Free D&T software for primaries
December 18, 2005Wild things
This is a free CAD program from Wild Ginger, which provides configurable and printable patterns and sewing instructions for a wide range of textile products, such as waist wallets, slippers, sun hats, aprons and shawls, as well as any number of bags. You can even add an embroidery design onto the pattern, although this cannot be saved, but can be printed.
Blockcad
Another free program, based on Lego in fact, the only thing that the author requests is a gift one piece of Lego sent to his home in Sweden, via snail mail!!
This is a program which you can use at a simple level, designing and building constructions using small bricks, windows etc, though it can easily be made more complex by using more complex Lego pieces, a greater range of tools, turning off Safe mode so that you can build on thin air, and increasingly accessing shortcuts, toolbars, even the Advanced Toolbox Window. The author even gives advice on editing the program itself! This program is great fun, excellent from an ICT point of view for teaching simulations and can really enhance childrens use of Lego in an educational situation.
West Point Bridge Designer
This free software enables you to design a bridge from scratch or view and edit an existing design. You are given a design brief with relevant information. You can create your design and then load test it. The program lets you know where you have gone wrong and even gives tips on strengthening the design.
Originally posted by Andrea.
Take a look at the LTSP too. I looked
DaleTake a look at the LTSP too. I looked at this years ago when I was in school and looking for a cheap way of networking, but it was very early days then and we decided on another solution.
Here’s a list of case studies of GNU/Linux case studies in schools.
At The Community College we are heavily comitted to thin
FrancisAt The Community College we are heavily comitted to thin client approach - we now only use ‘fat clients’ in specialised cases. I am hoping that by next summer we will have 400 + machines, of which only 25 ail be real PC’s. As per Dale’s comment we use LTSP to PXE boot the systems over the network. They then load Windows 2003 directly. The upside is we are running this with one technician.
With Windows 2003 full colour, local drives e.g. usb stick and remote sound are all possible.
Now for my usual begging - we are broke as usual - if you are scrapping / disposing of PCs can you let me know - anything from p200 upwards is OK.