Here are a few free technology tools that may be helpful:
Free Software - Tech
Adobe Reader software is the global standard for electronic document sharing. It is the only PDF file viewer that can open and interact with all PDF documents. Use Adobe Reader to view, search, digitally sign, verify, print, and collaborate on Adobe PDF files.
AlternativeTo is a new approach to finding good software. Tell them what application you want to replace and they give you great alternatives, based on user recommendations.
CCleaner is the number-one tool for cleaning your Windows PC. It protects your privacy online and makes your computer faster and more secure. Easy to use and a small, fast download.
Darik's Boot and Nuke ("DBAN") is a self-contained boot disk that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers to DOD standards. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction. DBAN is a means of ensuring due diligence in computer recycling, a way of preventing identity theft if you want to sell a computer, and a good way to totally clean a Microsoft Windows installation of viruses and spyware.
The Digital Literacy Curriculum offers classroom-ready digital-rights curriculum. It is great for anyone with basic reading skills who wants to learn the fundamentals of computer technology. The curriculum is written at a reading level similar to that of most newspapers around the world. Learners who complete the curriculum will understand basic computing concepts and skills.
Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring all your photos, docs, and videos anywhere. After you install Dropbox on your computer, any file you save to your Dropbox will automatically save to all your computers, your iPhone and iPad and even the Dropbox website! With the Dropbox app, you can take everything that matters to you on the go.
FOG is a free Linux-based open source computer imaging solution for Windows XP, Vista and 7 that ties together a few open-source tools with a php-based web interface.
Foxit Reader is a small, fast, and feature rich PDF viewer which allows you to open, view, and print any PDF file. Unlike other free PDF readers, Foxit Reader also includes easy to use collaboration features like the ability to add annotations to PDF, fill out PDF forms, and share information with social networks.
Freecode maintains the Web's largest index of Linux, Unix and cross-platform software, and mobile applications. Thousands of applications, which are preferably released under an open source license, are meticulously cataloged in the Freecode database, and links to new applications are added daily. Each entry provides a description of the software, links to download it and to obtain more information, and a history of the project's releases, so readers can keep up-to-date on the latest developments.
Google Apps for Education is a broad IT solution that schools can use to bring communication and collaboration tools to the entire academic community for free. Google manages all the technology details, so you can focus your time, energy and budgets on teaching your kids.
groovyPost is a premier source for mobile devices, free software, tech news, tips, reviews and the best how to galleries on the internet.
HWMonitor is a hardware monitoring program that reads PC systems main health sensors : voltages, temperatures, fans speed. The program handles the most common sensor chips, like ITE® IT87 series, most Winbond® ICs, and others. In addition, it can read modern CPUs on-die core thermal sensors, as well has hard drives temperature via S.M.A.R.T, and video card GPU temperature.
ImgBurn is a lightweight CD / DVD / HD DVD / Blu-ray burning application that supports a wide range of image file formats - including BIN, CCD, CDI, CUE, DI, DVD, GI, IMG, ISO, MDS, NRG and PDI.
inSSIDer is an open source wi-fi scanning software. You can: Inspect your Wi-Fi and surrounding networks, scan and filter hundreds of nearby access points, troubleshoot competing access points and clogged Wi-Fi channels, highlight access points for areas with high Wi-Fi concentration, track the strength of received signals in dBm over time, sort results by MAC Address, SSID, Channel, RSSI, Time Last Seen
The Intel AppUp Centers provides a centralized catalog of thousands of netbook apps in one convenient location. Applications are available for education, social, entertainment, communications, etc. Their "Study Up" category provides apps for back-to-school, helping students study and work more efficiently.
iTALC is a use- and powerful didactical tool for teachers. It lets you view and control other computers in your network in several ways, including seeing what's going on in computer-labs by using overview mode and make snapshots, remote control computers to support and help other people, show a demo (either in fullscreen or in a window) - the teacher's screen is shown on all student's computers in realtime, lock workstations for moving undivided attention to teacher, and much more.
join.me allows you to share your screen with others or view someone else's screen. Review documents and designs. Train staff. Demo products or just show off. join.me is a ridiculously simple screen sharing tool for meetings on the fly. Free for Windows, Mac and mobile - no registration.
K-12 Blueprint offers resources for education leaders involved in planning and implementing technology initiatives. Whether you are launching a one-to-one or BYO program, moving from print textbooks to digital content, revamping the curriculum to improve STEM learning, rethinking assessment, or embarking on (or continuing to support) any other ambitious technology-supported initiative, Intel’s Blueprint model can help.
Lifehacker.com offers DIY projects, new apps, and new devices, as well as tips, tricks, and downloads for getting things done.
Memtest86 is a thorough, stand alone memory test for x86 architecture computers. BIOS based memory tests are a quick, cursory check and often miss many of the failures that are detected by Memtest86.
Microsoft offers free training courses and tutorials, as well as training roadmaps that show which courses are available and offers information on the training.
Nmap is a great port scanner. The site also has the top 100 security tools when it comes to wireless, password crackers, vulnerability scanners, and exploitation tools. Nmap was named “Security Product of the Year” by Linux Journal, Info World, LinuxQuestions.Org, and Codetalker Digest. It was even featured in eight movies, including The Matrix Reloaded, Die Hard 4, and The Bourne Ultimatum.
PumpKIN is an open source, fully functional, free TFTP server and TFTP client, which implements TFTP. It also implements block size option, which allows transfer of files over 32MB, as well as transfer size and transfer timeout options.
PuTTY is a free implementation of Telnet and SSH for Windows and Unix platforms, along with an xtermterminal emulator.
SeaTools is a comprehensive, easy-to-use diagnostic tool that helps you quickly determine the condition of the disk drive in your external hard drive, desktop or laptop computer. It includes several tests that will examine the physical media on your Seagate or Maxtor disk drive and any other non-Seagate disk drive.
SourceForge offers fast, secure and free downloads from the largest Open Source applications and software directory.
Spiceworks bundles network monitoring, helpdesk, UPS power management, PC inventory tools, an online community, and much more.
Sugar reinvents how computers can be used for education. Sugar promotes sharing, collaborative learning, and reflection. Through Sugar's clarity of design, children and their teachers have the opportunity to use computation on their own terms; they are free to reshape, reinvent, and reapply both software and content into powerful learning activities. Sugar is a community project; it is based on GNU/Linux, a free and open-source operating system.
TeamViewer connects to any PC or server around the world within a few seconds. You can remote control your partner's PC as if you were sitting right in front of it.
VirtualBox is a powerful x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product for enterprise as well as home use. Not only is VirtualBox an extremely feature rich, high performance product for enterprise customers, it is also the only professional solution that is freely available as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2.
Vistumbler is a version of Netstumbler that works on Vista/Win7. It is a wireless network scanner
Find out how to get up and running with Windows 7, and browse the most-viewed trouble shooting articles.
Make your classroom lessons even more memorable with a movie. Windows Live Movie Maker is the fast, easy way to turn photos and video clips into great-looking movies and slide shows you can share in class or on the Web.
Gain access to 25 gigabytes (GB) of free, online storage. Use it for a student or teacher workgroup to upload and share documents in one central place, rather than trying to track them in e-mails. Store your photos and files, and access them with a password.
WinSCP is an open source free SFTP client, SCP client, FTPS client, and FTP client for Windows. Its main function is file transfer between a local and a remote computer. Beyond this, WinSCP offers scripting and basic file manager functionality.
Wireshark is the world's foremost network protocol analyzer. It lets you capture and interactively browse the traffic running on a computer network. It is the de facto (and often de jure) standard across many industries and educational institutions. Wireshark development thrives thanks to the contributions of networking experts across the globe. It is the continuation of a project that started in 1998.