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Open Source Software Making Decisions for K-12 Education

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Title: Open Source Software Making Decisions for K-12 Education


1
Open Source SoftwareMaking Decisions for K-12
Education
  • Seymour Hanfling
  • Basha Krasnoff
  • Northwest Educational Technology Consortium
  • at
  • Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
  • www.netc.org/openoptions
  • with thanks to Kym Buchanan, who developed
    OpenOptions

2
IntroductionWhy did we do this project?
  • NETC/NWREL provides information technical
    assistance
  • Starting about 5 years ago we received questions
    about free software Linux
  • 2002 brought software licensing audit requests to
    schools budget shortfalls more questions
    about open source software open courseware
  • Research and survey, Sept. 2002 July 2003
  • Updates, Feb. 2004 July 2004

3
The Open Options Web site...www.netc.org/openopti
ons
4
Agenda
  • Introduction / Your Needs
  • What is open source?
  • Is it right for you?
  • Needs goals
  • Capacity
  • Leadership planning
  • Support
  • Change morale
  • Conclusion

5
What do you want to know?
  • How many people already know about open source?
  • How many people are already using open source?
    What are you using?

6
What is open source?
  • Two kinds of software
  • Proprietary
  • Open source
  • Open source software is any computer program with
    accessible source code. Anyone can change or
    share any open source program for free (legally
    technically) .

7
Most people use proprietary software
  • Proprietary cant open hood, not clear what
    happens, cant change it
  • Open source can open hood, can see what happens,
    can change it

8
Why should you care?
  • Software is constantly being improved updated
  • Proprietary - only the company can make change
  • Open source - anyone can make changes open
    process

9
Open source is like...
  • Changing sharing curriculum
  • Education resources
  • Learning Leading with Technology, May 2003
  • Changing sharing cooking recipes
  • Experimenting
  • Improving
  • Customizing

10
Open source is community-driven
community-serving
  • Many programmers are corporate employees, but the
    community thrives on volunteers
  • Non-programmers help by filing bug reports,
    writing documentation, or answering questions on
    email lists
  • Current users in K-12 report a sense of belonging
    cooperation

11
Examples
  • Mozilla
  • Dansquardian, Squidguard
  • Spam Assassin
  • OpenOffice.org
  • The GIMP
  • Moodle
  • Apache
  • MySQL
  • Linux
  • Web browser
  • Web Filtering
  • e-mail Filtering
  • Office suite
  • Image editor
  • Course Management
  • Web server
  • Database
  • Operating system

12
Were using open source for this presentation
  • Created in MS Office 2002
  • on MS Windows 2000 Pro
  • Updated and Running in OpenOffice.org

BestBuy.com, 6/18/03
13
Why / not?
  • Why?
  • Cost
  • Quality
  • Independence
  • Community
  • Why not?
  • Legacy issues
  • Specific applications
  • Migration
  • Uncertain future

14
Can open source help you?
http//www.netc.org/openoptions/appendices/handout
s.html
15
Dont use open source, unless...
  • Good needs assessment
  • Thorough planning
  • Stakeholder involvement
  • Administrators
  • Teachers, staff
  • Students, parents
  • Community, etc.
  • Aware of the implications

16
Needs goals
  • What technology do you actually need to support
    learning goals your staff, your students?
  • Do your needs or goals demand a specific,
    proprietary solution?
  • Are you trying to support advanced curricula in
    technology?
  • Are you trying to foster awareness of the larger
    issues in technology?

17
The total cost of open source is lower.
Maybe
  • TCO Total cost of ownership
  • TCO is complex not always easy to measure

http//www.netc.org/openoptions/images/jpg/map_tco
.jpg
Current OSS users believe TCO is lower,
especially on the backend
18
Lower cost?
19
The salient issue is expertise
20
Capacity
  • Are you willing and able to search for solutions
    rather than buy them?
  • Would you rather buy certainty or invest in
    capacity?
  • If you lose an important staff member, will you
    have a backup? Or does your technology
    infrastructure stop functioning?

21
Open source makes license management easier
  • Install any number of copies
  • No risk of illegal copies or license audits
  • No anti-piracy measures (e.g. CD keys, product
    activation)
  • Doesn't eliminate software management, of course

22
Open source is a compromise
  • Why you should understand about software licenses
  • Sustainability
  • Risks
  • Philosophy
  • A license represents values rights

23
Open source is a compromise
24
Open source is a compromise
25
Advice about licenses
  • Licenses govern tech (delivery) not content
  • Content is never in jeopardy
  • Most licenses arent viral dont bleed
  • Visit the Open Source Initiative
  • www.opensource.org

26
Exception Courseware
  • Blurs the content / delivery distinction
  • Be careful if you want to market

27
Proprietary formats lead tovendor lock in.
  • Lock in dependence on a specific program from a
    specific vendor
  • Example Microsoft Word .doc format
  • Curricula or data lock in is risky

28
Open source can be more customized
  • Tailor software to needs
  • On the backend extraordinary power to customize
    any aspect of a network (e.g. firewalls, spam
    filtering, email filtering)
  • Current users in K-12 see significant benefits
    from others' access and customizing

29
Mature enough? Yes
  • Some open source software has 15 years of
    development
  • Example Linux is the most popular operating
    system
  • Linux is based upon Unix
  • Unix has 25 years of development
  • Adopted by government agencies outside U.S.

30
Sustainable? Yes
  • Business government are choosing open source
  • Software companies are creating supporting open
    source (e.g. IBM, Sun, HP)
  • Exception Microsoft vigorously opposes open
    source
  • Thriving subpopulation of educators

31
Business government choosingopen source
  • Amazon.com
  • Credit Suisse First Boston
  • E-Trade
  • Goldman Sachs
  • Merrill Lynch
  • Morgan Stanley
  • Australia
  • China
  • Germany
  • Mexico
  • Peru
  • Venezuela
  • Israel

32
Schools are not in the software business
  • Software is created improved for business
    government
  • Free to download
  • May be a windfall for schools
  • Many programs run under Microsoft Windows or
    Apple Macintosh
  • Users can experiment migrate slowly
  • May meet some needs immediately

33
Leadership planning
  • Can you convene a tech planning committee with
    diverse, open-minded stakeholders?
  • Are you willing and able to consider and
    experiment with several solutions?
  • Can you incubate an open source solution long
    enough to evaluate its actual effectiveness?
  • Are you willing to re-plan and use data to make
    changes?
  • Can you build or shift capacity over time?

34
K-12 users are more familiar comfortable with
proprietary software. 
  • New software (or new version) has a learning
    curve
  • Some open source software mimics proprietary
    software
  • Some open source is user hostile
  • Remember does it meet teaching learning needs?

35
Support
  • Can you maintain or build capacity for support?
  • Will your technology staff be willing and able to
    get help from the community?
  • Can you risk depending on the open source
    community for help or do you need more certainty?

36
Support (contd)
  • Can you afford training?
  • Will your advanced users be willing and able to
    help other users?
  • Are some educators already using open source, at
    work or at home?

37
Change morale
  • Have you recently made major changes in
    technology?
  • Will you be making major changes soon?
  • Are you struggling with budget limitations?

38
Change morale (contd)
  • Are you able and willing to experiment?
  • Do your stakeholders crave some short-term
    success in technology integration?
  • Will your needs and goals compel stakeholders to
    endure hardships and adjust to new solutions?

39
Focus on your stakeholders
  • Develop proof of concept first
  • Backend
  • Transparency
  • Adapt the sample memos
  • See Appendices at www.netc.org/openoptions
  • Discuss total cost of ownership (TCO)
  • Use the Open Options site
  • www.netc.org/openoptions
  • Independent tools for educators

40
Before moving on to survey results...
  • Do you have questions or comments?

41
What are educators using?
  • Online survey (November 2002 -February 2003 , 85
    complete responses) New survey at
    www.netc.org/surveys/oss until April 21, 2004
  • Interviews and Site Visits
  • General research literature review
  • Complete results at www.netc.org/openoptions

42
Who are they?
  • Majority work for school districts (rather than
    schools)
  • Serve student populations of 2000 or more
  • Districts are urban, suburban, or rural
  • Those who work for schools serve student
    populations of 100-499 students, most work for
    high schools

43
Who (contd)
  • Most don't teach students
  • Many have administrative responsibilities most
    choose software for other people's desktop
    computers

44
What are they using?
  • Primarily on the backend, for Web hosting, Web
    filtering, email, and similar solutions
  • Prefer Linux
  • Many use recycled hardware
  • Rely on list servs community Web sites for
    advice support

45
What (contd)
  • Many use open source operating systems for their
    own desktop computers
  • Many are using open source thin clients for their
    stakeholders

46
What percentage of your solutions are open source?
  • Server operating system 40
  • Desktop operating system 15
  • Backend solutions 57
  • Frontend solutions 20

Average
47
Why do they choose it?
  • Reliability
  • Desirable features
  • Price
  • Security
  • On the frontend interoperability

48
Why (contd)
  • Most believe it wasn't easier or harder to use
  • Most are satisfied or very satisfied
  • Few had resistance from supervisors or users

49
Why (contd)
  • By using Linux instead... we've been able to
    double the value... Not only do we deploy the
    clients and servers, but we're also able to
    purchase a laser printer and also a projector in
    each of these labs.
  • Trevor Larson,
  • Portland Public Schools

50
Why (contd)
  • The only real path that I could see with
    virtually no budget to move was toward Linux.
  • Why pay more for something that is that robust
    right now?
  • Students go home burn them for their
    friends.
  • I wish I had known about this sooner.

51
Interviews 2004 Changes in Last Year
  • Maturing Applications
  • More Applications (enterprise)
  • More people using OSS more examples and support
    for you
  • Increased awareness of student need to be able to
    use classes of tools (e.g., - wp, ss, db), not
    specific vendors versions.

52
Interviews 2004 Lessons Learned
  • Any new innovation must work as well, if not
    better than current app.
  • Small scale implentations may not scale well in
    multi-platform/system environment. Must balance
    cost, time, expertise, support, etc.
  • To go to the desktop must have strong
    administrative support.
  • Most important must focus on the goal of what
    tools/applications best meet or enhance the
    education of children.

53
General advice
  • Think in terms of Strategic Planning
  • Define needs in terms of capabilities, not
    software packages
  • Think long term where possible
  • Look for low threshold opportunities
  • Experimenting is free easy
  • Consider hybrid solutions

54
General advice (contd)
  • Use open file formats define criteria for
    document exchange
  • Avoid upgrade for upgrades sake
  • Consider the total cost of ownership
  • Consider emulation software
  • Include stakeholders

55
Questions?
  • If you are using Open Source software, does
    your experience match what we have learned?

56
OSS Resources Focus on K-12 (a)
  • http//k12os.org - Helps to install and configure
    Linux for K12
  • http//schoolforge.net - Unifies independent
    organizations that advocate, use, and develop
    open resources for primary and secondary
    education.
  • http//sourceforge.net - World's largest Open
    Source software development Web site, with the
    largest repository of Open Source code and
    applications available on the Internet. Free
    services for Open Source developers.

57
OSS Resources Focus on K-12 (b)
  • http//k12ltsp.org/contents.html - Linux Terminal
    Server Project is based on open source software
    packages that are free, and easy to install and
    configure
  • http//www.osafoundation.org - Goal of the Open
    Source Applications Foundation is to create and
    gain wide adoption of Open Source application
    software of uncompromising quality.
  • http//www.tech-geeks.org - Supports a very
    active mailing list for educational technology
    professionals

58
OSS Resources Focus on K-12 (c)
  • http//k12linux.org/contents.html - Provides
    instructions, samples and links to resources for
    Linux projects
  • http//librenix.com/?inode2188 - Information for
    Linux System Administration
  • http//www.redhat.com/opensourcenow - Provides
    technical support and a high traffic e-mail list
    of active and supportive members.

59
Have fun exploring Open Source!
  • Seymour Hanfling
  • NETC NWREL
  • hanflins_at_nwrel.org
  • 503-275-0650

Basha Krasnoff NETC NWREL krasnofb_at_nwrel.org 503
-275-9643
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