Here’s something I heard about late last week from Mike Silverton at TECHcetera. It’s an initiative from the UK that I believe has great potential for making a positive impact on the use of free open source software in education.

Open Source Schools describes itself as, “an initiative to inform schools about Open Source Software (OSS)”  I’ve signed up, registered for an account, and joined the community, but I haven’t had a chance yet to do much more than that.  That means I can’t give a detailed perspective on what is offered.

I am eager, however, to help spread the word about an initiative that I believe offers so much promise.  It is evident, that Open Source Schools has been carefully thought out and well designed. Here’s more in the words of the site’s developers…

A number of schools are already realising the benefits of OSS within their ICT strategy. This project will work to share their experiences with the wider community of educational practitioners.

The project will support a community of practice that engages those who are currently using OSS and welcomes and supports new members. Our aim is to create an educationally focused project driven by the needs of the community – giving them the means to become confident users of OSS.

This is the launch version of the website and we welcome your feedback. Throughout October we will be adding content, with the focus on Case Studies from schools using open source.