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Opinion
Invest Locally
A community source leader's thoughts on how to break down the barriers to open source adoption.
3/28/2007
New versions of Moodle have been released, bringing the most recent stable build to 1.9.3. The latest round of updates includes a number of bug fixes and security enhancements, as well as improvements to the SCORM module. Microsoft is rolling out a free antivirus software program for consumers that will compete with products made by Symantec and McAfee. Code-named "Morro," the AV app is expected to be available by the end of 2009. Microsoft Wednesday previewed the ability to centrally manage applications and resources in the planned upgrade of SQL Server, code-named "Kilimanjaro." Microsoft exec Stephen Elop on Monday announced two hosted solutions from Microsoft--Exchange Online and SharePoint Online--which are now available to organizations of all sizes in the United States. The software, paid for by annual subscriptions, is hosted on Microsoft's servers and supported by Microsoft's channel partners. There are, in my experience, six strategies to consider with any use of technology that will guard against rote use of technology and facilitate critical analysis of teaching and learning effectiveness. In this article, I'll share with you the checklist I work with and encourage others to work with in learning about and using new technology. How can an institution incorporate Web 2.0 learning opportunities for students, and evidence of learning from those opportunities, into existing campus technologies and processes? PlugJam is providing part of the answer.
Over the last
several years I've begun to pay a lot more attention to what my family eats,
and where it came from. Recently, I've become very interested in sustainable agriculture--both for
my family's health, and to make a positive contribution to the health of the
planet. I've found ways to buy more locally produced food through community supported agriculture (CSA)
organizations and community buying clubs. I've come to the conclusion that food
produced locally using sustainable agriculture practices tastes better, is
healthier, and is better for the planet. But it's also harder from a consumer
perspective. The dilemma we face is that if we choose massively industrialized
food because it's easier and appears cheaper, the money we spend goes elsewhere and
sustains that system. If we spend locally, our dollars are invested in the
local community. As more people do this, and more money flows into the local
community, the services and distribution channels will develop and make the
better choice an easier one. This will lead to more people making the choice,
more investment, better services, and … you get the idea.
The sustainable
agriculture movement is a lot like the open source software movement in higher
education today--simply replace "better food" with "better
software." Okay, it's not quite that simple, but there are a lot of
similarities. Communities like
Sakai, Kuali, uPortal, Moodle, and others are
taking advantage of a better way to build software through open source
communities. Interest in these communities is growing rapidly, certainly
outpacing the capacity of these communities to provide all services necessary
for new community members to be successful with the software. Additionally,
within these communities there are key underdeveloped or entirely missing
services that exist in other software communities (vended software) that help
users mitigate risks, particularly in production use, and ensure long-term
sustainability of the products.
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