Unlock the Web with Open Source

OK, so you’ve been watching the read/write revolution take place, but you feel that your students are destined to stay on the sidelines of history because these great Web 2.0 services are blocked at your school. Don’t despair. Open-source solutions can help bring Web interactivity to your classroom or library while still withstanding the scrutiny of your network administrators.

Open-source software itself is a great example of how the Internet provided a platform for collaborative creativity, as programmers worked together to create these freely available, customizable applications. Open source is both the result of the new technology and an engine powering its future growth. Hard to believe that you can download and use sophisticated computer programs without licensing fees, but it’s true, just look at OpenOffice, Firefox, and Linux, to name just a few open-source tools.

Despite some rather goofy names, these are serious apps that you can run on local computers inside your organization’s network, creating what is called a “walled garden” for your students. It does require time and effort to get them installed and configured, but well worth it for the 2.0 revolutionary.

Audacity. A full-featured audio-editing program that has become a standard tool for podcasters everywhere. You’ll be amazed at its capabilities.

Moodle and Sakai. These “learning management systems” provide calendar, assignment, grading, and quiz functionality and are often implemented just for these practical benefits. They can also enable discussion forums, chat, instant messaging, and wiki capability, and have been known to transform whole curricular programs and teaching practice.

Mambo, Joomla, and Drupal. These are “content management systems,” which means that an administrator sets up a Web site design, and contributors simply add content. These applications have been used for site building by many educational organizations because they are so easy to update. They are also great platforms for educational blogging, forum discussions, and social networking. Mambo and Joomla are relatively easy to learn and use; Drupal has more sophisticated Web 2.0 capability, but is less prepackaged.

Elgg. Truly not for the faint of heart, but an amazingly sophisticated social networking program that brings the pedagogical benefits of social networking (and there are many) under local control.

For more information on these and other open-source programs for education, visit wiki.k12opensource.com or www.k12opentech.org.