Online and Open Source

Online and Open Source

Darrel BransonICT educator

Sunraysia Mallee schools network

Darrel BransonICT educator

Sunraysia Mallee schools network

Sunraysia Mallee Schools Network

33 schools in the North West of Victoria

6 - I&E Clusters

Open source Software

•Definition:

• “Computer software whose source code is available

under a license (or arrangement such as the public

domain) that permits users to study, change, and

improve the software, and to redistribute it in

modified or unmodified form. It is often developed in a

public, collaborative manner.”Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source_software

Sunraysia Mallee Schools Network

• Local Linux Server (Running Ubuntu)

• www.smsn.vic.edu.au

• Hosted linux server need2learn.net

• LAMP stack

✓ Linux, Apache, Mysql and PHP (or Perl or Python)

Open Source Software

MRBS (Meeting Room Booking System)

Web Calendar

www.smsn.vic.edu.au/moodle

Need2learn.net

http://moodle.orgOpen source learning management system

Discussion boards, curriculum resources, polls, calendar, assignments, journals, wikis, questionnaires, quizzes and

much more.

Moodle - Statistics

Collaboration• Professional Learning with network

teams✓ Assessment team, Restorative practice, Habits of

Mind, New Tools & New Media ICT Group, Intel Teach to the Future.

• Document repository✓ Resources, weblinks, documents.

• Communication tool✓ Email, discussion boards, reflection journals.

• Professional reading & discussion

• Rich digital history of the learning

Online Curriculum

• Giving access to curriculum at home and at school for students.

• Allowing students to using ICT and elearning in their learning.

• Allowing teachers to setup and get going in a short time.

• Everything is done inside a web browser!

✓ No HTML, FTP or coding!

✓ http://need2learn.net

http://wordpress.orgOpen source - blogging solutionPlugins, themes and community

Roles and permissionsEasy installation on Netspace

What it looks like

Grade / Class / Subject - Blog

Teacher as Administrator

Students as...Editors, Authors, Subscribers

What we are trying to do

• We are not waiting ... Ready, Fire, Aim

• Enabling enthusiastic teachers

(students almost always respond

positively!)

• Offering classrooms the opportunity to

have their own blog, their own

Moodle, which they can control.

http://joomla.orgOpen source - content management solutionExtensions, plugins, themes and community

Roles and permissions

Web Calendar

http://www.k5n.us/webcalendar.php

Meeting Room Booking System

http://mrbs.sourceforge.net/

Why not use free tools?

• Control

• Cost

• Appropriateness

• Flexibility to respond

• Community

What do I need to try it?

• A web server with Apache or Microsoft IIS

• PHP programming language

• Database server - Mysql (or others)

• Someone with an interest in technology and learning.

Open Source Software

• http://www.osv.org.au/educationDownloadable catalogue of software

• http://sourceforge.net Registered Projects: 148,087 Registered Users: 1,581,672

• http://freshmeat.net Freshmeat maintains the Web's largest index of Unix and cross-platform software

• http://www.opensource.org

• http://www.fsf.org

On the Desktop

• Legally use software at home and

at school

• No licensing issues

• Hey, it’s free!

Some Notable OSSFirefox

Open OfficeThe Gimp

Audacity