What is open source?

The term “open source” refers to something people can modify and share because its design is publicly accessible. The term is most commonly used in programming in which the original source code is made freely available so that other users can modify and build on the initial product.

The genius of open source is that no single person can make a perfect product. Instead, by getting feedback and input from a larger audience, you can come up with something truly innovative.

This concept is one that can be incredibly powerful in a classroom as well. Through open source learning, students practice teamwork, justifying their ideas, and compromising, while internalizing the importance of collaboration.

Using Open Source Learning in Your Classroom

If you’d like to explore the possibilities of using open source learning in your classroom, consider assigning a collaborative and open-ended project to your students.

Step 1

After deciding the topic you want students to focus on, you create a final product with lots of room for improvement (think of this as a non-exemplar).

For example, you might write a boring paper that is formatted badly and contains factual errors.

Step 2

Then, challenge your students to find the written errors, choose a better way to format the document, and create a more effective presentation of the topic overall.

Step 3

Depending on the number of students in your class, it may make sense to split your kids into 3 teams to tackle the 3 different challenges.

Once they’ve come up with their findings and improvements in one area, shift them so that they have a chance to tackle the next task and give feedback on what the other students have come up with.

You can either have all students work towards the same finished product or have each team design a final presentation of their own.

Add a technology component to the assignment by having students do all of their work in Google Docs.

This way students can see the changes their peers are making in real time, and have constructive and evidence-based conversations about why they think one approach or idea is better than another. This will provide students with an important lesson in collaborative work, productive feedback, and the process of constantly seeking to improve something.

Not only will open source learning be new and challenging for your students, but this assignment can be a learning experience for teachers as well. Just like with open sourced software, you have no idea where the collective minds of many will take the final product, so be ready for some innovative outcomes!