Xtreme Learning Control: Examples of the Open Source Movement's Impact on Our Educational Practice in a University Setting

This paper describes how Open Source philosophy, a movement that has developed in opposition to the proprietary software industry, has influenced educational practice in the pursuit of scholarly freedom and authentic learning activities for students and educators. This paper provides a brief overview of the Open Source movement, and describes three Open Source-inspired Web-based tools/environments developed to promote open sharing and constructing of scholarly work on the Web: self-publishing, knowledge sharing and peer-to-peer networking. Includes three color figures. (Author/AEF) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Xtreme Learning Control: Examples of the Open Source Movement's Impact on Our Educational Practice in a University Setting PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY G.H. Marks Joanna C. Dunlap, Brent G. Wilson, & David L. Young University of Colorado at Denver Abstract: This paper describes how Open Source philosophy a movement that has developed in opposition to the proprietary software industry has influenced our educational TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES practice in the pursuit of scholarly freedom and authentic learning activities for our students INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) and ourselves. This paper provides a brief overview of the Open Source movement, and describes three Open Source-inspired Web-based tools/environments developed to promote open sharing and constructing of scholarly work on the Web. This paper describes how Open Source philosophy a movement that has developed in opposition to the proprietary software industry has influenced our educational TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES practice in the pursuit of scholarly freedom and authentic learning activities for our students INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) and ourselves. This paper provides a brief overview of the Open Source movement, and describes three Open Source-inspired Web-based tools/environments developed to promote open sharing and constructing of scholarly work on the Web. 00 N O 1-4 Overview U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. Do you know the story about the discovery of the structure of DNA? Or, the discovery of the Rosetta Stone cipher? Both are stories of not only brilliance, but also competition. Relying on the foundational work of Linus Pauling, Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the double helix. Then separately, relying on the foundational work of Thomas Young, Jean Francois Champollion deciphered the Stone's script. However, due to competition and secrecy, which kept all parties from openly sharing their findings (and possibly sharing the rewards of discovery...after all, whose name do you remember?), the progress of science may have been delayed. This type of competition is in direct conflict with the nature of science and discovery a process of evolving exploration founded on the work of others. Educators are concerned with the impact this type of competition and secrecy can have on their practice as well; educational innovation can be stymied by industry and individuals that perpetuate the politics and control over professional sharing and advancement such as the publishing industry or the proprietary communication and collaboration software industry. Although some educators may hold secret the work they are doing to advance knowledge and practice around good teaching and learning, most are interested in advancing the collective understanding in sharing insights, ideas, solutions, and materials that can help us all do our work more effectively. Educators are also interested in creating tools and structures that support the type of learnercentered, collaborative knowledge sharing that can lead to discovery and innovation. Often, educators are stymied in these pursuits due to excessive proprietary software costs and dwindling institutional budgets. This paper describes how Open Source philosophy a movement that has developed in opposition to the proprietary software industry has influenced our educational practice in the pursuit of scholarly freedom and authentic learning activities for our students and ourselves. This paper provides a brief overview of the Open Source movement, and describes three Open Source-inspired Web-based tools/environments we have developed with our students and colleagues to promote open sharing and constructing of scholarly work on the Web. Open Source Movement Encouraging innovation through open sharing to facilitate replication and discovery, the Open Source movement is a grassroots revolution that has taken shape in the world of information technology. The Open Source movement is challenging the commercial mo del of technology advancement, exemplified in the software industry by Microsoft. Linux, an operating system whose source code is open for the world to see and costs nothing to download and use, has become a significant force for change in the software development world. Other information technology products emerging from the movement include Netscape/Mozilla, Apache, Perl, and GIMP. Open Source advocates are trying to create a world where software is openly