RSSOpen Source and Design Challenges
Nov 27
Salt Conference e-Learning, instructional design, Open Source, Salt Conference No Comments
In March, Natalie and I will be presenting at the SALT conference in Orlando, FL. Our topic is Leveraging Open Source for Effective e-Learning.
To that end, we have been diligently reviewing and choosing which open source software(s) to use as the main design tool(s). It occurred to me, though, as we searched for the “right” tools that my thinking about instructional design has been boxed in. I pride myself on being creative and innovative and I found myself doing the “same old – same old” when faced with a design challenge.
And it flew in the face of what I feel open source is and (part of) the point of our presentation.
The guiding principal behind open source software, in general, is that the code is openly available. Anyone can view, modify, or distribute the code.*
To extend that idea to learning, open source is about informal learning, communally shared/created content, and individual use of the learning cycle using the Internet and other technology to facilitate the interaction.
It is not a one way learning flow, however, as the individual gives back to the group and changes/challenges the collective group thinking. OS is also about support and encouragement. Going to the community for help in figuring out a problem is a big advantage of OS. We learn from each other in an informal way to solve formal problems. The individual can then take that content and apply it to work or life, repackage it, etc. The cyclical nature of the interaction creates an environment in which the individual benefits from the collective knowledge of the group and the group benefits from the input of the individual.
To say the least, I appreciate the cyclical yet flexible and expandable nature of the give and take of the OS learning cycle.
So, how do I overcome this “in the box” design that we are faced with? I’ve been thinking a lot about game design and story telling and how they are leveraged in e-learning. Add in a healthy dose of informal and community learning, and I think we’ve found a good solution to our design challenge.
I am still crystallizing the ideas I have about open source, learning, and design. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts!
References
Wordpress.org. (n.d.). Glossary: open source. Retrieved from http://codex.wordpress.org/Glossary#Open_Source