"At the moment the OER movement is taking its first steps beyond a culture focused around "my site" towards a culture that is focused around "our commons." Most people who create OER sites have a sense of who they expect their users to be and what needs those users have. This is all to the good, if it is not to the exclusion of those users whose needs--or innovations--we have totally failed to imagine."
"I have engaged in literary license in titling this book The World is Flat to draw attention to this flattening and its quickening pace because I think it is the single most important trend in the world today [but]... there are hundreds of millions of people on this planet who have been left behind."
"Man perfected by society is the best of all animals; he is the most terrible of all when he lives without law, and without justice."
Aristotle
Open source software (OSS) is becoming more prominent within the education market as more educational institutions turn towards open source as a solution that meets their needs. However, open source is not appropriate for all, and institutions should be cautious about implementing OSS. When adopting open source, institutions should ensure it is a strategic decision and not just a philosophical one.
This month I'm pleased to introduce our first guest editor, Kevin Goheen. The strength of Kevin's network of contacts from academia, research, and industry is evident in the quality of the submissions he invited for this issue. You'll find plenty of thought provoking content around the editorial theme of education. These include the vertical markets of high performance computing and integrated library systems to the broad topics of open educational resources and predictive management theory.
The August issue of the OSBR is focused on "education". The relationship between open source software (OSS) and education is extremely broad and also very important. One could argue that OSS creation and adoption has been driven by faculty and research leaders, with eventual buy-in from the commercial sphere. This should not be a surprise; university research labs are populated with individuals possessing an abundance of creativity, a need to work with platforms for innovation, and a shortage of funding.
PDF:
Q. Besides compliance with legislation or standards which govern Internet accessibility, are there any business reasons for maintaining an accessible website?
A. While compliance is generally viewed in negative terms, compliance can provide business opportunities. Before discussing the opportunities, we'll provide a quick overview of the potential market and existing legislation.
"Intellectual Property (IP) is one of the least understood and most poorly managed assets of most organizations and may represent either the single largest revenue opportunity - or the most significant drain on profitability."
"The Web was originally designed to be mashed up. The technology is finally growing up and making it possible."
Aaron Boodman, Greasemonkey creator
The TIM Lecture Series provides a forum that promotes the exchange of knowledge between university research and technology company executives and entrepreneurs. Readers outside the Ottawa area who are unable to attend the lectures in person are invited to view upcoming lectures in the series either through voice conferencing or webcast.
"...that experience - of a CIO not knowing how ubiquitous and valuable free software has become to their organization - isn't atypical. In fact, it's the norm, and a divide we're gently trying to bridge. Opportunity's everywhere. So is free and open software. They might even travel in pairs."
Jonathan Schwartz, CEO of Sun
"The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect."
Tim Berners-Lee