OpenOffice.org

Why not OpenOffice?

During the last few weeks I have had a number of conversations with various individuals regarding the use of open source applications in both schools and in the business place. Let's take OpenOffice as an example.

OpenOffice 3.0

Just a short update on OpenOffice.  We have been testing the 3.0 version and so far we like it alot.  For me one of the most annoying things about OpenOffice has been that you can't do an inplace upgrade without uninstalling the old version.  This has posed a problem for us in getting folks upgraded to the newer versions.  Thankfully in 3.0 the option exists to remove the old version during the install process.  It works really well and the auto update feature even found updates for my existing extensions.  As I play more I will update with additional information on features etc...  I w

OpenOffice and MYSQL Part II

Just a quick followup to my earlier post entitled "Moodle, Open Office and Professional Development."  As of this afternoon I now have a direct connection to the MYSQL database from OpenOffice.  I installed the JDBC driver into OpenOffice and created a new database with Base using the JDBC driver to connect to the Moodle MYSQL database.  In Base I took the queries that I had already created and copied and pasted them into the SQL Query builder and then saved them.  Then I went to OO.o Writer and opened it up and clicked on the "View data sources" option and "BANG!&

Moodle, Open Office and Professional Development

Well today marks the end of the registration deadline for our summer institute.  Summer institute is a two week period in August where we teach a bunch of tech classes, along with a bunch of curriculum related courses.  We currently have a Moodle site setup for teachers and other staff to find out all they need to know about the classes being offered.  They can also use a choice activity to register for each course.  I am sure there are better ways to do this but this works just fine.

Open Office Roll Out

Well we are well on our way to rolling out Open Office in the Bainbridge Island School District. Two weeks ago we started our notebook boot camps. These sessions are trainings for teachers that are getting new laptops. If a teacher wants to get a laptop they must attend the training. To date we have taught over 150 teachers on their new laptops. Part of the training is an introduction to Open Office, which is important since all laptops only come configured with Open Office.