My understanding of Open Source is that by making all of the source code available to everyone that through a collaborative effort the application will constantly be improved; therefore, everyone will benefit from a better application.
It is encouraged to use Open Source and for changes to be made to the source code to improve it. The derivatives that result are beneficial to all. A free open source license makes software free for inspection of its code, modification, and distribution. There may be a few differences in licensing in some open source and some free applicationss, but for the most part they are similar. Nearly all free software is open source, and nearly all open source applications are free. Proprietary software is licensed giving exclusive legal right to the copyright holder. The licensee is given the right to use the software under certain conditions, but restricted from other uses, such as modification, further distribution, or reverse engineering.
Two Open Source applications that I find to be useful in education are Moodle and Linux. I have looked into using Moodle in my classroom to give students experience with a course management system (comparable to Blackboard) to prepare them for college. Linux is a free operating system that our school uses in the library even though I don’t have any experience with it because I have my own computer lab with licensed operating systems. Another option if I didn’t have Office 2007 would be Open Office, which is an open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, and databases.
Great summary!! Back in the days I used to use Linux. There is an education friendly Linux system, Edubunt: http://edubuntu.org. You should check it out if it's something that your school library uses!
ReplyDeleteI really love open office! I have been downloading it for my family and they have been using the label printing feature. My Aunt was so happy because she printed my cousins wedding labels with it!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to prepare your students for college by using Moodle. That will be very beneficial for them in the future. I liked your post.
ReplyDeleteYou did an excellent job on your blog. Although I do not have any experience using Open Source applications, several people have mentioned Moodle and Linux during my online classes. I agree that Moodle can be a great tool for high school students. Maybe soon you will have the chance to try it out!
ReplyDeleteKaren,
ReplyDeleteI have used Moodle for my eMINTS classes and I'm not really a fan. It can get very confusing because information can be placed on any and every page. I haven't used Open Office before, but I think that I will have to try it.
Ashley