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

[Dirk Schouten <schoutdi@knoware.nl>]

At 09:53 26-5-02 +0800, you wrote:
>One aspect of OSS which I have not seen discussed here and think is a
vitally 
>important difference the the access to source - actually the key attribute
of 
>OSS and part of the name - and how that impacts schools and education.
>
>    Have any of the schools on this list got their older children writing
>    and modifying software for each other and the younger children?
>
>A simple question with far-reaching ramifications. If you are involved
with a 
>school, I'd like you to read this whole email, and comment on the 
>applicability of each point, and propose ways of presenting the points or 
>adapting them to your own situation in order to make them more effective for 
>you.
>
>As much as you have done any educating this way, please report here in
detail 
>on what you tried and how well it worked.
>
>One of the things which Western society lost with the demise of the one-room 
>schoolhouse was a continuous and synergistic spectrum of knowledge and 
>abilities. Older children would teach younger children, and in the process 
>would discover whether they truly new their stuff or not. Younger children 
>would be getting material from people only a little bit older than them, who 
>still carry a lot more of their context and values than an adult teacher 
>would. Everyone in the school would be learning to relate well with people
of 
>different ages and experience.
>
>This is one of the factors which puts homeschool students ahead, typically 
>well ahead, of their institutional counterparts, and I believe OSS has the 
>potential to close that gap for at least some students.
>
>Another advantage touted - with good reason - for homeschooling is that the 
>students are applying their learning to real problems in real-time and real 
>life. Thoughtful use of OSS would also enable at least some students to 
>employ their talents in similar real-world real-time situations.
>
>In bulleted form:
>
> * The ability to start with a complete, working item of software to prod
>   and poke is of enormous benefit.
>
> * The ability to contribute to a real, valuable project which will be
>   used by others worldwide is of incalculable motivational benefit.
>
> * The potential for a student to enter the workforce with `coauthored
>   Xxx program, now in use on at least 20,000 sites worldwide' or
>   `designed artwork for Yyy system, now part of the official curriculum
>   in country, country and country' in place of `drove LOGO turtles
>   around' on their CV is worth...? (and: `the source is available for
>   inspection at http://www.gabblegabble.edu/~myname/').
>
> * The ability to have software, artwork and systems designed by people
>   who share significant context with the intended audience is priceless.
>
> * The ability of a school to generate their own real, useable software
>   as part of the curriculum is a real, hard saving that will delight
>   even the most unsympathetic cost accountant.
>
> * The ability of a school to gain world reknown by publishing something
>   useful to all schools is unthinkably `cool' compared to the current
>   situation.
>
> * The impact on students of knowing that they can influence the systems
>   they use, rather than being a passive traveller through the process
>   is profound.
>
> * The ability to direct the energies of at least some students into
>   creative and worthwhile work instead of makework, fiction and
>   pointless exercises should have a directly measurable effect on
>   overall morale.
>
> * The lesson in sharing, making the whole pie bigger rather than working
>   to enlarge your slice - at least in principle at the expense of
>   others - is one not yet wholeheartedly taught and difficult to find a
>   more widely applicable means of expression for. This should be
>   singularly attractive to parochial schools.
>
> * The enormous range of already-working examples of software to start
>   from will suit all temperaments and preferences, and can in principle
>   be used with any student developed enough to understand the processes
>   involved.
>
> * Through becoming involved in feedback, students can become useful
>   contributors from Grade 1.
>
> * Through contact with students in other places and cultures in the
>   natural course of collaboration, much real-life social studies will
>   happen en passant (although I foresee difficulty in grading this;
>   perhaps an RPL*-like process is appropriate).
>
> * Skills potentially required in the natural course of designing,
>   building or modifying a software system include mathematics, logic,
>   art, language, dexterity/motor-skills, typing, spatials, negotiation,
>   scheduling, note-taking, trialling/scientific-method, name it.
>
> * What can you see that I've missed...?
>
>Cheers; Leon
>
>
>*RPL: Recognition of Prior Learning - formal accreditation validated by
simple 
>tests or working examples rather than through a formal course with 
>assignments, class attendance requirements et al.
>
>

Esteemed Leon,
First of all, thank you for your contribution.  My heart jumped when
reading. I will use it in our school in Holland as pointer to 'where we
want to go'.
I cannot help you with practical examples, I'm sorry. I have lots of
experience with your approach in a different field: 'Audiovisual media in
education'. See the link below.  It's mainly oriented towards video, but
maybe the theoretical articles can bring you something.
What you describe in your mail has it's educational foundations in Freire,
Freinet and Habermas. They have been a guiding line in my educational
activities.

At our primary school I am a newbie network administrator. Some time ago I
asked in a Dutch newsgroup:  "What are real tasks a primary school pupil
can do on our Linux server". What I got back were howls of derisision. How
could I merely bring up the question! So I stopped asking (newbie, too
little knowledge, etc)
Your posting makes me bring up the question again.
Now for an answer to your question: I have no software example, but a
hardware one.
When I have a little computer problem I fix it on a table that's empty in
the hall on the first floor near our server closet. A 5 year old boy is
looking to what I am doing. I remember him, asking me a question some time
ago about computers. I ask him if he wants to help me by opening the case
(six screws). I hand him the screwdriver. It takes him a lot of time, but
he wants to complete the job. I do a little job nearby to keep an eye on
him. Screws are loose now. "You want to do some more?" I ask him. "Yes". 
"Try to lift the hood if it's not too heavy for you". He carefully lifts
the hood and puts it beside the computer.  He studies me when I doi a
little job inside the computer. "I'm ready, do you want to close it?"
(ofcourse he want to close it. He is very eager). He does his _real_ job
and is proud on it. Then it's time for his next 'normal' lesson: writing.
The next time I ask him to do some more (for example replacing a CD in a
computer that's easy accessible).
I hope that in a few years I will have my answer to what children can do on
servers and software

To come back on your question:
>    Have any of the schools on this list got their older children writing
>    and modifying software for each other and the younger children?

No, but we will get there.
Kind regards,
Dirk


_________________________________________
Dirk Schouten

Media Action Projects
http://utopia.knoware.nl/users/schoutdi
Take a peek at the NEWS and REVIEWS sections!