unDraw - Open source illustrations for any idea
Image library that you can easily customize. These characters might work in some scenarios, but they don't have facial expressions. Available in SVG and PNG.
Humaaans: Mix-&-Match illustration library
Customizable 2D illustrations of people. These images are licensed CC0, so they're free to use.
GitHub - doughahn/chat-souffle: A learning guild xAPI project helping learning designers practice prompt engineering.
Twine project that reports to xAPI. This is way more technical than the projects I have done, but they definitely got Twine reporting to an LRS. The files are all available openly, and there's a wiki explaining the process. The scenario itself is about using ChatGPT for writing multiple choice assessments.
AI, Instructional Design, and OER – improving learning
I agree with the idea that AI and LLMs will make it much easier to create a first draft of content. I like the differentiation here between "informational resources" and "educational resources." Instructional designers will have easy access to basic informational resources through AI, so they can spend more time creating practice and feedback to create better learning experiences.
Lesson plans – Teaching with Twine
This post includes lesson plans for teaching students how to use Twine, either in a single 50-minute session or in two days with extra time for practicing in the tool. These plans are a few years old, so a few details have changed, but the overall structure makes sense.
Using Twine for Classroom Engagement - ACTion
This is a summary of a project at the University of Toronto using Twine to create an educational game, plus an overview of Twine.
Although Twine is a tool for creating “games”, this project goes beyond games and gamification to think creatively about how the functions of Twine can be used to create activities that allow students to more directly engage with learning content in a hands-on experiential format that may not be possible in a traditional classroom learning space.
Knight Lab
Free tools for creating VR stories, timelines, annotated maps and charts, image comparisons, and more. These are open source tools and may be a little clunky, but potentially worth exploring for short experiences. They're design more for journalists and media companies than training, but there's overlap in explainer journalism and elearning.
Twine Resources
A collection of resources for Twine, including story formats, compilers, extensions, guides, and communities
Open Broadcaster Software®️ | OBS
Open source tool for live mixing video streaming. You can put a text overlay on top of a video, for example. You can also set up different scenes in advance so you can transition between different combos. This also has an audio mixer so you can adjust the volume between a shared video and your own microphone (or other inputs). It's compatible with other platforms, so you can use it with Zoom or whatever you're currently using for video conferencing or streaming.
The PLExD Toolkit | Promethean Learning Experience Design
A collection of free and open source tools for project management, graphic design, collaboration, audio, video, and other utilities.
Oppia: Teach, Learn, Explore
Open source tool for creating interactive lessons. The tool is designed to work similar to a chatbot, although you can have several different types of activities.
The Top 8 Free/Open Source LMSs - Capterra Blog
This is actually 18+ free and/or open source LMSs. Some are truly open source, some are freemium or other business models. If you want a list that goes well beyond Moodle and Canvas, this is a good place to start.
Adapt Learning
Open source tool for creating responsive HTML5 elearning. SCORM compliant.
Jennifer Valley: Free (or Cheaper) Tool and Resources for eLearning (February 2015)
Inexpensive or free tools and resources for animation, audio, graphics, course development, and more
Totara vs Moodle - Moodle For BusinesseseLearning Experts | Paradiso Solutions
Screenshots and overview of Totara's features that can make it a better fit for businesses than default Moodle.
Free Open Source LMSs are like Puzzles « E-Learning 24/7 Blog
Nice metaphor for working with free LMSs. Moodle can work "out of the box" for some small instances with limited needs but this description is a fairly typical experience of customization.
Five free Microsoft Project alternatives - TechRepublic
Free options for managing projects. Some are open source. I've had mixed results with GanttProject in the past, but I may try some of these others.
9 Cheap Alternatives to Moodle for Small Businesses » Capterra Blog
LMS options besides Moodle if you don't want DIY, including pricing for each so you don't have to hunt for those figures. Totara is a flavor of Moodle from Kineo. Other options included in the list: CSB Learning, DigitalChalk, Docebo, eFront, Feathercap, Inquisiq R3, Latitude Learning, and Litmos.
5 Free Desktop Image Editors for E-Learning » The Rapid eLearning Blog
Free options for image editing. I've used Picasa, Paint.net, and GIMP before, but PhotoScape and PixBuilder Studio are new to me.
Open source software for elearning – matbury.com
List of open source applications for creating e-learning. Most of these aren't specifically designed for creating online learning, but can be used that way. The list is divided into desktop software like Audacity and CamStudio and server software like Moodle and MediaWiki.
Project Management for Instructional Designers
Students in David Wiley's Project Management class remixed a textbook with an open license to customize it for instructional designers. They added new examples, photos, video interviews, and assessments. See the blog post for information on the project: http://opencontent.org/blog/archives/2119
Moved to http://pm4id.org/
A Guide to K-12 Open Source LMS Options -- THE Journal
Overview of open source LMS options with examples of districts currently using them. This article covers Moodle, Sakai, Canvas, OLAT, ATutor, and Google CloudCourse. I thought CloudCourse was owned by Google, but it appears the code has an Apache license. CloudCourse seems to be mostly scheduling rather than a full-fledged LMS.
eFront: Top 10 Open Source e-Learning Projects to Watch for 2011
Great collection of open source e-learning projects and tools, including multimedia development, screen recording, Android app development, an LMS, and more. (Technically, some of these are Free, not Open Source, but still a valuable list.)
LilyPond, music notation for everyone
Open source music notation software
pipwerks » Not so crazy about Moodle? Try Chamilo
Another open source LMS option forked from Dokeos called Chamilo
Inkscape Class Day 1 « Máirín Duffy
Middle school lesson for introducing Inkscape, the open source vector graphic program. Very cool project-based learning idea--students will create a logo, album artwork, poster, and tour T-shirt for a fictional band. This post is the first lesson; more updates are planned as the course progresses.
A Toolkit to Develop E-Learning in an Open (XML) Environment | E-Learning Curve Blog
Series of posts on open source tools (plus some free proprietary ones) for developing e-learning. The focus is on developing in a truly open environment using XML, so this isn't about exporting to Flash (although some of the tools do).
Swftools.com - Flash tools, utilities, applications, components
Directory of tools that do at least some of what Flash can do or that work with Flash--presentation tools, quiz tools, PowerPoint to Flash converters, ActionScript editors, etc. Most have free demos; not many open source options in this area.
![[Free Education Software GCompris]](https://rdl.ink/render/https%3A%2F%2Fgcompris.net%2Fimages%2Fgcompris.png?width=350&height=&ar=16:9&mode=crop&format=avif&dpr=2)
[Free Education Software GCompris]
Open source educational software for preschool and elementary students, including math & science games and reading practice
GDocBackup (fhtino)
Open source Google Docs backup tool. It checks whether the Google Docs file already exists on your computer and if it's an older version and only downloads a backup copy if needed.