Open-Source Software & Digital Learning

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As I’ve grown with the technology available to me since I was a kid in the 90’s, I’ve always been fascinated with how it has all evolved during that time. Thinking of my parents first cell phone compared to the smartphone I use now, or my first computer compared to what I am currently typing on illustrates the vast leaps that have been made in the development of not only hardware but software during that time. Due to the prevalence of open-source software, many of the browsers, operating systems, and applications that we readily use on a daily basis have been utilized and refined over time with collaborative efforts among many programmers and developers. Ultimately, the significance of having open-source software or freeware, lies in the potential to encourage learning and discovery within development and having the opportunity to highlight the best features associated with those applications. 

In the TEDx Talks (2013) video "What is Open Source Software?" posted to YouTube, speaker David Preston has an insightful comment about Enzo Ferrari, creator of the world-famous automobile of the same name. Mr. Preston suggests that had Ferrari spent as much time focusing on his tools like many current educators and policymakers spend on the resources/tools offered to learners, he never would have made a vehicle that changed an industry. His comment was indicative of a common problem that I believe many of us have seen at all levels of education, whether as educators, administrators, or learners. That oftentimes, focus is not given to the process and dynamic possibilities associated with learning and development. Instead, we obsess or cater too much towards the resources, tools, and assessments with little to no understanding of how to feature them and to what degree they may facilitate successful learning. By that same measure, successful open-source software’s and the communities that have refined them, I believe have less to do with the tools themselves and instead, are viable due to the collaborative and free-flow nature of their input and development.

Open source is recreating and reshaping our technology and our daily lives in ways we often don't realize (Midrack, 2021). The developmental and coding nature of open source has always piqued my interest, especially in terms of computer science and its roots within that development process. As a result, it has made me look further into programming and potentially, even cyber security as a potential next step in my learning process post-graduate school. The following article is an interesting read on the subject and highlights how coding and programming will change over the next decade:

https://medium.com/swlh/why-low-or-no-coding-is-the-future-of-programming-38f59b907e22

 

Midrack, R. L. (2021, March 8). What is Open Source Software? Lifewire. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-open-source-software-4147547

 

TEDx Talks. (2013, March 22). Open Source Learning: David Preston at TEDxUCLA [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp0-QQQgv7s&t=551s

 

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