Takeaways: Teaching Teachers Open Source
Workshop 28:th november 2019 in Stockholm
Participants ranged from: Academia, Software industry, Media, Entrepreneurship
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A full day of learning, sharing experiences and discussions.
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Teaching open source values in schools and general academia is much needed but faces significant resistance. We concluded that the drivers for adopting technology – any – in schools are generally driven by proprietary interests with little or no philosophical or ethical value ground. Proprietary software providers have the resources for marketing and lobby, plus, access to decision makers and policymakers. Winning over that force requires mobilizing our collective networks to create awareness and gain influence over these very important decisions of our time.
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Continued efforts in educating our networks on why open source is important and how we can gain momentum is needed. Its also fun and appreciated.
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New workshop planned in 2020 to bring more networks together and increase the education on the topic.
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Stay connected on the Edgeryders platform: Teaching Teachers Open Source
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The food during the workshop was fantastic!
The Research Questions
Method & Disclaimer:
We did a survey during the workshop addressing these questions.
To protect the integrity of the participants, I have excluded the raw material from this document. The scientific value will be low off-course, but the reader may want to participate in future workshop to assess the relevancy. Take it for what it is.
==== Research Question: #1 Summary ====
“Gain better understanding of the current view on ethics related to computer science and how that view affects all education in the age of internet.”
I found from the survey that most people don’t know about the foundational values that govern free and open source. Most are self taught on computer science and consult relatives and friends on topics related to the digital world we live in. Almost nobody get their new knowledge from institutions. This raises many questions.
‘Not even software developers’ seems aware about the fundamentals of open source and the four freedoms. Since those are the baseline for all legal frameworks within open source licenses, copyright law, patent etc. this raises also more questions on how practice and policies are made in real life.
==== Research Question: #2 Summary ====
”Articulate a few core principles or concepts that would help teachers navigate when educating in the age of internet and computers.”
I found that its difficult to form consistent or shared thoughts on ethics without a common ground on which to base these ethics on. Despite the enlightened crowd participating in the workshop, opinions on “what”, “how” and “why” in software is not well grounded.
Most people learned about “computers and internet” late in their lives and the age of the participants was relatively high (about 30), which also reveals the immaturity of these issues at present day. It raises more questions about future generations, which was also the motivator for the workshop itself.
It was a shared opinion that questions on ethics and morals in relation to software in general were much needed in education.
Exctraction from participants:
Translated and minor edits to English from Swedish.
Name a few things important to learn in schools:
”Participatory culture, the complexity of the works and noone should be just a consumer nor just producer.”
Name a few positive outcome from teaching open source in schools:
”Stronger democracy, co-creative citizens, increased empathy, more active, more self reliant and responsible.”
Have you ever reflected over ethics in relation to computers and internet?
”Yes, how it affects Exposure and Exclusion”
Who are the most influential sources to what is taught on computers and internet in schools today
”Politicians and Skolverket (Department of Education) but there is a responsibility with the parents.”
Have you ever reflected over ethics in relation to computers and internet?
“A society divided between owners/capable, vs, unpropertied/incapable will have a bleak future.”