This document discusses how open source software can benefit education. It outlines the four freedoms that define open source software: the freedom to run it, study and adapt it, redistribute it, and improve it. It argues that open source software allows students to learn by contributing to projects in various ways like creating tutorials, writing documentation, reporting bugs, and writing code. By getting involved in open source communities, students can learn valuable skills like remote collaboration, efficient communication, and learning through hands-on experience. The document provides examples like Google Summer of Code and an XML course to illustrate how students can get started contributing to open source projects. It concludes that open source is beneficial for teachers, students, and schools if they actively participate in open

1. Open Source Software
and Education
bertrand delacrétaz
www.codeconsult.ch
egin seminar, november 2nd, 2006

2. What can
Open Source software
bring to education?
and vice-versa!

3. Closed Source Software
You can play
with it.
Don’t open it.
Don’t try to
find out how
it works.
Nice, isn’t it?
image by shawnzlea at Flickr

4. Open Source Software
Feel free to
experiment!
You can do
whatever
with it.
Some assembly required...
image by ckirkman at Flickr

5. The Four Freedoms
Freedom to run the software
Freedom to study and adapt it
Freedom to redistribute it
Freedom to improve it
source: gnu.org

6. Open Communities
It’s not the code that counts
It’s the community

7. Do You Use
Open Source
Software?

8. Open Source Software
Runs The World!
(more or less)
image: wikipedia

9. Students and
Open Source
Software?

10. Copying
Open Source Software
is LEGAL

11. Using
Open Source Software
is FUN
(often)

12. Knowing
Open Source Software
is ESSENTIAL

13. Creating
Open Source Software
is a
GREAT WAY TO LEARN

14. Students contributing
to
Open Source Software?

15. Contributing by...
Creating examples and tutorials
Writing documentation
Participating on mailing lists
Testing and reporting bugs
Writing code
Designing software
Creating new projects

16. Learning
by
Doing

17. The Community
image by jusben at morguefile.com

18. Remote Collaboration
image by carmemlucia at morguefile.com

19. Efficient Communication
(in written form)
image by earl53 at morguefile.com

20. High-level teams
image by jusben at morguefile.com

21. Learning by Doing
For teachers as well...

22. Examples

23. Google Summer of Code
http://code.google.com/soc/

24. XML course at comem.ch

25. How to
get started?

26. Select a (useful) project

27. Get to know the people

28. Contribute..anything
Creating examples and tutorials
Writing documentation
Participating on mailing lists
Testing and reporting bugs
Writing code
Designing software
Creating new projects

29. Motivate Students!

30. Conclusion..

31. Open Source is Good
for teachers...
for students...
for schools...
..If they are
actively involved in it!
Einstein image by Apostelman at morguefile.com