Online Resources

PDF maker - PrimoPDF

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:37:50 GMT

by Clare Slyfield.

Please select the following link to download a free PDF maker "PrimoPDF" which will enable you to creat PDF documents from most files including Word, Excel and Powerpoint for use on the VLE.

Having selected the link <click> SAVE and follow the onling instructions.

Once downloaded, your document can be "PDF'd" by simply selecting Print from your File drop down menu, and selecting the Primo PDF Printer from the Printer list.

http://www.primopdf.com/

History on the Web

Wed, 09 Aug 2006 10:14:58 GMT

by Website Administrator.

An Online History Study Centre featuring:

Over 200 Modern History new perspective articles arranged in 8 topic areas (with direct links to other resources, topic guides, concepts articles, study advice )
GCSE Resource bank (for AQA, Edexcel and OCR specifications
Grade Busters guides (for AS/A AQA, Edexcel and OCR study units) with inplace links
e-new perspective - the journal online. The current issue and all back volumes.
Complete access to all Core Concepts and Topic Guides
Google-style Study Centre (only) search facility
Selected Internet History links
Online edition of the bestselling The Good History Students Handbook

Visit http://www.history-ontheweb.co.uk/art/ind_web.htm to enter.

When prompted for login details, enter:

Username: maitland
Password: HmP72zQ5s

Virtual Industry Visit

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 13:19:08 GMT

by Website Administrator.

Version 1.0

Provides a high quality, interactive tour of a chemical site. The package is aimed at post-16 students studying A-Level Chemistry. Within the tour students "meet" people who work on the site and can find out about their careers. This package provides an opportunity for students to develop their understanding of the nature of Chemistry, Economics, Processing Siting and Safety related to Industry.

Download From School Servers 20.4 MB
MD5 Sum: 210cd476b71f4c6b6e77a16205f5e50e

Save the EXE file to your computer
Execute the downloaded viv-chem.exe and follow the on-screen instructions.

If this is impractical for you to download, please contact IT Support who will be happy to provide you with this software on CD free of charge.

Audacity

Thu, 06 Jul 2006 13:49:26 GMT

by Website Administrator.

Version 1.2.4 beta

Open source, free sound recorder and editor. Useful for putting sound recordings on the VLE. Optional LAME component adds MP3 export capabilities.

Download From School Servers 2.21 MB
MD5 Sum: 5a8d48ebfdb0c50e2243668790670536

Save the EXE file to your computer
Execute the downloaded audacity-win-1.2.4b.exe and follow the on-screen instructions.

Download From School Servers 372 KB
MD5 Sum: 3da221d349004075c4e6a499675eb021

Save the ZIP file to your computer
Extract it to C:\Program Files\Audacity\, or the appropriate location if Audacity was installed elsewhere (you will need an Archive Manager)
Launch Audacity, and open the Edit » Preferences... dialog box
Navigate to the File Formats tab
Under MP3 Export Setup click Find Library and Yes
Navigate to C:\Program Files\Audacity\lame3.98a6\
Choose lame_enc.dll and click Open
In the current dialog, verify that MP3 Library Version is LAME v3.98
You may now save audio files in MP3 format as used by the VLE via File » Export As MP3...

Visit Audacity project website for latest version.

If this is impractical for you to download, please contact IT Support who will be happy to provide you with this software on CD free of charge.

The GIMP

Sat, 28 Jan 2006 19:12:49 GMT

by Rory Allford.

GNU Image Manipulation Program

The GIMP is an advanced open-source image editing program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. Many see it as superior even to Adobe's Photoshop, possessing some extremely powerful tools, scripting, full support for multiple channels, layers and paths, as well as support for most image file formats.

It is one of the most popular advanced image editors due to its versatility, and was used exclusively for the graphics on the St Olave's websites. Even an experienced GIMP user with no artistic ability can perform visual miracles; however it has a very steep learning curve.

The GIMP for Windows

The latest version can be downloaded by visiting the project website. Alternatively, you can download The GIMP from the School Servers:

Install the GTK Runtime Environment
Install The GIMP for Windows.
Optionally install the GIMP Help and GIMP Animation Package.

GTK+ Runtime Environment (version 2.8.18) 3.6MB
MD5 Sum: 216f44477fc610c427ee97caa9243e2e

Save the ZIP file to your computer
Extract it to a temporary location (you will need an Archive Manager)
Execute gtk+-2.8.18-setup-1.exe in the extracted folder and follow the on-screen instructions.
If this is impractical for you to download, please contact IT Support who will be happy to provide you with this software on CD free of charge.

The GIMP for Windows (version 2.2.12) 7.7MB
MD5 Sum: 5757f96b6048ad79a2370ddcdb9a8d00

Save the ZIP file to your computer
Extract it to a temporary location (you will need an Archive Manager)
Execute gimp-2.2.12-i586-setup.exe in the extracted folder and follow the on-screen instructions.
If this is impractical for you to download, please contact IT Support who will be happy to provide you with this software on CD free of charge.

The GIMP Help 2 (version 0.9) 21.4MB
MD5 Sum: 43419926c96939cd123b8c6871d487c8

Save the ZIP file to your computer
Extract it to a temporary location (you will need an Archive Manager)
Execute gimp-help-2-0.9-setup.exe in the extracted folder and follow the on-screen instructions.
If this is impractical for you to download, please contact IT Support who will be happy to provide you with this software on CD free of charge.

The GIMP Animation Package (version 2.2.0) 2.5MB
MD5 Sum: 0cd6284623d2402e7c7fb096493bd765

Save the ZIP file to your computer
Extract it to a temporary location (you will need an Archive Manager)
Execute gimp-gap-2.2.0-setup.exe in the extracted folder and follow the on-screen instructions.
If this is impractical for you to download, please contact IT Support who will be happy to provide you with this software on CD free of charge.

The GIMP for Unix/Linux

The latest version (source and binaries) can be downloaded by visiting The GIMP Website. Alternatively you can use your package manager (e.g. Portage on Gentoo).

We do not host Unix binaries for The GIMP on the school servers, as The GIMP's dependencies necessitate the installation of various different packages (including library headers/development versions if you wish to compile from source), depending on your distribution and kernel architecture.

MD5 Checksum

Sun, 15 Jan 2006 22:51:03 GMT

by Rory Allford.

An MD5 hash is a mathematical "signature" of a file, and can be used to verify a download, primarily to check for corruption, a common problem with larger files.

It is a 32 character string, and the simplest way to verify a download is to "hash" the received file and compare it with that shown on the VLE beside all official software downloads.

If the hashes are different, the downloaded file is corrupted, and unfortunately cannot be used (you could try the download again). However if this is a frequently occuring problem, it is likely indicative of a poor internet connection - contact IT Support or your ISP for assistance.

Windows

Windows users will need an add-on program such as MD5 Context Menu to create MD5 Hashes.

Download From School Servers 238.9KB
MD5 Sum: 381568c7116405cd1d7c4b535e4b6019

Save the EXE file to your computer
Run it, and follow the instructions on-screen to install.
To obtain the MD5 Hash of a file, simply right click it within windows explorer or a folder window and choose MD5
If this is impractical for you to download, please contact IT Support who will be happy to provide you with this software on CD free of charge.

Windows (Command Line)

Microsoft provide the File Checksum Integrity Verifier for x86 Windows XP, a command-line utility for calculating md5 checksums, however this should only be used by advanced users.

Download From School Servers 116.8KB
MD5 Sum: 58dc4df814685a165f58037499c89e76

Save the EXE file to your computer
Execute it and choose to extract to C:\Windows\System32\
Open a Command Prompt and run fciv /? for usage instructions
If this is impractical for you to download, please contact IT Support who will be happy to provide you with this software on CD free of charge.

Linux

The most straightforward way to calculate MD5 hashes is via the console command openssl md5 [filename] from the OpenSSL package, which comes with most distros. The older BSD/GNU Core utility md5sum [filename] is also usually available. Consult your system documentation for further information, as alternative as well as graphical utilities may be available.

TeXaide

Sun, 15 Jan 2006 21:25:53 GMT

by Rory Allford.

Version 4.0a

LaTeX is a popular mathematical and scientific typesetting standard supported by the VLE as well as many programs particularly on Unix and Mac.

TeXaide is a standalone version of the popular MathType equation editing software that exports equations in the LaTex format, perfect for use within the VLE.

Download From School Servers 931.5KB
MD5 Sum: 0839ccf7420c68666d15473ab132271a

Save the EXE file to your computer
Execute it and follow the on-screen instructions to install.
If this is impractical for you to download, please contact IT Support who will be happy to provide you with this software on CD free of charge.

VLE Usage Example:

Using the Equation Editor the following is produced on screen:
The copy mode is set to TeX -- Plain TeX under Edit -> Translators, unchecking both Include translator name and Include MathType data.
The expression is selected and copied (Edit -> Copy)
It can then be pasted into the VLE editor (displayed when adding a label for example) in your web browser (press Ctrl + V) where it appears as:

$ $ih{{\partial \Psi } \over {\partial t}} = - {{h^2 } \over {2m}}{{\partial ^2 \Psi } \over {\partial x^2 }} + V(x)\Psi (x,t) \equiv {\rm H}\limits^\~ \Psi (x,t)$ $
N.B: Ensure the two "dollar" characters and the markup are on one continuous line.
When saved, the expression is rendered by the VLE as below:

(The time-dependent one-dimensional Schrödinger equation as used in quantum mechanics)
Equations can be inserted in this way into many editable areas within the VLE, including labels, descriptions, forum posts and submissions in interactive activities.

OpenOffice.org

Sat, 14 Jan 2006 17:14:27 GMT

by Rory Allford.

Version 2.0.3

OpenOffice.org the product is a multi-platform office productivity suite. It includes the key desktop applications, such as a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation manager, and drawing program, with a user interface and feature set similar to other office suites. Sophisticated and flexible, OpenOffice.org also works transparently with a variety of file formats, including those of Microsoft Office, and the vendor-neutral OpenDocument standard from OASIS.

Available in over 45 supported languages with more being constantly added by the community, OpenOffice.org runs stably and natively on Solaris, Linux (including PPC Linux), Windows, Mac OS X (X11), and numerous other platforms.

Download from School Servers:

OpenOffice.org for Windows 107 MB
MD5 Sum: 98020c34f929762eb07928b8f8d1e9bf

Save the EXE file to your computer
Run it and follow the instructions on-screen to install.

OpenOffice.org for Linux - x86 135 MB
MD5 Sum: c88992a36daa04c391ebf90770e0b2fb

Note that these instructions apply to RPM-based distros such as SuSE and Fedora Core - if in doubt use your package manager or updater, e.g. Gentoo users should use Portage instead.
Save the GZIP tarball to your computer
Extract it to a temporary location (you will need an Archive Manager)
su to root, if necessary.
cd into the directory with the unpacked image.
Delete any rpm files that do not apply to your system. For example, on a Fedora Core 3 system, delete any rpms specific to another distribution such as openofficeorg-suse-menus-1.9.79-1.noarch.rpm.
Use you package manager to install the RPMs (e.g. YaST on SuSE), or execute rpm -Uvih *rpm from the console to install all rpms in the current folder.

Visit OpenOffice.org website for latest version.

If this is impractical for you to download, please contact IT Support who will be happy to provide you with this software on CD free of charge.

GraphCalc

Sat, 14 Jan 2006 16:54:00 GMT

by Rory Allford.

Version 4.0.1

GraphCalc is a powerful OpenSource mathematical graphing calculator and equation manipulator.

"GraphCalc is an all-in-one solution to everything from everyday arithmetic to statistical analysis, from betas to Booleans, from cubes to calculus, from decimals to derivatives. GraphCalc combines all the features of a professional mathematics package with the simplicity of an easy to learn windows interface. It provides user-friendly help and tutorials to guide you through the easy and fun process of mastering GraphCalc."

Download from School Servers:

Graphcalc for Windows 841.8KB
MD5 Sum: c181a8014395702310313706705b0f66

Save the EXE file to your computer
Run it and follow the instructions on-screen to install.

Graphcalc for Linux 52.6KB
MD5 Sum: c772d76be921d6b78b4e3092ae48e594

Save the BZIP tarball to your computer
Extract it to a temporary location (you will need an Archive Manager)
Follow the instrucions in the graphcalc/INSTALL and graphcalc/README textfiles.

Visit GraphCalc project website for latest version.

If this is impractical for you to download, please contact IT Support who will be happy to provide you with this software on CD free of charge.

Learning Curve

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 08:54:12 GMT

by Website Administrator.

The aim of the Learning Curve is to be nothing less than an electronic field trip to whichever area of the past you are studying. The Learning Curve has:

an impressive collection of source material
a range of fantastic ideas on how the material can be used.

The Learning Curve

Derive

Tue, 06 Dec 2005 13:32:30 GMT

by Rory Allford.

Version 6

Derive is a versatile computer algebra package that allows exploration and visualisation of GCSE and A-level maths solutions including algebra, calculus and 3D graphs, including worked solutions.

Download From School Servers 54 MB
MD5 Sum: a6c9eba91d76eec594068288b0e3e17c

Save the ZIP file to your computer
Extract it to a temporary location (you will need an Archive Manager)
Execute Derive 6/setup.exe in the extracted folder and follow the on-screen instructions.
You will be prompted for a serial number; enter: 37Z2-M72P-DGME-X7L26
If this is impractical for you to download, please contact IT Support who will be happy to provide you with this software on CD free of charge.

Archive Manager

Tue, 06 Dec 2005 13:19:46 GMT

by Rory Allford.

An Archive manager or Compression Utility allows you to view and manipulate compressed archives such as a ZIP or GZIP file.

Windows

A good open-source archive manager is 7-Zip. Alternatively a trial edition of WinRAR can be downloaded. If you are running Windows XP, the built-in system supports ZIP files already.

All of these will run whenever a supported archive file is run (double-clicked) and will let you extract the contents to a location on your computer.

Linux

The default vanilla GNU command-line binaries provide full flexibility for manipulating archives; consult the man pages that came with your distribution (e.g. tar -z extracts a gzipped tarball). Alternatively there are several GUI frontends specific to your distro or Window Manager (e.g. Ark is a popular GUI frontend on KDE).

These will let you extract the contents of an archive to a location on your computer.

Apple Mac

Hah hah hah...

Autograph

Tue, 06 Dec 2005 13:00:08 GMT

by Rory Allford.

Version 3.20

A versatile graphing program designed for schools. Features Euclidean as well as Statistical plotting in 2D as well as basic 3D graphing.

Download From School Servers 174 MB
MD5 Sum: e25fbe073c1547fb46681dc7a555af2a

Save the ZIP file to your computer
Extract it to a temporary location (you will need an Archive Manager)
Execute Autography 3.20/setup.exe in the extracted folder and follow the on-screen instructions.
You will be prompted for a serial number; enter: 327885737YTD
If this is impractical for you to download, please contact IT Support who will be happy to provide you with this software on CD free of charge.

MATTER Project

Sat, 03 Dec 2005 00:46:35 GMT

by Rory Allford.

The MATTER project is a non-profit consortium of UK materials science departments working towards the development and integration of computer-based learning (CBL) materials into mainstream teaching. Liverpool University has been pioneering the production of free, open, online resources for physical sciences at GCSE and A-Level.

This site contains interactive resources (such as simulations, interactive exercises, experiments, tasks, etc.) designed to assist teachers and students of physical sciences at both 11-16 and A-level.

http://schools.matter.org.uk/

Eduforge

Sat, 03 Dec 2005 00:25:39 GMT

by Rory Allford.

Eduforge is an open access environment designed for the sharing of ideas, research outcomes, open content and open source software for education. It is a collaborative development environment, community and resource catalogue for software developers involved in community-driven educational software projects.

Similar to Schoolforge, it's a good place to look for interesting, useful and even revolutionary open-source projects and community-driven software.

http://eduforge.org/

Google Search Engine

Thu, 01 Dec 2005 20:45:55 GMT

by Rory Allford.

Allows you to quickly search and access "crawled" portions of the Internet and World Wide Web, using a few words or Keyphrases.

http://www.google.com/

Currently the most popular and well-known web page indexing and searching service, as well as boasting the highest "relevancy" thanks to advanced natural language and AI techniques, it also sports several relatively advanced search features that allow you to further refine your search by resource type and date, for example.

Interesting features of the web search itself include separate interfaces depending on the type of internet-held information you are searching (news, images, etc), an effective page ranking system, and even an in-built spell checker. Equally fascinating is the first result for "miserable failure".

Schoolforge

Thu, 01 Dec 2005 20:26:45 GMT

by Rory Allford.

Directory of various Open Source (Free, Community-driven) Software projects and other resources for educational institutions. This page is a SourceForge-like listing specifically targeted for schools and universities, acting as a gateway into education-oriented sections of more general open-source community listings, and references a multitude of amazing computer based learning and teaching tools.

Students: There are many useful and syllabus-relevant educational packages listed - You can download ready-to-run versions of most software and other electronic resources here.
Staff: Look here to see if there is an open-source equivalent or better of the software you're about to spend a significant portion of your departmental budget on first!

SchoolForge Foundry
http://www.schoolforge.net/

Or Visit SchoolForge UK
http://www.schoolforge.org.uk/

MERLOT Collection

Tue, 29 Nov 2005 13:11:05 GMT

by Rory Allford.

The Multimedia Education Resource for Learning and Online Teaching is a listing comprised of online resources for faculty and students of secondary and higher education.

http://www.merlot.org

Schoool Zone

Tue, 29 Nov 2005 12:18:50 GMT

by Website Administrator.

This is a site containing interactive lesson material for mathematics and science. The project is sponsored by Smartboard and Intel. Currently focusing key stage 3 and 4.

http://lgfl.skoool.co.uk/index.aspx

FERL - Multi Media Resources

Mon, 28 Nov 2005 14:46:30 GMT

by Website Administrator.

Launched in 1998, Ferl was originally an acronym for Further Education Resources for Learning. Ferl is a web-based information service managed by Becta. Ferl aims to support individuals and organisations within the Post-Compulsory Education sector to make effective use of ICT and e-learning. This link takes you to The Teaching and Learning Resource Bank giving access to over 3000 resources.

http://ferl.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?page=628&catID=594

BBC Learning Zone

Mon, 28 Nov 2005 14:23:06 GMT

by Website Administrator.

This site gives you access to the BBC Revision Guides and links to other useful links in the WEB.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/subjects/schools.shtml

BBC Schools

Mon, 28 Nov 2005 14:00:48 GMT

by Website Administrator.

This site is a useful source of revision resources. This link will take you to the 16+ pages, to find other pages in the site 'click' on the Schools Homepage 'button'.

You may also like to look at the BBC Learning Zone which gives you access to further teaching and learning resources.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/16/

Jubilee Debt Campaign

Tue, 22 Nov 2005 13:55:03 GMT

by Website Administrator.

JDC is a coalition of local/regional groups and national organisations. Its focus is on changing UK government policy on debt, including to ensure that the maximum influence is brought to bear on the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) - on whose governing bodies the UK is represented.

http://www.jubileedebtcampaign.org.uk

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Tue, 22 Nov 2005 13:33:30 GMT

by Website Administrator.

Use this link to access the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

http://www.oxforddnb.com/subscribed