Re: [seul-edu] New-and-different approach to OSS in Education

["Douglas H. Ort" <ort@northnet.org>]

I want to offer my two cents on this subject.

I've been with this list almost from the beginning, offering
www.seul.org/edu/oss.project.leadership.html back in 1999.
It was translated into French by Odile Benassy:
http://obenassy.free.fr/oss.leadership.fr.html,
and into Russian by Roman Suzi:
http://sampo.karelia.ru/~rnd/linux/oss.leadership.rus.html.

My thinking is not strictly a response to anyone who has contributed to this
thread.  Rather, I am
suggesting principles that can serve almost anyone whose vision includes
broadening the use of open
source software products in education.  Educators and others who eventually
try open source products
will probably do so, not because they don't like M$ or other proprietary
products, but because they were
introduced to these products by people who took time to build something of a
relationship with them
(acquaintance, personal, professional), and suggestions for new solutions to
old questions arose
naturally out of those connections.  Most people don't choose new products
or approaches because they
love novelty.  They try new things because they are anxious to solve a
problem, or the anxiety
connected with the effort has been reduced through a connection with someone
they trust.  The path
to incorporating open source products in places where they have never been
before is to find ways to
reduce the anxiety inherent in trying something new.  Barriers will mostly
be overcome, not through
logic or reason or thirty-seven arguments, but rather when people feel less
anxious.  Reduce anxiety
and many people (not all) will try new things.

When you read the paper, think educator, think teacher, think parent.

Douglas Ort
ort@northnet.org