• Easy to use bibliography
Free
• Zotero
• Synch data with web and
make notes next to citations
Phone
• Mendeley Lite app
• Import papers and provide
citation
Commercial
• EndNote, MSWord
Online
• CiteULike
• Collections of papers with
export features.

19. Provide
information
– social
media?

20. Thank you – Any questions?
Slideshare download
https://www.slideshare.net/eadraffan/open-source-
and-free-technologies-for-study-skills-75506065
MOOCS for further information
FutureLearn Digital Accessibility
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/digital-
accessibility OER versions http://tinyurl.com/hexsly2
Coming soon – Inclusive Learning and Teaching
Environments.
Email: ead@ecs.soton.ac.uk
Projects: https://access.ecs.soton.ac.uk/