Comments on: Open-Source Education – The Key to Meritocracy in America http://gannonbeck.com/2007/10/24/open-source-education-%e2%80%93-the-key-to-meritocracy-in-america-2/ Mental, Physical and Character Fitness + Some Cool Drawings Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:36:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.2 By: Jo http://gannonbeck.com/2007/10/24/open-source-education-%e2%80%93-the-key-to-meritocracy-in-america-2/#comment-146 Jo Fri, 26 Oct 2007 15:59:10 +0000 http://gannonbeck.com/2007/10/24/open-source-education-%e2%80%93-the-key-to-meritocracy-in-america-2/#comment-146 Gannon, Nice writing sir! You really go to bust the paper walls that keep many of us from fully realizing success. Glad to see someone looking at the whole education process critically - the whole thing has become a huge money making machine, I fear! Did you attend SPX - I was there late Saturday and for some of the panels Sunday. I just had a faint flicker of memory that you live nearby or might have been going? If so - sorry I missed the chance to meet you in person! Carpe Diem! -Jonathan Gannon,

Nice writing sir! You really go to bust the paper walls that keep many of us from fully realizing success. Glad to see someone looking at the whole education process critically - the whole thing has become a huge money making machine, I fear!
Did you attend SPX - I was there late Saturday and for some of the panels Sunday. I just had a faint flicker of memory that you live nearby or might have been going? If so - sorry I missed the chance to meet you in person!

Carpe Diem!

-Jonathan

]]> By: Gannon Beck http://gannonbeck.com/2007/10/24/open-source-education-%e2%80%93-the-key-to-meritocracy-in-america-2/#comment-157 Gannon Beck Thu, 08 Nov 2007 19:29:27 +0000 http://gannonbeck.com/2007/10/24/open-source-education-%e2%80%93-the-key-to-meritocracy-in-america-2/#comment-157 Thanks Jonathan, I didn't attend SPX. I'm not even sure what it is, so if it's something I should be going to, fill me in. I made it to the Baltimore convention this year. That may be an annual pilgrimage for me as it doesn't fall at one of the super-busy times of the year for me work-wise. Gannon Thanks Jonathan,

I didn’t attend SPX. I’m not even sure what it is, so if it’s something I should be going to, fill me in. I made it to the Baltimore convention this year. That may be an annual pilgrimage for me as it doesn’t fall at one of the super-busy times of the year for me work-wise.

Gannon

]]> By: jeremy l conn http://gannonbeck.com/2007/10/24/open-source-education-%e2%80%93-the-key-to-meritocracy-in-america-2/#comment-668 jeremy l conn Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:02:49 +0000 http://gannonbeck.com/2007/10/24/open-source-education-%e2%80%93-the-key-to-meritocracy-in-america-2/#comment-668 I like where you are going with this. However, I must correct at least one inaccuracy, and address some minor quibbles. Open source software is not free. You may receive a copy for free, but there is no guideline that requires that it should be obtainable for free. In fact, most open source software is sold, and some of it in stores alongside closed source software. There are currently ten criteria that must be fulfilled by software for it to be open source. None of those involve price. When you see the word free, don't think of money. think of liberty. http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition.php Actually, I believe that the model that you want is not open source software (which espouses a development model and imposes distribution guidelines that are specific to software); you want to look at free software (which is a set of ideals based on a guiding philosophy that is more readily applicable to other domains besides software, and is what the open source software definition is based upon). Using free software's definition as a model is more sensible, because it - and not open source - is directly attached to a philosophy of open sharing. see http://www.fsf.org/licensing/essays/free-sw.html Free (as in freedom) software is always open source, but not all open source software is free (as in freedom). Price is not involved anywhere. Free refers to our freedom, not our wallets. None of this takes anything away from the thrust of your ideas. In particular, I think you've hit upon something with the separation of education and credentialing. I think we can make the obvious further deduction though: that the school should not accept tests as credit, but the schooling should be one option for preparing for the tests. In other words, you get the degree/certification not from university, but from the credentialing organization. Whether you choose to obtain training in university or elsewhere is of no concern so long as you pass the test for proficiency. That way, it would no longer be sufficient for a university to have a good name. Schools would be forced to compete in a free market on the basis of their ability to best prepare their students for the tests for certification. On the other hand, being able to pass a test may not be the best measure for some fields, but then neither would school be the best preparation for those fields, and perhaps we should shift a lot more of higher education out of school and back into apprenticeship programs. I like where you are going with this. However, I must correct at least one inaccuracy, and address some minor quibbles.

Open source software is not free. You may receive a copy for free, but there is no guideline that requires that it should be obtainable for free. In fact, most open source software is sold, and some of it in stores alongside closed source software.

There are currently ten criteria that must be fulfilled by software for it to be open source. None of those involve price. When you see the word free, don’t think of money. think of liberty.

http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition.php

Actually, I believe that the model that you want is not open source software (which espouses a development model and imposes distribution guidelines that are specific to software); you want to look at free software (which is a set of ideals based on a guiding philosophy that is more readily applicable to other domains besides software, and is what the open source software definition is based upon). Using free software’s definition as a model is more sensible, because it - and not open source - is directly attached to a philosophy of open sharing.

see http://www.fsf.org/licensing/essays/free-sw.html

Free (as in freedom) software is always open source, but not all open source software is free (as in freedom).

Price is not involved anywhere. Free refers to our freedom, not our wallets.

None of this takes anything away from the thrust of your ideas. In particular, I think you’ve hit upon something with the separation of education and credentialing. I think we can make the obvious further deduction though: that the school should not accept tests as credit, but the schooling should be one option for preparing for the tests.

In other words, you get the degree/certification not from university, but from the credentialing organization. Whether you choose to obtain training in university or elsewhere is of no concern so long as you pass the test for proficiency.

That way, it would no longer be sufficient for a university to have a good name. Schools would be forced to compete in a free market on the basis of their ability to best prepare their students for the tests for certification.

On the other hand, being able to pass a test may not be the best measure for some fields, but then neither would school be the best preparation for those fields, and perhaps we should shift a lot more of higher education out of school and back into apprenticeship programs.

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