Free and Open Source Software in K - 12 Education
Introductions
Please respond by introducing yourself, and telling us a little bit about you!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Craig A. Cunningham on -
Hi...I teach teachers at National-Louis University in Chicago, primarily in our technology in education program. I also teach history and philosophy of education. I am very interested in helping k-12 schools find ways to use technology more effectively while escaping from the hegemony of corporate money-making off of schools. Open source is one way to approach this goal. I look forward to good discussions here.
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Permalink Reply by Steve Hargadon on -
Craig--I think this is part of a bigger trend that will have very real and helpful implications for schools. Hope to hear from you on this philosophical imperative.
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Permalink Reply by indigo196 on -
My own reflections on the technology in K-12 education always bring me to an odd thought:
Why is it that business programs are taught exclusively in Microsoft Word?
The answers always give me pause:
- Text books use it
- It is necessary for the curriculum
- We are using the 'industry standard'
The last one is true... but I reflect back to my days in Business classes and notice:
- We were taught the basics of writing business communications (resumes, cover letters, etc.)
- We used an IBM Selectric typewriter and a manual typewriter so that we had experience on both
In my opinion, unless the students are getting Office Certifications, they should focus on the basics of business communications and informed about the various options available for producing them. There should not be a focus on Word and Excel. The same goes for art courses that insist on using Apple computers, OS X and Adobe products. Teach the students about how to digital create or manipulate and expose them to several software packages to do so.
Living in the K-12 world I can understand that proprietary companies make it easy for teachers to follow "their" path and they do so to 'embed' their products in the lives of students.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Hodson on
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Greetings - I work with campuses in the El Paso ISD, TX, and have been for several years an open source grokker. Please visit http://tinyurl.com/3e4sh8 or http://tossfoundation.org to peruse pages dedicated to this passion. There are huge benefits to be derived from advocating FOSS, and I am looking forward to discussions, insights and new knowledge.
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Permalink Reply by Steve Hargadon on
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Alan--glad to have you here. :)
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Permalink Reply by Susan on -
I'm a teacher on holiday, my main activity at present finding and sometimes adapting tools for use in the Israeli education system. One of my main hates, the large amounts of money schools here have to pay for tools that are free to anyone who has a little bit of knowhow and can be bothered to read an installation guide. I look forward to learning more about FOSS
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Permalink Reply by Steve Hargadon on
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There aren't FOSS programs for everything, and we need to make sure not to over-sell them. But there are many that can do so much for education. Adoption is most likely where a program is not "displacing" an existing one, since there can be so many hurdles to change. So glad to have you here.
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Permalink Reply by Ron McDaniel on -
Hi all,
I am currently serving as a K12 District Technology Coordinator in LA (Lower Alabama). I started my career in IT back in 1984 as a Wideband Radio/Tropo technician in the USAF. After serving my 4 years, I begin working for an engineering firm as the IT Manager utilizing CADD systems in a Unix environment. I then went on to work for a Bank as the Data Communication's Manager and received some experience in centralized computing in an OS390 (mainframe) shop. After a few years, I got tired of working for other people and started in IT services company installing/supporting everything under the sun. After my beautiful wife brought twin boys into this world, I decided to slow down a bit and am now working in the most fulfilling job that I have ever had, a position with a K12 school system. I am a huge advocate of open source, partly due to my rebellious ways and more strongly due to the incredible need that I see in the children that surround me on a daily basis. I look forward to discussing ideas and strategies with people of like mind!
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Permalink Reply by Steve Hargadon on
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Ron--what a good background. You'll add a lot to the discussions here, Mr. Rebellious! :)
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Permalink Reply by Matt Montagne on
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I'm glad you started this network, Steve. Timely, given the state of the economy and the budget cuts that we'll continue to have to recon with in K12/K20. FOSS helps address the equity issues that we all experience AND it exposes our students to the world of community software development. Looking forward to participating in the conversations here at the K12 open source community!
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Permalink Reply by Steve Hargadon on
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Hi, Matt! :) There is first the practical, then the pedagogical. It will be a treat when the practical is far enough along for the pedagogical to actually take hold--but that will be a great day.
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Permalink Reply by Beth Still on -
My name is Beth Still and I am social studies teacher and online course developer for ESU#13 in western Nebraska. I have been using Moodle for about two years because I saw it as a great way to manage my lessons from year to year. The service unit where I teach opened a virtual school called the Nebraska Educational Virtual Academy. We currently have four teachers and our focus has been on developing core classes in our area of expertise. If you are interested you are welcome to take a look at them. All of the links and necessary enrollment keys can be found on my response on the Moodle discussion board.
I just got hooked on technology about a year ago after I attended a workshop put on by Howie DiBlasi. Over the past six months I have developed an amazing PLN that has taught me so much about OSS. I am looking forward to getting to know all of you. Thanks, Steve for creating this community.
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