"opened"

Open Source teaching in Dutch schools

2009-04-21T06:07:00.000-07:00

So now the Dutch have realised that it's a bad idea to only introduce their students to proprietary software. The Dutch green party Groen Links is concerned by the dominance of Microsoft, Oracle and Cisco in Dutch schools. Kees Vendrik and Tofik Dibi of GroenLinks have written to the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs and the Secretary of State for Education, Culture and Science asking how open source can be brought in to ICT training in Dutch schools.

The article and questions (in Dutch) can be found here and a translation via Google can be found here.

AQA does know about open source!

2009-04-04T06:41:00.000-07:00

Although open source does not appear in any of AQA's teaching material, Optaros have helped AQA to deploy an Intranet solution using open source software.

The Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) was interested in creating a new Examiner Extranet platform to provide examiners and moderators with online access to exam papers and related documentation. The extranet would provide a simple way to obtain information more quickly, at a lower cost, and with a higher degree of security than AQA's standard paper processes.

Optaros worked in partnership with AQA to build the Examiner Extranet using open source components, including Alfresco JBoss Portal Server, EnterpriseDB and CAS Single Sign-On.

You can read the full case study here.

AQA and OCR, do they know about open source?

2009-04-03T09:16:00.000-07:00

I recently started a job with a teaching resource provider, reviewing AQA and OCR ICT and Computing materials. I keep reading the word Microsoft but sadly I have yet to come across open source :(

FLOSS Weekly

2009-04-02T14:16:00.000-07:00

FLOSS Weekly is a free and libre open source software focused podcast presented by Chris DiBona and Randal Schwartz. Most episodes feature the primary developer or developers of a particular open source software project. The show is an open discussion, with Laporte and Schwartz asking questions about the nature of the project. Typically, the interviewers will ask the guests about the history of the project, and its development model (such as which language it is written in, which revision control system is used, and what development environment the author uses). It's a great show, I recommend it.

"opened" BETA

2009-04-02T08:49:00.001-07:00

Today I release a BETA of "opened", a look at Open Source in Education. There is still a long way to go, but I believe this provides a good framework for me to continue working.

I welcome good and bad comments :)

Linux Boot Camp

2009-03-23T03:07:00.000-07:00

Linux Boot Camp is taking place again 29 June - 1 July 2009 at UWE, Bristol.

The Linux Boot Camp is aimed at those, normally doing or having done A Levels, who want to do practical technical computing. We want you to get in touch with your inner geek!

The event will involve two and a half days of technical workshops exploring many aspects of modern technology and the use of free open source software. During the workshops you will learn how to revitalize your PC (or even resuscitate a dead one!) by installing and configuring Linux on it. Useful skills such as how to set up a home network and web server will be given. You could learn how to make your own router, or how to hack into various set-top boxes. At the end of the Linux Boot Camp you will be able to tap into the world of open source computing and maybe set yourself on a profitable and worthwhile career!

If you already know how to do some of this stuff, then don't despair, the structure of the Linux Boot Camp will allow you to explore advanced topics in system configuration.

The numbers are limited to about 60 places, so don't delay. There may be a small number of residential places available in UWE's stuent accommodation. If you are interested, please contact us to check on availability and cost. Social events will also be arranged.

As if that wasn't enough the Linux Boot Camp will give you the chance to experience what life could be like a Uni and will look great on your CV or UCAS form!

For further information or to book your place contact Pat Cottrell or Craig Duffy by e-mail lbc@uwe.ac.uk or telephone 0117 32 84242.

£30m for open source schools

2009-03-18T02:44:00.000-07:00

The government has launched the UK’s first national open source project, the National Digital Resource bank.

The NDRB, based on technology used in Spanish schools, enables schools to create, search for and share digital content online, thanks to a new open source platform.

It will be managed by the North West Learning Grid – a consortium of 2,000 schools – and technical support will be provided by open source specialist Sirius, which is the provider of open source software to UK schools.

Speaking at the launch, schools minister Jim Knight called it a “landmark project”. Some £30 million will be allocated to the scheme, but operational costs are estimated to be less than £400,000 per year.

You can read more here.

Questions to the OSI Education project

2009-03-12T14:54:00.000-07:00

come join the discussion.

To: osi-edu-discuss@members.opensource.org

Date: 12 March 2009 21:01 GMT

Subject: Promoting open source in Education

From: swissslinky [at] gmail [dot] com

Dear OSI Board and community,

My name is Slinky, a student in England. I'm about to graduate from a degree in Information Systems Analysis from the University of the West of England, Bristol. The degree (sadly no longer available), tries to teach undergraduates the skills required to identify a customers requirements, and design and implement IT/IS solutions that meet their needs.

I have been lucky to experience to the joys and horrors of open source. I was first introduced to open source by a part-time lecturer whilst previously studying for my diploma, focused on IT and System Support. I was introduced to Linux, Apache and OpenOffice as alternatives to software applications such as Microsoft Windows or Office which are common place in UK schools and colleges.

Since first being introduced to open source whilst at college, I have since made and continue/try to make contributions to the community. Many of my peers don't appear to have been so lucky. Last year I wanted to gather a quick feel for open source awareness. I put together a quick online survey and received about 20 replies from fellow students. I asked respondents to explain in a few words what they thought open source was. Many didn't know, or couldn't say anything more than “free”. I also asked participants to suggest some characteristics of open source, and again many were unable to answer.

I strongly feel that educational establishments (schools, colleges and universities), [in the UK] are making a mistake by only exposing young people to one software vendor and software suite, and not making clear the potential alternatives available to them.

I ask the OSI and OS community what they suggest to address the lack of awareness and teaching of open source, and how they plan to action the objectives of their Education project.

Provide a neutral platform to facilitate interaction between educators and open source projects.
Promote open source technologies and methods in education.
Help develop open source reference curricula for high schools, colleges, universities and adult education.
Promote sharing of open source curricula and related resources among interested parties.

I also ask what experiences have people had advocating open source in educational environments? I've been tackling this question myself as a thesis topic and hope that I can share some of my findings with the community at a later date. I try to keep a little blog updated [1].

I look forward to seeing what ideas people have.

Slinky

[1] http://slinkydiss.blogspot.com