K12 Open Technologies

Is your school ready for open technologies? Here are some questions that you should consider before diving in:

The prospect of converting of the Network Operating System for an entire school district is enough to make most technology directors cringe. Make this a shift from an established proprietary system to blend of Open Source solutions and you have a real formula for fear.

Many experts believe that the real potential of technology cannot be achieved until there is a one-to-one student-to-computer ratio. However, the costs associated with one-to-one—combined with the other changes required for successful implementation—have been beyond the means of many schools. Today, low-cost open source operating systems and application software are making one-to-one a possibility for more schools.

This report records work that Becta has done with schools which have implemented a range of open source software (OSS) solutions.

Article on using the Moodle engine to create more interactive classrooms.

We all have our opinions about open-source technologies. While many are in favor of "free" and "open" software conceptually, there are those whose reservations about open source trump even the high ace in the deck, also known as budgetary restrictions. 

Gary Hepburn and Jan Buley describe the implementation strategies available to schools considering open source software.

This report provides an overview of the use and attitudes toward open source software in higher education. 

We are all witness to the controversy over the relative cost of ownership of open source software (OSS) versus that of proprietary software offerings. While articles and case studies from some of the proprietary software vendors may be considered a defensive move, they do bring up points that address the total cost of ownership, helping users to consider issues beyond the initial and annual licensing costs.

See how Orwell High School, in Felixstowe on the East Coast of England, successfully implemented Linux Terminal Server.