Education

Open source provides schools with low-cost, high quality software

Open source can provide schools with high quality, well-functioning IT solutions at low cost, according to a case study done by VTT, a Finnish government research institute. The researchers looked at the use of Linux and other open source applications by the Kasavuoren Secondary School in Kauniainen, a municipality near Helsinki. The case study, available since May 2011, underpins a plea to schools to increase their use of free and open source software.

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2 CommentsPosted 30 Oct 2012 by Gijs Hillenius

When I realized why open source rocks

West Virginia: a state made up entirely of the Appalachian Mountain range. Whether you're there to experience the beautiful New River Gorge, or to watch the Mountaineers play at home, the mountainous theme never subsides. The Appalachian region has the Most Beautiful award locked down, however its height and elevation face a slightly different opponent. Towering over the city of Morgantown, WV, home to West Virginia University and the Mountaineers, stands a fierce competitor. An engineering marvel, over ten stories tall. The Engineering Science Building!

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2 CommentsPosted 23 Oct 2012 by Adam Minter

Parents of non-traditional learners advocate for open education

While Thomas Edison is often lauded as the most prolific American inventor, his mother, Nancy Edison, and how she fostered an open education and an open mind in her son is often overlooked. When a headmaster labelled Edison as being 'addled,' slow, and unteachable, his mother disagreed and decided to withdraw her son from school and teach him at home. She knew her son was a bright, curious, creative child who thought divergently yet was often disorganized, disruptive, and hyperactive; today he would most likely be diagnosed as having ADHD.

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2 CommentsPosted 19 Oct 2012 by Carolyn Fox

Zimbabwe pushes for open education despite oppression

Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. For many years, it was regarded as the breadbasket of Africa. But since Zimbabwe gained independence from Britain in 1980, Robert Mugabe has been the leader, and the fate of the country has largely been tied to him and his policies.

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0 CommentsPosted 10 Oct 2012 by Carolyn Fox

Scratch, a programming language for kids

Scratch is a free educational programming language for kids, available in 50 different languages and runs on just about any modern computer: Linux, Macintosh, or Windows. The new guide book, Super Scratch Programming Adventure!, was authored by The LEAD Project (Learning through Engineering, Art, and Design), in Hong Kong, to make Scratch more accessible to children around the world by teaching them how to use it.

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1 CommentPosted 8 Oct 2012 by Phil Shapiro

Graduate students in Finland solve real problems beyond the classroom

The School of Business and Information Management at Oulu University of Applied Sciences (OUAS) created an open source project management software named OpixProject. The objective was not to create something that would compete with the current project management software, but to place students in realistic problem-solving environments in order to reduce the gap between the concepts covered in the classroom and real-world experiences. » Read more

0 CommentsPosted 4 Oct 2012 by Salah Triki

California passes groundbreaking open textbook legislation

It’s official. In California, Governor Jerry Brown has signed two bills (SB 1052 and SB 1053) that will provide for the creation of free, openly licensed digital textbooks for the 50 most popular lower-division college courses offered by California colleges. The legislation was introduced by Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and passed by the California Senate and Assembly in late August. » Read more

9 CommentsPosted 2 Oct 2012 by Timothy Vollmer

Community spotlight: Carolyn Fox, pushing for openness at school and in the library

five questions with an opensource contributor

In our schools and our libraries, Carolyn Fox believes we can push for more openness. Just entertaining the idea of it would be a huge step in the right direction for many who aren't aware of the open source movement beyond software that is underfoot.

Through work with her son (who is gifted and has special needs) and working as a librarian, wivenhoe (as she is referred to here at opensource.com) has learned that by promoting open source tools and programs in our daily life—discussions with friends, family and coworkers—we help open up the world around us, bringing better solutions to societal problems. » Read more

1 CommentPosted 20 Sep 2012 by Jen Wike (Red Hat)

My Raspberry Pi experience with Debian-based Linux distribution Occidentalis

Enter the black raspberry. Rubus occidentalis.

It's an ominous name for an ominous fruit: the black raspberry. As the owner of a new Raspberry Pi, I realized that I was going to have to, at some point, open the box and do something with it.

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3 CommentsPosted 17 Sep 2012 by Matt Jadud

Introducing the new culture of learning

Education is broken, but there is a new culture of learning gaining traction, according to Sebastian Dziallas, a student at the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering.

He describes how fluid learning (departing from the 20th century "stable" structure) is first seeing what's going on (hanging out), then sticking your feet in the water (messing around), and finally getting deeply involved (geeking out). » Read more

4 CommentsPosted 14 Sep 2012 by Sebastian Dziallas