Open Source Schools is here to share information about open source software in schools. Our aim is to help you decide whether open source software might offer benefits for learning, teaching, engaging pupils and parents, managing information and resources, or school administration.

The website provides information and articles about open source software, advice on getting started, case studies of its adoption in schools, a directory for exploring what is available, and a glossary. All registered members are welcome to create content for the site.

We are building a community of people who have experience of open source software in schools, and those who are just getting started. There are a number of forums for you to share ideas and experiences and contribute to the debate about the use of open source software in schools.

Open Source Schools Unconference

Submitted by Admin on Mon, 20/04/2009 - 6:23pm
Date: 
20/07/2009

Teachers and technical staff who use, or are interested in, open source software are invited to participate in a friendly, informal day of sharing enthusiasm, experience, and expertise at NCSL's Conference Centre in Nottingham, 10:00-16:00, Monday 20th July. Places are free for all school and local authority staff.

Why schools should use open source software

By Admin - Posted on June 30th, 2009

by Richard Stallman

There are general reasons why all computer users should insist on free software. It gives users the freedom to control their own computers—with proprietary software, the computer does what the software owner wants it to do, not what the software user wants it to do. Free software also gives users the freedom to cooperate with each other, to lead an upright life. These reasons apply to schools as they do to everyone.

But there are special reasons that apply to schools. They are the subject of this article.

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Open Source Solutions - Braeburn Schools, Nairobi

By sidneymyall - Posted on June 26th, 2009

Braeburn is a group of International schools based in Nairobi, Kenya. It has several sister schools around East Africa that offer the British National Curriculum. Technology for learning, or 'blended learning' has been adopted using Moodle.

 

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Doug Belshaw on Open Source Software

By Admin - Posted on June 24th, 2009

Doug Belshaw writes:

Cooliris wall

Click here to jump straight to the presentation

I’m down at  Felsted School, Essex, tomorrow [ie today, 24th June] at the invitation of my good friend and conspirator collaborator, Nick Dennis. The Heads of ICT departments from independent schools in the area get together every so often to share and discuss ideas. I’ve been asked to do a presentation on Open Source Software – presumably because I’m involved in the Becta-funded Open Source Schools project. :-)  

OLPC-UK Update

By openEDU - Posted on June 24th, 2009

One Laptop Per Child - Meeting 4, 27th May 2009

Four meetings already! So, what's been happening?

Well, we were in nice plush offices this time, rather than a pub!

Daniel Drake from OLPC Boston discussed his experience of deployments in Ethiopia and Paraguay. Then there was a report from Warren Pimm on the progress of the OLPC-UK pilot.

Linux for Education

By Admin - Posted on June 19th, 2009

Long time education supporters openSUSE Linux have launched a Moodle with over 50 courses to support the use of Linux based software across the curriculum, at www.linux-for-education.org. David Van Assche writes:

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Open Source and D&T

Submitted by Admin on Tue, 09/06/2009 - 7:57am

Are you using open source software to teach the Design and Technology curriculum, either at primary or secondary level? Do you know of anyone who is? We'd love to have some stories about this for the website if so! We'd also be interested in any software you'd recommend in relation to D&T for the software directory, links to stories elsewhere, or even full case studies.

The up and coming area of open source hardware is also one for which we'd be very interested to hear about any school related uses.

Do please post anything D&T related via the Create Content link on the menu.

Peter Kemp's picture

Open Source programs for G&T competitive event

By Peter Kemp - Posted on June 7th, 2009

Dear All,

I have been charged with running the ICT stream of the Teach First Mind Games 2009.  This is competition for Year 7-9 G&T students from schools across the country.  The day will be split into 3 * 1 hour slots and I'm trying to think of how we could put together an interesting set of activities that would teach the children something and allow us to rank them along the lines of

  • Integrity
  • Excellence
  • Collaboration
  • Innovation
  • Commitment
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Sugar Camp Paris

By openEDU - Posted on May 18th, 2009

sugar logoThe first Sugar Camp took place yesterday in Paris. It was an joint effort by OLPC France and Sugar Labs. I was very happy to have been there!

The venue, La Cantine, is a large bar/conference area: informal, with a fast wireless internet connection, presentation facilities and a small, but more orderly, office space upstairs. It's located in the heart of Paris, just off crowded shopping streets and traffic.

Learning Blender: Open Source and the Creative Curriculum

Submitted by Roger Lang on Mon, 18/05/2009 - 6:45am

Trials of a new series of tutorials for Blender, the powerful open source 3D creation suite, have started in an inner-city Preston school. Initial results at Moor Park Business and Enterprise School have been wholly positive; students have been engaged in learning the programme and are beginning to produce some impressive results, despite, or perhaps partly because of, the challenge involved in creating 3D art on a 2D plane.
 
The tutorials can be downloaded as a zipped moodle course from www.cleo.net.uk/resource/blendermoodle or can be found online in www.cleo.net.uk/resource/sumit a cross-curricular, cross-phase microsite exploring the 3D work produced by artist Sumit Sarkar during an Arts Council funded residency in Ulverston’s LanternHouse International.

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