Open Source Software: Is It the Best Option for Schools?

           Funding has been an issue for schools for as long as I can remember.  I come from a family of educators, so I have always heard talk of the woes of educational funding.  Although our society is engulfed in technology, and we are expected to use it in the classroom--forget the fact that we want to be able to use it during instruction--we still are not provided with the funding to make devices and programs readily available for our students.  Schools have to plan to use funding efficiently and effectively in order to make the most of the monies we do have budgeted for technology.  In some cases, this requires schools to be creative with their purchases.

            In chapter 10 of the text, Educational Leadership and Planning for Technology, Picciano (2011) describes many types of software programs available for schools.  He explains that there are two factors to consider when choosing software.  One factor is that application software developed by school district personnel can continue to be used years after its effective life cycle.  The other factor is that commercial software that has been purchased will eventually reach a point when it is no longer supported by the hardware as it is updated. This requires schools to make informed decisions regarding software purchases, as most schools cannot afford to update hardware and software at the same time.  One option for software programs is open source software (OSS).  

Open source software is often appealing to schools because it is free to use.  According to an article written by Techopedia Staff, open source software has a source code that is available for everyone to see.  It is not copyrighted, so it has an open source license which gives everyone the ability to share, modify, or distribute versions of the software.  The article goes on to say that most all companies—even Apple—have contributed to open source software simply because it has become expected from the consumers.  Many businesses have chosen to use open source software in order to reduce costs (Techopedia, 2012). 

An article posted on The Guardian website, described several advantages to using open source software in schools.  Although savings in cost is a major attraction to using OSS, another purpose for schools to use open source software is to have the ability to adapt the software to meet their own needs.  The services offer online technical support through forums, providing users with support.  The software can also provide schools with a virtual learning environment.  Using open source software could possibly even allow schools to cut electricity bills by switching from broadband to cloud-based servers (Morrison, 2013).

Open source sounds like a perfect option...but, as we all know nothing is perfect. There are some disadvantages to using open source software.  Some of these disadvantages are listed on CIO Insight, a technology news website.  While the cost-cutting effects of using open source software is one of the main attractions of OSS, it’s not always entirely free.  There can be implementation, administration, and/or support costs for running the software.  Another disadvantage--and arguably a major one--is that in order to benefit from the flexibility of open source software, schools may have to hire additional IT personnel who can understand and/or rewrite source codes.  Since programs and software are constantly being updated, it may be difficult to distinguish which open source program(s) will be compatible with your existing proprietary platforms.  Sometimes, OSS projects simply end due to programmers leaving or finding new projects, and if they do not end no one is obligated to help you so you may not receive tech support, either (McCafferty, 2013).

Schools are always looking to find ways to provide students and teachers with the tools they need, and sometimes these tools are not included in the budget.  Open source software is a great option for schools, but just like anything else used at school there should be some planning involved.  The software needs to be researched and piloted to ensure that it fulfills the needs of the school(s).

Click here to see the presentation "Five Pros and Five Cons of Open Source Software".

References

McCafferty, D. (2013).  Five pros and cons of open source software.  Retrieved from
http://www.cioinsight.com/it-strategy/infrastructure/slideshows/five-pros-and-five-cons-of-open-source-software  

       

Morrison, N. (2013).  Technology in schools: Saving money with cloud, open source and   consortia. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/feb/21/technology-cost-savings-school-cloud-open-source

Picciano, A. G. (2011).  Educational Leadership and Planning for Technology (5^th ed., text).  Boston: Pearson.

Techopedia Staff (2012).  Open source: Is it too good to be true? Retrieved from             http://www.techopedia.com/2/28968/software/open-source-is-it-too-good-to-be-true