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Linux Tablets, Computer Science, and Version Control

Posted November 20th, 2012 by Bill

Right now, there is an open source tablet (the PengPod) crowdsourcing contributions on Indiegogo. The fundraising period ends on December 2. Stop reading this post, right now, and get over there and contribute. Then, come back here and I'll tell you why.

Okay. Nice work.

Here's why: we need leading edge devices running open source code in schools. If we are serious about teaching students how to work creatively, and how to use technology as part of that work, they need to understand the malleable nature of the technology we use. The devices we work with every day all embody a series of deliberate choices. When we use a closed device like an iPad, our ability to tinker with these choices is limited to non-existent - unless, of course, you want to blow up your warranty.

With a device like a PengPod, you can give students a tool that can both be used for traditional classwork, and used a central component of a project-based computer curriculum. The source code of Pengpod is freely available on Github, which means that people can access it for free, and that in the process of accessing it, they have the opportunity to learn Git, and, more importantly, how to work productively within a larger community. On a side note, how many computer science courses within K12 teach students how to use version control? If you are, awesome, and if not, well, get rolling and start doing it. Given that a history of code contributions and publicly accessible work are key factors in landing jobs these days (as well as just an essential and transferrable skill) we are doing people a disservice by not teaching them the core skills that will help them develop their skills both inside and outside of class.

Right now, the EdTech world feels pretty app-happy. This (hopefully temporary) myopia can blind us to some of the real potential that we can unleash within our students. The problem with the app-centric mentality is that, even when we are using a closed device like an iPad for creative work, the bounds of creativity are limited by the functionality provided within the app. The message is clear: be creative in the corner, but don't mess with anything outside the corner, because that's too complicated. Kids deserve more, and they deserve to have their vision of the possible uncluttered by arbitrary limits. Let's get open source tools in the hands of kids; let's give them the tools to explore them, and let's see what happens.

Education Should Take a Lesson From the Process of Open Source Development

Posted October 14th, 2012 by Bill

Over at the Globe and Mail, there is an article by Robert Luke titled Education should take a lesson from the open-source movement.

The article is an interesting read, and it's always good to see people recognizing that education can learn from how open source communities work. But while this article is a good start, there are slight missteps that detract from the overall picture. From early in the article:

As we modernize our approach to education in a globalized world, there are lessons we can learn from the open-source movement. Open source provides the language of collaboration and co-operation – the basis from which programmers stitch discrete pieces into a coherent whole.

Learn from the children

Functional open source development communities are about more than "programmers stitch(ing) discrete pieces into a coherent whole" - a functional open source community requires documentation, a communication infrastructure, established community norms and expectations. Really, a functional open source community and a vibrant classroom (whether virtual, blended, or face to face) share many similarities. If people look at open source just as a movement - or, of greatest value as a philosophical direction or a metaphor - then there is a real risk that people will overlook another key aspect of open source communities: they create real solutions to real problems for real people. While all open source communities create code, any open source community with any staying power also creates a set of community norms and infrastructure that allows people to work efficiently.

When we look at what we can learn from comparing open source communities and processes with formal education, one immediate area that begs for greater examination is how goals (or the actual thing we are trying to achieve, or the problem we are trying to solve) affect the work we do.

When the problem we are solving is how to earn a diploma or a credential, we will figure out how to do that in the most efficient way possible.

When the problem we are attempting to solve is how to do Thing X within System Y (where a system can be a web site, a data driven application, a document repository, or any other real life system that people use to work) we will generally figure out the best way to do that.

Many schools do a good job preparing people for life after school, but for better or worse, the emblem placed atop that preparation is a diploma or a credential, which is at best a symbolic representation of actual knowledge or achievement. Open source communities have been solving real problems via code, documentation, improved process, improved usability, for years - and well before any "experts" were talking about "disrupting education." Open source communities have been doing distance learning and community development that works, at scale, for longer than many people in the educational community were even aware of the possibilities.

Not that who did it first matters - but, when people within education look for valuable expertise, we should benefit from the example of an ongoing practice that has worked over time, and continues to work in the present. As we try and figure out how to help more people learn more effectively, we should model effective learning in our inquiry. Part of effective inquiry means learning from people who have been using a distributed, peer to peer learning and support network, to solve real problems. Education has a lot to learn from open source communities, as many of these communities have solved problems that people within education are only starting to think about.

Image Credit: Learn from the children by i_amici published under an Attribution Non-commercial No derivatives license.

A Note To People Upset About Changes To Google Reader

Posted November 3rd, 2011 by Bill

Stop it.

Really.

I've been seeing some complaints about people who are outraged! outraged! that Google is changing the features of Google reader.

People are upset because they have been using Google reader for years, for free, and they liked the features that Google had given them.

Pout face

For free.

Just to emphasize: IT'S CALLED "GOOGLE READER!" NOT "[INSERT YOUR NAME HERE] READER!"

In other words, Reader belongs to Google. They give you access to it. For free. But they own it, and they can do what they want with it. If you don't like their changes, then thank them for X years of free service, and move on.

And, if there are features that you absolutely must have, then use some open source tools and build them yourself. No one could ever take that away. And you can share it with your friends, and/or license it under the GPL and let anyone use it, modify it, or improve it.

But seriously. If you keep up this level of whining about Google reader, people might get you confused with other groups of notorious whiners, like the MPAA fearmongering about video piracy, or Apple fanboys defending another crappy iPhone release.

Image Credit: "Pout face" taken by imallergic, published under an Attribution license.

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