For quite some time I've wondered why Knowledge Forum isn't open source. I'll try to put together my thoughts on the subject.
I think the main reason is that the Knowledge Building Community (KBC) envisioned by its creators is one in which ideas flow freely and are continually built-onto and risen above by a group people who profoundly believe they can always learn more and advance knowledge. Doesn't this sound very close to open source development communities? Aren't they groups of people who believe that by working together they can make a piece of software better every time?
Knowledge Forum (KF), as a platform designed to support KBCs, could certainly benefit from open source development. Here's what I think could happen:
More people (schools, universities, individual teachers, businesses, consultants) would try out KF and therefore more people would finally adopt it, making KB more pervasive.
More research will be done around the world as the community of users grows.
A head group of developers, from OISE or U. Toronto (or Learning in Motion) will still lead the software development, coordinate with volunteers and release official versions and patches more often than updates are released now. Even though other versions may turn up (it would be, after all, open source), the official version will always stand as what it is.
People will also develop new analytic tools, bolstering the possibilities of research around the world. Every school could design and costumize it's own tools, and the head developers would then decide which to include in the official version and which to leave out. I even imagine an "add-on" scheme for analytic tools, similar to Firefox's add-ons or plugins features.
Schools that can't currently affort the software would be able to use it (i. e. public schools and schools in developing countries), bringing KB where it wasn't possible before. Great advances in access to computers and connectivity in many countries (such as Colombia) support this.
I have been struggling looking for an image gallery solution for the school's website. It all seemed complicated via Drupal and most people recommended using Gallery and integrating it into Drupal. I had resisted. It seemed too much of a hassle. I looked for ways to integrate Flickr into Drupal and found nothing really useful. In the end I installed Gallery 2 into this site, along with the Flickr plugin to import/export image from/to Flickr.
I'll keep testing it here and in the mean time posting my pictures both to the Gallery on this site and my Flickr account... What will I lose by not using Flickr? Well... all the Flickr funtionalities, but mostly, I think, the community and showcase the huge site provides. Anyway... you'll still find photos on Flickr, but I'm starting my own gallery here. As with most things on this site, images have a CC license.
Hoy comenzó un evento que me habían mencionado mucho en el colegio, el Congreso Joven. Es un modelo del congreso (como los de la ONU y otros del congreso) en que unos 100 estudiantes de diferentes colegios y ciudades se reúnen por cuatro días a "jugar a ser senadores". Se reúnen en las salas de las comisiones del senado, eligen partidos y organizan bancadas, discuten proyectos de ley y finalmente se reúnen en plenarias a votar proyectos de ley. Es un ejercicio muy interesante donde aprenden muchísimo.
Un grupo de estudiantes tuvo la idea de hacer un noticiero y publicarlo en Youtube al final del día cada día de Congreso. Hoy publicaron su primera edición y creo que lograron un trabajo extraordinario para ser su primera vez. Hay mucho que mejorar en sonido e iluminación, pero el trabajo es excelente. Lo hicieron solos, con mínima ayuda e intervención nuestra y con mínima capacitación para usar el software necesario: iMovie, Garage Band, GIMP, Youtube, cámaras Flip y Handycam... en fin... diversos programas y equipos. Todo, desde la música, hasta los libretos, filmación, edición y publicación, estuvo en manos del grupo de medios del colegio, liderados por un estudiante de noveno grado con el decidio apoyo de un profesor de español.
Ver esto me hace pensar en algo que vi hoy en un video que compartiré pronto: "Déjennos crear".
Durante el primer semestre escolar del año 2008-2009, un grupo de profesores, jefes de departamento y directivos se reunieron todos los sábados a reflexionar y proponer ideas sobre el uso de tecnología en el colegio, en el curso Medios Digitales, Tecnología y Aprendizaje. Parte del Plan de capacitación del colegio, este curso busca comenzar una reflexión contínua sobre las posibilidades de la tecnología en el colegio, comenzar la experimentación con propuestas pedagógicas innovadoras y ser el primer eslabón en una cadena de construcción de conocimientoapoyada por la tecnología.
Durante todo el curso, utilizamos la plataforma Knowledge Forum para plasmar nuestras ideas y reflexiones acerca de las ideas de académicos de las ciencias del aprendizaje (learning sciences), los estudios de los medios, la ciencia cognitiva y la sicología. Estas ideas y propuestas están comenzando a florecer en la vida diaria del colegio, donde quienes participaron en el curso y algunos entusiastas motivados por ellos están comenzando a usar tutores cognitivos (Algebra Tutor) y Knowledge Forum con sus estudiantes.
Al finalizar el curso, el grupo dejó un conjunto de ideas como referente para el siguiente grupo de profesores: preguntas, cosas que aún necesitamos entender, temas en los que necesitamos profundizar e ideas que queremos poner en práctica y probar. Para conocer un poco la plataforma que estamos empezando a usar con estudiantes de bachillerato, así como las ideas y propuestas de nuestra comunidad, los invitamos a entrar como visitantes y leer algunas notas en nuestro Foro de Conocimiento (Knowledge Forum).
Para hacerlo:
Debe tener Java en su computador. Lo puede descargar gratuitamente de http://www.java.com.
It's been a while since the complaint and I've been working on it. Now I am sure it's not D-Link's fault. Just the amount of posts by people with Macbook pro's and weird network trouble is overwhelming. Check out this thread:
I haven't been able to solve it and it's driving me crazy. It seems to be a software issue related to the Airport extreme card. Changing the card has been useless to many.
If ever manage to fix it, I'll post detailed instructions. I promise.
I hate Apple right now. The first post in that thread is more than one year old (and several Software Updates --up to 10.5.6-- and specific Airport Updates --last was 2008-4!--).
Fortunately the problem only occurs in the office (ha) and never at home!
I am back on the blog to complain... just vent, I guess... Improving the school's network infrastructure, we got a very good proposal from D-Link and went for it. They proposed a robust network, with high-end switches and business class access points and VLANs for improved security and control. We started working on instalation six months ago, and DLink assured it would take less than week to set things up... it's been six months and things still don't work too well... Four DLink technicians have come and gone... without being able to fix things...
We asked for a 100% wireless coverage on campus and let DLink figure out what we needed. They installed, configured and things work well in the wired network. Wireless is still a mess. In my office, I get disconnected from the web between 10 and 20 times a day (about every half hour) and it's impossible to have a good connection for a sustained period. I cannot watch a half-hour streaming video without restarting my network card to be able to connect again. Different areas of the school have similar problems, including not being able to connect at all, Youtube videos not working when they need them in class (for some reason, videos appear unavailable and then available again when connected from home), educational software disconnecting (Carnegie's Algebra Tutor) due to network trouble... It's been a big issue that doesn't allow our teachers to work online with their students without wasting half the class troubleshooting or simply having to change their plans and not use computers. This is causing enormous dissatisfaction and resistance with technology. And it's out of my control.
DLink and their technicians have stumbled through trial and error for months... with no permanent solution. We even had someone working from Chile...
I know networks are non-trivial... but six months to get 15 access points to work well?
As many of the readers of this blog know, two years ago I switched from PC to Mac. I bought a Macbook Pro and love it. Since I use a Mac and Mac OS X, I've learned what an easy-to-use, user-friendly, reliable system is. I thought I had all that with Windows... ignorance is bliss...
Here's an example of the things that make Windows such a clear, easy-to-use, user-friendly, reliable platform:
The blue-haired girl got a new antivirus installed in her office PC... I believe it is Virus Scan. Things started going wrong since the new AV was installed. She can't print, and here's the error message from Windows. Do you find anything problematic in the message?
It says: "The printer has not responded yet, but Microsoft Office might continue without information from the printer. Would you like to continue or wait for the printer?" Yes. No.
Hell... Yes or No as options to an "OR" question? Where the hell did these people go to school?
"Would you like coffee or tea?" Yes, No.
I love Microsoft, their clarity, user-friendliness...
And oh, by the way... the freaking HP Laserjet network printer at the office stopped working with my Mac last week... new HP drivers didn't work... reinstalling the printer didn't work... the Software Update from HP didn't work... I just plainly can't print. From the Mac forums, it seems HP is not doing a good job with Mac support... and neither Apple nor HP come up with decent support for the issue. All the PCs in the office print fine. One for Windows.
