Monday, June 30, 2008

NECC-David Thornburg-Open Minds: Open Education and Open Culture

dthornburg@aol.com

Open Source:
The challenge....
Technology is changing faster than classroom practice
Before Given current classroom practice, how should technology change?
Now Given current technology, how should classroom practice change?
Now, more than ever, we need access for every learner in the world.
Bringing the tools to all children, it must be:
  • Scalable
  • Sustainable
  • Low cost hardware and open source OS and critical applications are the ONLY way the goal can be achieved
  • Proprietary titles costs must be scalable and sustainable
  • Single platform software is anti-child
Children need to be able to use the same software on whatever platform they've got!!
Don't serve the platform, serve the child!

Hardware:
Open source cell phone - Neo1973

Why open source?
  • Applications are robust
  • Service calls are minimized

Freedom Toaster Kiosk

  • Burn CD of all software using on your school computer and put on your computer at home

Linux is the operating system in Brazil schools - by the end of next year 52 million Brazilian children will be using the Linux system - federal program is computers for all.

Break borders with software:

  • CMap - collaborative brainstorming on the internet - free - suggestion button analyzes the words you have already typed and goes to the web to pull in words that connect to your words to share ideas that might help you brainstorm when you are stuck. Download the stand alone client on any computer you have. Share your Cmpas with the world - for viewing and/or editing - Getting the power in the hands of the kids

What about copyrights and cultural artifacts?

  • Creative Commons allows you to grant people the rights to use your materials totally free

Tropicalia is about cultural mixing: building networks, not walls.

It is xenophilic, not xenophobic.

Open source goes beyond technology to humans.

The way you keep good jobs in this courntry is not by building big walls, but by attracting people with big ideas!

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