Floss Com: Floss / Open Source Like Learning Models

Learning the Open Source Way Opening up education through FLOSS-like approaches? OpenLearn 2007 conference Milton Keynes, UK – 29.10.2007

FLOSS-like learning basics FLOSS as a learning environment Looking at FLOSS in particular and the web in general we can see that: Content is not something static but dynamic ● Learning resources are manifold ● Users are also active creators ● Support and learning resources are closely connected ● Open and transparent structures foster re-use and discourse, ● but also continuous improvement and evolutionary growth Existence of a wide range of possible activities to engage at ● around the core product Self-studying and learning from what others did are the pre- ● dominant form of learning

FLOSS Principles for formal education?!? Differences when translating FLOSS to education Materials are usually the product of few authors ● Not many contributions from people other than authors ● Basic software usage (and experience): word processor ● Infrequent releases, feedback only seldom considered ● Distribution dependent on publishers ● Prior learning outcomes and processes are not systematically ● available (role of mailing lists/forums and commented code) No or small community and related community services ● No continuous development cycle ● Partly taken from Jesus M. Gonzalez-Barahona, Teo Romera - Edukalibre Project

FLOSS Principles for formal education?!?

FLOSS Principles for formal education?!? Observations Students, teachers and free learners partly use the same web spaces ● and might be connected in an unorganized way ●Teachers’ output might be made available at repositories for the general public (e.g. OER) ●Students’ outputs (e.g. Projects, presentations, papers) are in general ‘lost’, or in the best case available at an internal LCMS ●Students’ learning processes are ‘lost’, or in the best way recorded at informal learning spaces at the web (e.g. discourse at forums) ●Students’ activities do not become part of the course (e.g. Collaborative group works) ●Students’ support is divided into formal support (usually not recorded) and informal support at the web (recorded, but somehow lost for future students) ●Re-use? Partly / Peer-review? Partly / Collaborative content production? Partly / Communities & evolutionary growth? No

FLOSS Principles for formal education?!? Examples - formal educational settings

FLOSS Principles for formal education?!? Examples - informal educational settings

FLOSS Principles for formal education?!? Observations Students, teachers and free learners partly use the same web spaces ● and might be connected in an unorganized way ●Teachers’ output might be made available at repositories for the general public (e.g. OER) ●Students’ outputs are not ‘lost’, but might be accessible only on a internal level ●Students’ learning processes are ‘lost’, or in the best way recorded at informal learning spaces at the web ●Students’ activities become part of the course ●Students’ support is divided into formal support (usually not recorded) and informal support at the web (recorded, but somehow lost for future students) ●Re-use? Higher than traditional / Peer-review? Higher than traditional / Collaborative content production? Higher than traditional / Communities & evolutionary growth? No

FLOSS Principles for formal education?!? Examples

FLOSS Principles for formal education?!? Observations Students, teachers and free learners use the same web spaces and are ● connected in an organized way ●Teachers’ output might be made available at repositories for the general public (e.g. OER) ●Students’ outputs are not lost, but widespread at informal learning spaces at the web ●Students’ learning processes are not lost, but widespread at informal learning spaces at the web ●Students’ activities do not become part of the course ●Students’ support is divided into formal support (usually not recorded) and informal support at the web (recorded, but somehow lost for future students) ●Re-use? Low / Peer-review? Yes / Collaborative content production? Yes / Communities & evolutionary growth? No

FLOSS Principles for formal education?!? Observations Students, teachers and free learners use the same web spaces and are ● connected in an organized way ●Teachers’ output is made available at repositories for the general public (e.g. OER) ●Students’ outputs are not ‘lost’ and become part of the course or are a further learning resource ●Students’ learning processes are not ‘lost’, with information where to find them recorded at informal learning spaces at the web ●Students’ activities become part of the course ●Students’ support is divided into formal support (usually not recorded) and informal support at the web (recorded, but somehow lost for future students) within known established and mature support environments ●Re-use? Yes / Peer-review? Yes / Collaborative content production? Yes / Communities & evolutionary growth? Yes

FLOSS-like learning basics In which way is the FLOSS-like approach different from the OER movement? At the current OER movement We create repositories, but not learning communities ● Content is defined and produced in the traditional way ● Content is static, not manifold and rarely updated ● Formal students do not directly engage with OER and thus do ● not engage with external students or free learners Students' / Free learners' learning processes and learning ● outcomes do not become part of something (course, learning resource, product, etc) Support and learning resources are not connected ● We don't really look at motivations and activities to attract free ● learners to become active contributors

FLOSS Principles for formal education?!? Some questions How could a FLOSS-like approach in educational settings be applied? ● Which structures would be required for applying it? How could the FLOSS support model benefit formal education ● How could the concept of “re-use”, “collaborative content creation” and ● “peer review” be translated to formal education What are the FLOSS equivalent motivations and activities in an ● educational setting? What are the similarities and differences between FLOSS and education ● communities? What are the barriers or obstacles to a FLOSS-like approach in ● education? Are there examples of formal educational environments similar to FLOSS ● communities from which we could learn?

FLOSS Principles for formal education?!? Thank you! Further information at: www.flosscom.net Contact: andreasmeiszner@spi.pt or A.Meiszner@open.ac.uk

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Floss Com: Floss / Open Source Like Learning Models

by Andreas Meiszner

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