Re: [OS:N:] Open source for schools

[Karsten Wade <kwade redhat com>]

On Sat, 2002-11-23 at 11:37, anthony baldwin wrote:
> There has been talk, at least at Schoolforge, of creating an open
> source database of curricula, lesson plans, etc.  I am hoping that
> my site can expand to contribute to precisely this kind of effort, 
> as well as be a technology resource.

Now here's something really in the spirit of free sharing of ideas that
is at the core of the open source movement.

Can you imagine what education would be like if each educator or school
closely guarded it's curricula, not sharing ideas with other teachers
and schools?  If schools created lesson plans which were designed to
produce e.g. great SAT test takers, and held those ideas as intellectual
property?  It's precisely those concerns that gave rise to the free
software movement.

I submit this as a comparison that might strike home to educators you
deal with.  Explain that open source is like an open curriculum, where
teachers and students are free to share ideas not only inside the
classroom, but across classrooms, between grades and amongst schools,
with the only limitation being that no limits may be applied.

- Karsten
-- 
Karsten Wade    : Consulting Engineer, RHCE :  o: +1.831.466.9664
kwade redhat com :  http://www.redhat.com  :   c: +1.831.818.9995
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