Bringing Open Source To The Classroom

narzy writes "I have written a limited research paper outlining the challenges of bringing Open Source software in to the educational environment. I also look briefly at the differing development views and security principals of the closed and open source communities, how we can overcome some of the challenges of implementation as well as what it would take to create a vibrant learning environment using an open source architecture."

Comments

Linux *should* be in the classroom

[dshaw858]

I'm volunteering at a small company that takes donations of computers, formats them, and gives them to underpriviledged children in San Diego (where I live). When I suggested putting linux on them, I was told that they'd never use that outside of what we gave them, and that students don't care about linux. I think that that's actually pretty bad, and untrue. For example, a computer with KDE or Gnome or XFCE is no harder to use than Windows XP, and is more stable. I think that once people finally realize that linux isn't just some geek project, but can actually be used efficiently, then it will start to be used in the classroom.

And then students' computers might not crash as much...

- dshaw

Teaching to Code

[Canordis]

Teaching simple coding skills, using a simple scripted language like Python or Lisp, is way better in an Open Source environment. Not only most Open Unixes like Linux and BSD already come with most common compilers and interpreters, but it also encourages the time honored tradition of opening stuff up and looking at it's innards, then learning about how it works (Looking at the source code for common software, or even looking at ELisp code). A few comments about the subject are at http://www.ibiblio.org/obp/thinkCSpy/preface.htm ---