K12 Open Tech Blogs

Distributing Clip Art to OpenOffice.org Users

Posted May 5th, 2008 by Solveig Haugland

One of the most helpful non-technical configurations that IT administrators can do is to take all free clip art they can get ahold of, assemble it and categorize it, and give it to every user to make OpenOffice.org more fun and more usable. This is especially beneficial in schools.

A Few of My Favorite Open Source Desktop Applications

Posted April 2nd, 2008 by Jim Klein

Below is a list of a few of my favorite open source applications for the
desktop. Most are available for any platform, and many are available on
the OpenDisc for Windows systems (which you can download here.) It's important to keep in
mind that these applications:

  • Are free
  • Can be given to students to install and use at home
  • Offer educators the opportunity to introduce new technologies in their educational environement
  • Provide essential skills that are transferrable to applications of similar types in the commercial world

The World of OpenOffice.org Extensions

Posted March 14th, 2008 by Solveig Haugland

One of the benefits of open source software is that anyone can
download the source code, throw together a feature or two, and make
it available to anyone who wants it. This sounds great, and is great,
but until recently I'm not sure how much it happened on an individual
level. I know I don't remember writing up any cool new features.

The Extensions capability changes this, though. Visit
http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/
and you're in a Disneyland of cool features, ranging from nice little
add-ons to immensely helpful. If you're evaluating OpenOffice.org, or
have been running it for years, you don't have the whole picture
without investigating the extensions.

I've described a few of my favorites in this blog entry, but
you're going to want to at least read the names of all of them.

SIF Needs An Open Source Zone Integration Server

Posted March 14th, 2008 by Jeff Crawford

How can a great specification that is desperately needed by K-12 schools by definition not have any certified solutions?

Five Principles for a Successful OpenOffice.org Transition

Posted February 24th, 2008 by Solveig Haugland

Switching to an open source product like OpenOffice.org is a less well-traveled path than products that have been around longer, or are more widely used. No plan can take everything into account, but I have found five basic principles for a good transition.

Creative Commons, Open Content, and Copyright Discussion

Posted February 19th, 2008 by Jim Klein

On Feb. 15, I had the opportunity to partcipate in an excellent discussion on Creative Commons, Open Content, and Copyright, hosted by Steve Hargadon for the new Classroom 2.0 Live Discussions series. The panelists for the discussion included...

 

Open Source Social Networking for the K-12 Set

Posted February 1st, 2008 by Jim Klein

Learning and Leading CoverISTE (the International Society for Technology in Education) has posted a feature article from the February/March issue of Learning and Leading with Technology entitled "Social Networking for the K-12 Set," written by yours truly (free download through March 2008.) In the article, I discuss the potential of social networking tools, the development of the SUSD Teacher and Student Community sites, and the impact that their use has had on our education environment.

This article also offers an example of a successful open- source based education technology project in every respect...

How Creativity is Being Strangled by the Law

Posted January 25th, 2008 by Jim Klein

Lawrence Lessig is perhaps the most prolific proponent of open content and copyright reform in the nation. He is the former CEO and continuing board member of the Creative Commons organization. His talks are always inspiring, thought provoking, and controversial, yet, in my view, foundational to our understanding of content and freedom in the digital age.

I particularly enjoyed this video...

What I've Learned About Ed Tech from Open Source Software

Posted January 23rd, 2008 by Steve Hargadon

(Cross-posted from TechLearning.com)

After my first post to TechLearning two weeks ago, I've had more and more time to think about the basic idea which had formed in my mind and which was expressed in that post: that the new technologies of the Web will have a greater impact in driving educational change than pedagogies will. A good comment dialog here, on my own blog, and the ever-thoughtful Glenn Moses have challenged my thinking and helped me to better understand why I have come to this conclusion--and it turns out, many of my opinions (an my ultimate optimism) have been greatly influenced by my experiences with Open Source Software and education.

(More after the jump...)

Open Source Software in Education

Posted January 9th, 2008 by Jim Klein

Jay Pfaffman, an instructional technology professor from the University of Tenessee recently wrote an excellent piece which appeared on the LinuxInsider site entitled, It's Time to Consider Open Source Software. As can be expected, this generated a fair amount of debate and comment on the CETPA (California Education Technology Professionals Association) listserv, which revealed a surprisingly prevalent perspective that using open source software somehow equates to "switching" or replacing existing applications only.