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he best things in life are free. As clichéd as it may be, free things are often be beneficial. A simple Google search can offer some help, but when students are stuck and in need of a tutor, they can access Khan Academy. It’s not the same as getting a live tutor or but it can helpful in the direst times. Khan Academy I don’t always use Khan Academy,” said Bhagat Cheema, a senior at Granite Bay High School. “But when I do, it reinforces lectures and helps give me a new angle on the concept I’m trying to learn.” “Khan Academy ranges from topics including differential calculus to computer science and economics lectures. But when it comes to the internet, the amount one is able to learn from it is infinite. Wolfram Alpha Another option is Wolfram Alpha, which is a computational engine or calculating encyclopedia that can do any math problem that has a formula. It offers a 14-day Pro trial, which allows for step by step solving, and interactions with the graphing software. The trial is worthwhile for those who are stuck on complicated math problems and need assistance.
students at GBHS can access free of charge for educational purposes. Autodesk, a company that makes programs such as AutoCAD and Maya, has free software on their site for students attending an educational facility such as GBHS. AutoCAD is used for engineering and architectural purposes whereas Maya is a 3D modeling and animation software, which is the industry standard for many of the animated films in theaters. “I use the (free) student version of Autodesk Maya (which is free) to model and animate various projects,” said James Brown, a sophomore. Dropbox Dropbox is a cloud storage host where one can upload their files and access them anywhere they have internet. The service is useful for storing homework, photos, music and many other types of data. Wordperss Wordpress is a site that allows one to host a website free of charge under a Wordpress address. It’s as simple as creating an account, and then selecting the layout of the site. It allows the user to post blogs, images and create a professional looking website. “Wordpress is some of the best free software I’ve used,” said Javier. “It’s hands down the best for creating a website.”
Getting Educated
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Vsauce Vsauce on YouTube isn’t like an average school lecture. The questions talk about philosophy and scientific proofs. Which captivates the viewer. Unlike Khan Academy and Wolfram Alpha it focuses on a different type of knowledge. It’s a greater site for the people who are fascinated seeing the science behind all the questions that there aren’t good answers to. OpenOffice Beyond education, there’s also some great free applications and software students can get access too at home and on their phones. Similar to Microsoft Office, LibreOffice and OpenOffice are great, free alternatives to the basic word processing, presentation and spreadsheet tasks that are in the computers at GBHS. “I’ve used OpenOffice a few times when I was younger,” said Matt Javier, a sophomore at GBHS. “However, I would much rather spend hundreds on Microsoft Office than use OpenOffice. It was not my type at all.” Photoshop also has some great alternatives, including Microsoft Paint, however, it’s limited in features compared to the alternatives like GIMP, which can edit and create images. GIMP can do anything Photoshop can do, but it’s not as simple. Autodesk There’s also some paid software that
Learning tools that are free of monetary cost
BY AKASH KHOSLA
March 2012
learn.