Lab+activity+week+10

Wikipedia gives a general definition of how open source software is developed collaboratively among people. It also stresses the fact that this software saves a huge amount of money to consumers, over 60 billion dollars per year. It also provides a series of characteristics of this software and what criteria the software needs to comply with to be catalogued as "open source". Apart from citing its history, it also draws a comparison with closed source and free software. This article needs further revision as its references are incomplete.

Google "open source" search
This search gives us a huge number of results: 240,000,000 related webpages. There are pages that we can visit to download opensource software but there are also pages that help you understand how it works. Only approximately 10,000,000 of those pages are Australian. There is a lot of information for those people interested in the topic including tutorials, questions and answers and support.

Stephen Downes : Understanding Learning Networks

 * The audio quality is quite poor.


 * He highlights the fact that we need to have a clear learning pedagogy, not just randomly use applications.


 * Learning cannot happen independent of its environment. Example in Content syndication: instead of you going to the learning, the learning comes to you. It shows a shift in how we access learning traditionally.


 * Personal learning environments allows for a switch from content consumerism to content creation which is a very personal view of learning. Institutional view of learning needs to control how we teach to make it fit into their view of learning. I believe teachers should know better and pressure institutions to allow more freedom in this area. Collaboration with other institutions and especially allowing access to certain websites is still blocked by our DET NSW.


 * Stephen brings up an important point about working in groups. Working in collaboration with other students is certainly very much in use in NSW and pupils are frequently required to do so which overlooks the fact that some students cannot work so well with other but evidence a more “intrapersonal” intelligence. I believe the danger that we face when only allowing students to complete an assignment in groups is that those pupils will feel they cannot complete it successfully as they prefer to do it on their own. Flexibility is a key here as we cannot allow ourselves to be swayed by the need to do absolutely everything collaboratively for just the sake of it.


 * Online learning environments are risky so institutions tend to just block access to these websites and “throw the baby with the bath water”. I believe Stephen Downes is right up to a certain extent as I’ve seen this still happening here in NSW. I believe teachers are making a difference and making their voices heard, though.


 * Technology is all about creation and this is where learning really happens. It’s useless to use technology for the sake of it. Learning needs to become part of living, and it revolves around interest. I think this is a great idea as learning is dynamic and part of our lives in and outside of school.


 * I found his ideas on the characteristics of a network truly fascinating. In a network environment, it’s an open environment, not separation of age groups- ability groups, architecturally organized. It is not lead by one person only, but we are all learning and leading- we all decide by ourselves. There’s no clear separation between the ones that know and the ones that don’t. Knowledge is not “distributed” coming only from one source but “distributed” as it can come from anywhere in the network. Basically, networks operate much more dynamically than in a traditional learning environment. They are also non-linear and allow for more fluid student involvement in their own learning. The popular saying “lead the way, teach at…” is obviously archaic and elucidates an outdated view of learning.