Contents
- 1 Software, Platforms and Tools That Make a Difference
- 1.1 A matter of choice
- 1.2 Selection Criteria
- 1.3 For Diversity in the Internet Ecosystem
- 1.4 Digital Toolbox as an App
- 1.5 Data & Reports: Evidence regarding Democracy, Civil Society, Digitalisation
- 1.6 Media & Data: Games and Interactive Tools
- 1.7 Democracy & Human Rights: Apps and Online Games
- 1.8 Collaborative writing
- 1.9 Text Processing & Language
- 1.10 Maps
- 1.11 Image, Sound, Video
- 1.12 Online Courses
- 1.13 Organizing a Community, Participation or Community Events
- 1.14 Web-based Project Management
- 1.15 Cloud Collaboration
- 1.16 Surveys, Polls, Quizzes & Decisionmaking
- 1.17 Messenging and Video Conferences
- 1.18 Privacy Protection
- 1.19 Competency Assessment, Description & Validation
- 1.20 Evaluation
- 1.21 Erasmus + and EU
- 1.22 Digital Toolbox mobile
- 1.23 Ask for a Copy
- 1.24 Policy Recommendations
- 1.25 Download: Banner
- 1.26 Support
Software, Platforms and Tools That Make a Difference
A matter of choice
What tools and apps we use says a lot about us. Democratic civic education in particular is called upon to make conscious choices based on critical thinking not only in its content but also in its tools. At Competendo we are convinced that Open Software, Open Educational Resources and applications that do not inappropriately and unconsentedly commercialize user data are better than others. This makes educational processes sometimes more complicated, but fairer and perhaps more creative. That is why in particular solutions developed in this spirit can be found here.
Selection Criteria
Open Source Non-Profit High privacy level, no monetization of user data
For Diversity in the Internet Ecosystem
Free and Open Source, often created in a non-central way and for non-central usage, are also contributing to diversity in the Internet ecosystem. However, this also has consequences for us users. We regularly hear that democracy-sensitive tools don't just work out of the box. That's often true, too. But why and when not?
Centralised services, often provided with the help of large investment capital, can scale to many users, create the same conditions in different places of the world, provide updates quickly and introduce new functions quickly. They have centralized servers and users (clients) do not necessarily have to meet complex requirements.
In contrast, non-centralized solutions rely on several different "nodes" or servers around them that they do not directly affect. For instance, a team is creating new updates or new versions of an open source software and publishing it on a central website. However, they cannot quarantee that the updates are installed on all regional servers by independent webmasters or, if we talk about apps and desktop software, on all local computers by all end users. Furtermore, they cannot integrate everything in one platform, so we users have to know more different small tools, softwares or platforms.
On this website we present some that we think really work. We recommend investing some time and creativity. Time to get to know them. Creativity to think about all the things you can use them for in your own work. An example: often it doesn't have to be a Googledoc, an Etherpad could be the better solution. Because with an Etherpad you can do different things without login or strong internet bandwidth: Dynamically log a workshop (sharing protocols from sessions, notes), share a workshop program, work together on a text, collect thematic impulses from participants...
For what?
- Rights-sensitivity
- Supporting a diverse and non-centralised Internet
- Consciously adapt and use technology instead of just applying what is given
- Contribute to a culture of sharing and collaboration. The open source community, but also well-done democracy education, shows us how this can succeed.
Digital Toolbox as an App
The whole Competendo content with your smartphone or tablet. It works also with weak Internet connection and is privacy friendly.
Data & Reports: Evidence regarding Democracy, Civil Society, Digitalisation
online:
- Page: Data and Reports
Media & Data: Games and Interactive Tools
online:
Are you you?
Interactive documentary and challenge: Beat face recognition systems by Tijmen Schep and Sherpa project
Online
Bad News
Online game - From fake news to chaos!
play online
Disinformation Diaries
Learn how disinformation interferes with elections
play online
Fake it to make it
A game about fake news
play online
Online test: filter bubble
interactive introduction by Zentrum fir politesch Bildung (ZpB) Luxemburg
Online
Harmony Square
Game about fake news
play online
How normal am I?
How normal am I? By Tijmen Schep. play online
Test: Human vs. AI
Can We Tell the Difference Anymore? play online
Your Data Mirror
Learn about the mechanisms of data collection and the impact this practice on society. By Interactive Media Foundation.
online
Week with Wanda
A game about the impact of Artificial Intelligence
play online
Democracy & Human Rights: Apps and Online Games
App and online:
DemoDice
A cube-based non-commercial storytelling app (Demogames project, code by Curiousbirds)
Info
Observers
Card-based online riddle game based on the principle of the popular "Black Stories" (project Demogames, code by Curiousbirds).
play online
Collaborative writing
Ready to use:
Etherpad
Writing and sharing texts together without login or registration, immediately.
Etherpad services
Example: Yopad
CryptPad
Privacy-by-design alternative to popular office tools and cloud services. CryptPad online
Pinnet
Digital pinboards: explore ideas, collect tasks or use it as a "bulletin board" for your team, automatic notifications included.
Pinnet
Chatons Collection
FOSS and ready-to-use tool collection by French CHATONS Collective
Chatons
Q!App
Collaborative project concept development online by European Platform for Learning Mobility (EPLM)
Q!App
Install on your server:
Etherpad
Download the free Etherpad code for installing it on your webserver
Etherpad
Collabora
Download the free Collabora Online Development Edition (=LibreOffice online) for installing it on your webserver
Collabora CODE
MediaWiki
Create a Wiki on your webserver (like Competendo)
MediaWikiCryptPad
Private-by-design alternative to popular office tools and cloud services.CryptPad Installation Guide
Text Processing & Language
Ready to use:
LibreOffice
The free and open office suite of the Document Foundation
LibreOffice
Collabora
The LibreOffice for phone and tablet
and
online
Mark Text
Editor for Markdown formatting (simple and focused editing)
Mark Text
ghostwriter
Editor for Markdown formatting (simple and focused editing)
Ghostwriter
PDF Converter
Pictures to PDF, PDF to text and pictures, scan documents with your phone...(Play and F-Droid)
PDF Converter
OmegaT
Computer aided translation software. OmegaT
Deepl
Computer aided translation in the cloud. Freemium (free users train the AI with their texts, subscribers don't)
online
Dillinger
An online Markdown editor
Dillinger
FreePlane
Open Source Mindmap
FreePlane
Maps
Ready to use:
Image, Sound, Video
Ready to use:
vlc Player
Video and music player provided by VideoLAN
vlc
GIMP
The popular image editor.
GIMP
Image online
Free image editing tools online.
Image online
Diagram.net
Create diagrams online or in an app
Diagrams.net
IrfanView
Lean image viewer, editor and presentation tool by Irfan Skiljan.
IrfanView
Inkscape
Popular vector graphics and illustration software
Inkscape
Audacity
Audio editor provided by Muse Group
Audacity
Online Courses
Install on your server:
Course-in-a-box
Free open source tool for building and publishing online courses by Peer 2 Peer University
Course-in-a-box
Organizing a Community, Participation or Community Events
Ready to use:
Wechange
A non-commercial open source and safe platform for groups, initiatives and organizations
wechange
Adhocracy+
Organising participation
adhocracy+
Citizen OS
Collective decisions and civic participation
Citizen OS
CAMPER
Create a BarCamp
CAMPER
Youth BarCamp - A Guide
J. Eisfeld-Reschke, L. Peyer, D. Seitz on how to set up a BarCamp
Download
Install on your server:
Decidim
Free Open-Source participatory democracy for cities and organizations (to install)
DecidimAdhocracy+
Organising participation
adhocracy+Citizen OS
Collective decisions and civic participation
Citizen OS
Web-based Project Management
Install on your server or use a managed service:
Nextcloud App: Deck
A project management app for Nextclouds.
App:Deck
Cloud Collaboration
Ready to use:
Nextcloud
Open source and transparent cloud solution. Choose a provider according to your needs, starting from 0 €
NextcloudCryptPad
Privacy-by-design alternative to popular office tools and cloud services. CryptPad online
Install on your server:
Nextcloud
Open source and transparent cloud solution for your webserver or hosted by an external provider.
NextcloudNextcloud Apps
Many plugins ("apps") are transforming a simple cloud to a platform for collaboration.
AppsCryptPad
Privacy-by-design alternative to popular office tools and cloud services. CryptPad
Surveys, Polls, Quizzes & Decisionmaking
Ready to use:
- Framaform.png
Framaforms
Data-sensitive service, located in France, free: ≤1000 respondents
Framaforms 
LamaPoll
Data-sensitive service, located in Germany, free: ≤50 respondents
LamaPoll
PollUnit
Data-sensitive service, located in Germany, free: ≤40 respondents
PollUnit
VotesUP!
Online voting in assemblies
VotesUP!
Tricider
Easy and fast decisionmaking tool
Tricider
Mentimeter
Surveys in realtime during an event or meeting, or in advance
Mentimeter
slido
Questions, votes or discussions in gatherings (free ≤100 participants)
slido
Kahoot
Create online quizzes
Kahoot
Install on your server:
LimeSurvey
Open Source Tool
LimeSurveyApp: Polls
A simple polling app for Nextclouds.
App:PollsApp: Forms
A Nextcloud app for surveys and forms.
App:Forms
Messenging and Video Conferences
Ready to use:
Install on your server:
Jitsi
Videoconferencing tool to be installed on your webserver or to use via an external provider hosting it Jitsi
BigBlueButton
Videoconferencing tool to be installed on your webserver or to use via an external provider hosting it BigBlueButton
Open Meetings
Install a multi-language collaboration tool on your webserver. With audio and video, sketchpad, public and private conferences, and recording.
Open Meetings
Privacy Protection
Read also our background article: Privacy Protection
KeePass
Dominik Reichl's password safe.
KeePass
VeraCrypt
Open and free source file and disk encryption tool provided by IDRIX
VeraCript
Tor Browser
Anonymised browsing with the TOR browser.
TOR project
Plugin: HTTPS Everywhere
uses SSL if possible for browsing with Firefox, Chrome, and Opera (provided by Electronic Frontier Foundation)
HTTPS-everywhere
Plugin: Privacy Badger
Stops advertisers and trackers from secretly tracking you in Firefox (provided by Electronic Frontier Foundation)
Privacy Badger
Plugin: uBlock origin
Blocks tracking in Firefox, Opera and Chrome (developed by Raymond Hill)
CryptPad
Privacy-by-design alternative to popular office tools and cloud services. CryptPad online
Open PGP Encryption
Providers and software including the email encryption standard
Open PGP
Competency Assessment, Description & Validation
Ready to use:
Several online tools support learners and educators in (self-)assessment. However, one should check their terms and conditions for storing and using personal data before using them in trainings.
AppRaiser
Trainers appraisal platform of the International Youth Work Trainers Guild
AppRaiser
Go Formative
Track developments of learners online
Go formative
Open Badges
Share "learning badges" with your learners for every achievement in a learning process with help of a digital platform.
Open Badges
EaSY soft skills
A skill assessment online tool, model and method handbook
Online
Skilloon
A research-based self-learning platform following the EntreComp model from Not a bad idea (Finland) and the Finnish education ministry.
Online
Evaluation
Ready to use:
Erasmus + and EU
Useful links for project managers
Distance Calculator
for Erasmus + projects
onlineProject Results Database
of the Erasmus+ programme
onlineDesign & Style
Guidance regarding the visual identity
onlineMobility Tool
Access via the EU Login
onlineProgramme Guide
Central page of the Commission
onlineCalls for proposals
at the Commission's tender and funds website
onlineNational Agencies
Overview on the programme's website
online
European Central Bank
Exchange Rates
onlineQ!App
Collaborative project concept development online by European Platform for Learning Mobility (EPLM)
Q!App
Europass
Platform for the European CV and other work and learning relöated tools
online
Youthpass
Recognition tool for non-formal & informal learning in youth projects
online
EPALE
Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe
online
SALTO Toolbox
online
