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Navigate 1 - Commercial vs. Open Source Virtual Classrooms

Answer: When would an open source application take precedence over a commercial product? What are the issues when choosing between Open Source vs. Commercial Software?

 In this lesson, I have researched the open source and commercial the virtual classroom options presented and evaluated each from the perspective of a teacher looking for options for synchronous learning. When comparing the open source options with commercial options, I have found that most of the features are comparable. The main reasons I would say that open source options may take precedence over a commercial product would be cost and the ongoing collaboration among users and developers. I foresee though that these advantages would, of course come with concessions. 

Many open source programs are free or "freemium," meaning you can get all of the basic functions with some additional features for a cost. Commercial software offers some free trials or "freemium" versions too, but commercial software is exactly that: it's for sale and therefore comes with an upfront cost. 

 The other benefit I see is that open source software is the product of collaboration among users and developers alike. Typically, users are given access to the coding for that software and may have the ability to modify or edit it. If there is a issue that bugs users or a feature that they would like to see, users can develop (code) a solution themselves. The user or developer becomes both part of the problem (or at least finding it) and the solution.

 This stands in contrast to commercial solutions where the company owns, maintains, and controls the code ("proprietary" or "closed" software). The company would be responsible for eliciting and responding to user input and developing solutions from it. Any changes made to the technology would be made by the company.

 So from a standpoint of ongoing responsive development, open source offers a benefit. This benefit comes with the burden of the school district having a tech support consultation or in-house IT department that can host and maintain the open source software. And there's your $$$ [Insert: "No such thing as a free lunch" or other related idiom] right?
Again, from the one's I've reviewed in this lesson, most of the basic functions I would be interested in (screenshare, chat, mobile versions) are offered in both the commercial and the free versions. Other factors that would influence my decision would include

  • Number of concurrent users in a chat/webinar/live lesson (some are limited)
  • Availability of "breakout rooms/groups" (I see this as a tool for differentiation)
  • Learner tracking (gradebook, standard/objective tracking)
  • Annotation capabilities (especially for math-based subjects)
  • LMS integration
Because I teach in district that uses Google's GSuite, I tend to lean toward the Google Hangouts option. It is available to anyone with a Google account. It is a resource that my students would all have access to, and it can be recorded and archived to my YouTube channel (which is also part of my GSuite of apps). Additionally, Google is great about eliciting and responding to feedback on their suite of products. And until a fix or update is available, users can find a plethora of other support forums to address their issues. As a Google district, I have an instructional tech team who also helps with issues too.

Google Classroom would provide my virtual classroom for asynchronous work, and Google Hangouts would provide my virtual location for synchronous interactions.

SOURCES: https://opensource.com/resources/what-open-source
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