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Free (?) e-Books on Linux
The digital realm is a big place, but often we stick to those parts that are written in our mother tongue or English. For most of us Chinese websites are a leap into the unknown. But recently I found references to e-books on Linux and other stuff pointing to a website with a .cn extension. Today I decided to check out the website and I was pleasantly surprised by opensourceproject.org.cn.
The collection of available e-books is quite extensive, dealing with open source and Linux. The good thing: all books are in English, as long as you don’t mind the Chinese characters here and there in the screen. It has books on Ubuntu and Fedora for instance.
Now, I am great proponent of free knowledge being freely available and this seems like a good initiative. But there is one thing nagging in the back of my mind. Ubuntu Unleashed? Freely available already as an e-book? We are free to take a look etcetera, but I wonder whether the publishers and authors are really happy with this website.
Open Sourcing the ECDL/ICDL
One of the key elements in the Linux Proliferation Agreement is the availabilty of high quality e-learning materials. The European Computer Drivers License or International Computer Drivers License is a complete skill set that describe a good set of computer skills for end users. There is one big problem. Though the descriptions of the skill sets are vendor neutral, training materials and test centers are almost predominantly Microsoft oriented. Open sourcing the ECDL should not be complicated, but it does require some serious work. So I decided that this will be my next major project.
ECDL modules and how to open source them
The ECDL/ICDL consists of seven modules which encompass major end user skill sets:
Module 1 – Concepts of Information Technology (IT)
Module 2 – Using the Computer and Managing Files
Module 7 – Information and Communication
One of the first decisions to make is the selection of software that will be used to learn the skill sets. Modules 3, 4, 5 and 6 can be covered by selecting OpenOffice.org. I believe it is necessary to use software that is multiplatform and OpenOffice.org fits the bill. Module 7 deals with internet and e-mail and can be explained with Firefox and Thunderbird as foundation.
Module 1 is hardware and attitude oriented, so that shouldn’t be a big problem. Module 2 will be the biggest problem. The general description is as follows:
This module requires the Candidate to demonstrate knowledge and competence in using the common functions of a personal computer and its operating system. The Candidate shall be able to adjust main settings, use the built-in help features and deal with a non-responding application.
He or she shall be able to operate effectively within the desktop environment and work with desktop icons and windows. The Candidate shall be able to manage and organise files and directories/folders, and know how to duplicate, move and delete files and directories/folders, and compress and extract files.
The Candidate shall also understand what a computer virus is and be able to use virus-scanning software. The Candidate shall demonstrate the ability to use simple editing tools and print management facilities available within the operating system.
It is not really a problem to translate the skill set as it applies to Linux, but the differences between Windows and Linux might make the transfer of knowledge somewhat more complicated. Nonetheless, module 2 can be open sourced as well.
A general roadmap
What is needed is to write and develop e-learning materials for these seven modules. That is quite an undertaking and a roadmap is needed to guide the whole project.
The first step is to translate each of the skill sets of the seven modules as they apply to Linux, OpenOffice.org, Firefox and Thunderbird. Nothing spectacular, but basic documents that describe the skill sets into end user interactions.
Then comes the work of writing e-learning materials based on these basic documents. These materials need to be based on solid didactical principles. The first set of books will be self-study materials that are made available as e-books and/or webpages. The second set of books need to be teacher’s manuals for use in an educational context.
The third major phase will focus on developing rich content, multimedia e-learning materials. Instructional videos and interactive exercises. These materials will be made available on a live Linux CD/DVD thus furnacing the operating system, the software and the e-learning materials in one go.
Developing the materials is not sufficient. It should be a goal to get certified as a test center for the open source version of the ECDL/ICDL. The fourth major part is to develop an online test center with tests that objective test the skill sets and can verify the competencies of the candidates. Once the test center is complete and up to a level that can stand up to public scrutiny we will work towards the goal of becoming a certified center.
Projects and courseware site
Ambitious? Maybe. But as I pointed out in the article about the Linux Proliferation Agreement promoting the use of Linux and open source is not a short term endeavor. I am not a coder, I am a writer. I have been working in education as project manager and am adding to the Linux and open source community what I do best.
I have set up a projects and courseware site based on Moodle. This provides a fairly complete infrastructure to develop new materials in smaller teams with forums, chat rooms and wikis. Moodle is an e-learning CMS which means that it is perfectly suited for online courses and testing. This is the platform that I will use as a foundation for this project.
The development will take place in the open source way. The documents will be released quick and early awaiting the feedback from the community. They will be available for public scrutiny and public use. I will post updates regularly.
Should this remain a one man project? I hope not. Feel free to enroll in the projects and courseware site and send me a message on how you wish to participate. It is time to open source the ECDL/ICL.
Tags: Open Source, ECDL
Contributing to the open source movement
The increased use of Linux on my desktop is pushing to an even more active involvement in various aspects of the open source movement. Not as a developer. I don’t think my rudimentary knowledge of programming Basic on the Vic20 or the TurboPascal a few years later would be enough to make any sort of contribution. This doesn’t mean that promoting open source software is not within my reach. On the contrary. I do believe I have other skills that could be of some use.
One is this blog, to write down my experiences, my reviews and the search for solutions. I have decided to stick mostly with the perspective from the Windows user who dips a toe in the Linux pond. I do believe that Linux is mature enough for the desktop and should be discussed, criticized, valued and judged accordingly. Over the last few years I have written various articles about open source software under Windows in comparison to proprietary, closed source software. Straight forward comparisons with little consideration for the fact that open source software was/is for free. I want it to be good and I think developers need this kind of feedback from desktop users. Moving this perspective to the entire Linux desktop is actually a small and logical step.
Secondly I am more active in various IRC channels than in the past. I have no time to spend entire days in the channels, but when I can spare an hour I join a few of them. Currently I focus on the Ubuntu and the Sabayon channels, the two distributions I am using. It is interesting to see which questions people ask and how often I have a suggestion or two to help out. The questions themselves are a great source of inspiration for the book I am writing.
Thirdly there are the bug reports. It’s a small thing to do, but it is the stuff the developers need to see how their software is doing under various circumstances. Yesterday I filed three bug reports. Maybe they were already known, but each piece of the puzzle can be of use.
Fourthly I still write my articles and give a workshop here and there. I am doing this for a few years now and has provided me in turn with knowledge and skills that are invested in the book.
And that is the true beauty of it all. The more you get involved and contribute, the more you get back. You can contribute when you are able to in various ways and as a reward you learn more about the operating system, the world and the underlying philosophy: “there is more happiness in giving than in receiving.” Without it, there would be no Linux, no open source software.
One Laptop Per Child: First Impressions
I know I am sceptical as to the real benefits of the One Laptop Per Child project as to it’s contribution to fighting poverty in the world. It is now possible to download the virtual image of the OLPC Linux version and I decided to give it a test drive. The main criterium is desktop usability. Does it make sense and will it make life easier on the kids that have to work with it.
The main screen looks okay, but navigating it is very awkward. You have to move the mouse to the top and only then the dark grey menu bar appears. Then you have to move around the edges to get to the bottom where the applications are located.
The buttons in the top left corner deal with various screen layout options. One option allows you to set all applications to the center of the screen.
Then you realize there are actually only five applciations available: an RSS feed, a chat program, a program that identifies itself with a drum but that doesn’t make sense initially and Abiword. Strange enough the webbrowser is not loaded in the center screen option, but it there.
That’s it. Five applications, three of which you need an internet connection for.
Abiword is already a very light and versatile word processor and adding it to the OLPC really makes sense. But why does it have to be an extremely stripped version of Abiword. Even the complete version leaves a very small footprint. And where is the ubiquitous spreadsheet program? Is it not necessary for the kids in poor countries to be able to calculate?
The inclusion of the webbrowser does make sense, but you can only hope that the schools or the villages are willing to spend some money on a decent internet connection. Since you can hardly expect that, it leads to the conclusion that the disk space spend on chat and the RSS feeds has been wasted.
The overall usability is low. Very low. The interface and the icons are far from intuitive. And, for heavens sake, who decided that purple, light grey and dark grey are attractive colors for children? That team should have been sent to the likes of Toys R Us.
Nope, this interface and the choice of applications only add to my scepticism. The idea behind the project might have been good, but in the end it is disappointing.
Time to go public
The website for the open source elearning project is nearing the moment to go public. Most of the components are in place. It’s a matter of some final tweaks, adding some categories to the forum and the eWriting module and to iron out the small bugs in the blog section. The production package to create rich content is on line and ready for download. I am already contemplating another release which can run the Joomla/eWriting module locally.
But, first things first. The project is in need of writers, editors. content developers, graphical designers, people who combine interest in IT , open source with creative and educational skills. Most of my time is tied in the Ubuntu book project and the articles that are planned. The coming weeks I will leave messages in various forums for writers, content developers and it afficionados to invite collaborators. The intention is to fill the site with more content before the next stage, focusing on the users, the actual target audience. I look forward to finding new collaborators and bringing the project to a stable next level.
Tried and tested?
Two parts of the OpenSource eLearning site were installed today: Joomla with a few extensions (Joomlaboard, Community Builder, DocMan, Zoom, eWriting and CivicCRM) and Dokeos. Fortunately the previous templates still functioned, so the sites at least look familiar.
Joomla and it’s extensions is mostly stable stuff. As stable as open source development will allow that is, but Dokeos is a challenge in itself. I am using the community release which is the cutting edge of the cutting edge. I want to install Dokeos 1.8 later this year. The developers have some interesting features in the pipe line (http://www.dokeos.com/features.php) and it will definitely be an asset to the Open Source eLearning site. I think it will make it easier to add and manage rich content.
Rich eLearning content, that is what Open Source eLearning is all about. There is plenty of text based information about open source software, but when it comes to multimedia materials….. Oh, you can buy your materials from LinuxCBT (and they are very good), but they lack a certain ‘joie de vivre’. And the materials from Lynda, VTC, Trainsignal, Total Training and CBT Nuggets are very good, but also very expensive. And they don’t deal with open source software. Open Source eLearning wants to change that: to create multimedia training tools to help migrate to open source software, build and developed using open source tools.
