K12 Open Technologies

A Report on Education Leaders' Perceptions of Online Testing in an Open Source Environment. This reports offers a window into the attitudes and experiences of state and national education leaders regarding internet-based testing and the potential for an open source platform to deliver such assessment. The report based on a study conducted by Grunwald Associates LLC and Education Development Center, Inc. includes strategies for online success, two case studies and findings on the topic.

This paper provides quantitative data that, in many cases, using open source software / free software (abbreviated as OSS/FS, FLOSS, or FOSS) is a reasonable or even superior approach to using their proprietary competition according to various measures. This paper’s goal is to show that you should consider using OSS/FS when acquiring software.

http://www.dwheeler.com/oss_fs_why.html

This article compares the advantages and disadvantages of open source learning  management systems with proprietary LMS's. The author interview 5 industry leaders with the question: Are open source LMS platforms taking the lead in learning technology innovation? The answers appear to be yes and no.

http://www.learningcircuits.org/2005/oct2005/adkins.htm

The fast pace of change in the area of educational technology has given nearly everyone the “bleeding edge” experience of adopting software that was incompatible with existing programs, failed to function as planned, or became obsolete overnight. Much of this was due to the proliferation of proprietary programs and operating systems that appeared to deliberately create barriers to the exchange of information between systems and applications.

Open Source developers have, perhaps without conscious intent, created a new and surprisingly successful economic paradigm for the production of software. Examining that paradigm can answer a number of important questions.

Much has happened since the 2004 prognostications of this EDUCAUSE Review article "Open Source 2007: How Did This Happen?" This is a follow up to a prior article that peered into the future through the lens of two possible outcomes for open-source application software by 2007.

The Committee on Economic Development and has published a report OPEN STANDARDS, OPEN SOURCE, AND OPEN INNOVATION: Harnessing the Benefits of Openness.

This scholarly 72 page report explores the relation between open standards, open source and open content and their ability to invigorate and transform the economy.

http://www.ced.org/docs/report/report_ecom_openstandards.pdf

CoSN’s 5^th Annual International Symposium (March 8-9, 2006) focused on Open Technologies: Issues, Exemplary Practices and Future Directions for Education. During the Symposium, participants identified the issues, problems and opportunities relating to open technologies.

This article is a comparison of user satisfaction with two learning management systems used at Humboldt State University and other colleges.