Open Source Bridging the Gap

             Open source refers to software that is created by individuals or groups rather than a commercial company. The source code is usually considered to be free although there can be fees associated with different applications or versions. The great thing about open source is that it can be modified by organizations to meet their personal or school needs.

             My concerns on this approach are that with the evolving change in technology that this may very well but the future of education. However, I personally prefer to learn with having the have to have interaction of a teacher especially in high school. In college distant learning is the norm for many college students. I never took an online course until my senior year of undergrad. Even then I was sketchy about the idea of taking a course online and everything is submitted online and I never once meet the teacher that was teaching the class.

                Open source allows students to do work online and although I feel that it takes away from the overall experience of high school however it is becoming the new reality. I value the time spent in high school meeting new people, the friends I met, prom, football games, and the many memories of my senior year excitement of graduation, and going off to college.

             The thing that I thought was helpful to teachers was that they could go into their grade book and see on test what areas their students were lacking in so that way they could go back and see if the question was fair if other students had problems with the same questions. In regular schools teachers can do the same thing it just has to be done manually. I value that some students are doing other things such as studying abroad and that allows them to still finish high school. To say the least I think students should have at least one year of going to school because you miss out on so many other things than going to a normal high school.

           I looked in to this school and it’s seems very interesting. Yes these kids are experiencing and learning with new things with technology that many couldn’t even imagine before. But I question the validity of the school, and question are these kids being guinea pigs for something that may or may not work.  As a future educator I’d prefer the kids I teach to be sitting in a desk fact to face with me. And not looking into a computer to rely on everything to be sent and received over a computer.

           Tablets, net books, and laptops are all a constant things in our lives however it comes a point where technology tries to take control and people have to stop it. I’m having a conflict with myself at the moment because I feel as though computers and other devices in the classroom is a good thing but then another part of me is saying NO the traditional way has been working just fine.  Then the other part of me is saying that maybe incorporating tablets and other devices could be useful for submitting assignments which is easier than grading papers.

         Providing computers to a school full of kids is very difficult especially if the school systems don’t receive enough money to buy books and other necessities. Poorer school systems will never have the chance to experience this opportunity. That eliminates and makes a difference in schools and school systems I don’t think it’s fair that many times poorer counties suffer while others succeed and do while. However that’s a different blog entry…….