Open source for learning

Quality in open source

For those who may still doubt, this might be interesting:
Homeland Security report tracks down rogue open source code | The Register

I've tried to find a link to the report itself, but not come up with anything (which I find strange given that it is commissioned by a public agency).

C|Net has something on this too. They include a list of all the software analyzed: Homeland Security helps secure open-source code | CNET News.com

What might this mean for open source methods in education?

Open source for development

Some interesting exchanges concerning open source from a development perspective, but just as relevant for anyone else.

sustainablog: Building an Open-Source Community for Appropriate Technology

WorldChanging: Another World Is Here: Open Source, Development and Design

And I especially like this one:
WorldChanging: Another World Is Here: LinuxChix Africa

An interesting take on the "open" thing.

John Willinsky looks at the convergence of various "open" initiatives, such as open source, open access, and open science.
Unacknowledged convergence of open source, open access, and open science

More resources on open source and education

Given that this blog was created for a specific project that ended long ago, I never cease to be amazed at how much traffic it generates! I suspect it has something to do with the collection of references to materials related to open source and education that are listed. Therefore, I've decided to try to keep the blog alive, at least for now. This is a topic that I'm still interested in and I still collect materials on. Also, input from others would be very welcome, so feel free to leave comments, links to other sources, etc.. Especially links to new things people are working on...

Here are links to some stuff I've collected recently (some of is a bit dated that I've had lying around for some time):

Wide Open: Open source methods and their future potential - Excellent report from Demos.
Free/Libre and Open Source Software: Survey and Study - What motivates OSS developers? Learning, of course.
Comparison study of Free/Open Source and Proprietary Software in an African context: implementation and policy-making to optimise community access to ICT Not everyone thinks OSS is practical. But, does this strengthen the argument for using OSS to educate?
Lens on the Future: Open source learning OS ideology in higher education.
Why Developing Countries Need to Use and Create Free Software (and how it promotes Gross National Happiness.) Bhutan snubs the GDP and now focusses on Gross National Happiness - how does OS fit in? Lots about the educational aspects of OS software development.
ThinkCycle: Reaching Out to Solve Real-World Problems And the ThinkCycle web site: ThinkCycle.com
Vores Øl Applying OS methodology in innovative ways (Vores Øl - Danish for 'Our beer').

Is this blog dead? Nope, a new paper!

Well, not entirely. It was intended as a tool for a specific project which is over, but I think there's some relevant stuff going on so I may try to keep it alive. To begin with, I have just completed a paper that is related to the overall issue and included it here for everyone's reading pleasure: Information and communication technologies in development education: Preparing educators with open source software and constructivist learning approaches.
Tryggvi Thayer

Continue reading "Is this blog dead? Nope, a new paper!"

The final paper...

Abstract: This paper explores the nature of open source software development communities. It is suggested that these constitute environments for knowledge development and examines recent proposals that methods employed by open source communities are transferable to a wide range of collaborative activities, including education, which is the primary focus of this paper. The methodologies used are a review of recent literature and a case study of an open source software developer. The analysis of the evidence gathered uses a framework for developing collaborative groups developed by Garmston & Wellman. The results reveal that open source collaborations display all of the characteristics of the framework used, but that there are significant additional factors that need to be considered. In conclusion recommendations are made for future research to better understand the complex and diverse open source movement.

Continue reading "The final paper..."

Brand new publication on OS as method

I haven't had a chance to go through all of this, but what I have looked at is very relevant. Especially the "downsides of OS" and what OS is not.

Proposed General structure for interview

1. What prompted involvement in open source
a. How did it start, what kind of projects - components of larger project, documentation, seeking assistance, learning

2. How important were elements of open source
a. Collaboration
b. Access to community
c. Access to past exchanges
d. Artifacts - source code, documentation

3. Impact on professional/knowledge development
a. Education/knowledge level at start
b. Did it prompt further formal study
c. Networking (with other developers)

4. Validation
a. Certification
b. Recognition of qualifications
c. "Guru" status

Some resources

Open Source Software: A Conceptual Framework for Collaborative Artifact and Knowledge Construction, Eric Scharff dissertation

Constructivism and emerging online learning pedagogy: a discussion for formal to acknowledge and promote the informal, Shalni Gulati

Open source development: the case of Linux , John Seeley-Brown

Open Source Everywhere, Wired

Open Source and Academia, Laurie Taylor and Brendan Riley

Getting in on the (Inter)Action: Exploring
Affordances for Collaborative Learning
in a Context of Informed Participation, Hal Eden

Open Space Organizations, Michael Herman

Moodle--An Open Source Development Tool for Educators (including 60 languages)Martin Dougiamas

Educator Blogs Could Boost Respect for TeachersNora Carr

An interesting and necessary distinction

"While the term open source has been used loosely to refer to a number of software development trends, there's a big difference between open-source software development and open-source collaboration. Open-source software has succeeded in part because of its innate order and structure -- rules and standards that developers must adhere to so that their code will be readable by everyone. Wikis, in contrast, are based on words and perspectives, not code, and there are no barriers to entry."