03. Other Ed Techs – Page 16

December 5, 2005

Finding Open Options

“Finding Open Options” — a MSc thesis by Karin van den Berg, touches on a model for OSS evaluation.
The summary is as follows:

The Open Source software market is getting more and more attention. Large IT corporations such as IBM and Novell are investing in Open Source software. Open Source software development is very different from traditional proprietary software. In order to understand Open Source software better, this thesis offers a model for
Open Source software evaluation, which can be used as a tool to find the right software package to meet the userï¿½s needs.
This research project was performed at Tilburg University in the Department of Information Systems and Management. The goal was to get a better understanding of Open Source software and to make the Open Source software process more understandable for those who evaluate this type of software.
An introduction to Open Source software is followed by the Open Source software evaluation model, using the criteria found in Open Source literature.
Community ï¿½ the driving force behind an Open Source project
Release Activity ï¿½ showing the progress made by the developers
Longevity ï¿½ how long the product has been around
License ï¿½ is one of the general Open Source licenses used
Support ï¿½ from the community as well as paid support options
Documentation ï¿½ user manuals and tutorials, developer documentation
Security ï¿½ responding to vulnerabilities
Functionality ï¿½ testing against functional requirements
Integration ï¿½ standards, modularity and collaboration with other products
Goal and Origin ï¿½ why was the project started and what is the current goal
These criteria form the key terms of the model. The evaluation process is described using these criteria. The practical part of the model consists of two steps. In the first step selection on the candidate list is performed, using four of the above criteria: Functionality, Community, Release Activity and Longevity. These criteria were selected
because they can be evaluated quickly for each candidate in order to eliminate non-viable candidates and select the best ones. This step results in a ï¿½short listï¿½ of candidates that can be evaluated in depth in the second step, taking a closer look at the software and the project using all ten criteria.
In order to test this model on real Open Source software, a case study was performed on Course Management Systems. In this case study the model is applied on a candidate list of 36 systems, and evaluation is performed on the top two systems found in the selection step. This evaluation led to a clear conclusion. The best system in this
evaluation is the Course Management System called Moodle. The results of the case study are consistent with real life performance of the Course Management Systems.

November 28, 2005

Klahowya Student Portfolio Solution

Just noted this off a feed this morning, Klahowya Student Portfolio Solution is a cross-platform, easy-to-use, open source solution for K-12 web-based student portfolios. Have to test/check it out to find out more 😐

November 14, 2005

The Technology Source Archives

Published from 1997 to 2003, The Technology Source (ISSN 1532-0030) was a peer-reviewed bimonthly periodical whose purpose was to provide thoughtful, illuminating articles that would assist educators as they face the challenge of integrating information technology tools into teaching and into managing educational organisations.
The website maintains all of the articles originally published in The Technology Source …

November 11, 2005

Wiki Pedagogy

Wiki is not a new technology; many of us, if not all, have been using Wikipedia as a rich source of information. How this emerging tool’s potential can be harnessed for our classrooms is a question we will all ask.
This article by Renï¿½e Fountain gave some thoughts into the use of wikis for pedagogical purposes. The abstract is as follows:

This article endeavours to denote and promote pedagogical experimentations concerning a Free/Open technology called a “Wiki”. An intensely simple, accessible and collaborative hypertext tool Wiki software challenges and complexifies traditional notions of – as well as access to – authorship, editing, and publishing. Usurping official authorizing practices in the public domain poses fundamental – if not radical – questions for both academic theory and pedagogical practice.
The particular pedagogical challenge is one of control: wikis work most effectively when students can assert meaningful autonomy over the process. This involves not just adjusting the technical configuration and delivery; it involves challenging the social norms and practices of the course as well (Lamb, 2004). Enacting such horizontal knowledge assemblages in higher education practices could evoke a return towards and an instance upon the making of impossible public goodsï¿½ (Ciffolilli, 2003).

Access the full article here or here.

November 8, 2005

Multiuser online “UNO” – ??

Shared by Shuhua studying in HKU, this game adapted the concept of UNO, and replaced the numbers/symbols with Chinese characters instead. The game is streamed via an Electroserver. Try it today, and if you would like to develop your own web-based flash games, check out this Flashkit forum.

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