Alan Levine and FLOSS

http://flosse.dicole.org/?item=future-of-floss-in-education-interview-with-alan-levine
This page contains a summary of a recent interview with Alan Levine. Alan is well recognised internationally as an elearning authority. He does not seem to have a profile as an expert in Free Open Source Software. He is speaking as an educationist who's job it is to reserarch ICT's for the Phoenix district of schools and so is looking at the future of FLOSS in education as many are in the world.

He is interviewed by Teemu Arina who has a profile in the implementation of ICT's in Finland. The Fins seem to be determined to make ICT a priority. Finland is recognised as a connected nation and is the home of Nokia. But it hasn't always been like that. Like Australia, it is relatively sparsely populated.

"Once known mostly for exports of pulp and paper products from its vast forests, Finland now enjoys the unexpected honor of being acclaimed throughout Europe as a role model for the so-called Information Society." - http://dir.salon.com/tech/fsp/2000/04/20/chapter_six_part_1/index.html

"The people who do best in a networked world have a great deal in common with the people who devote themselves to open-source software: they distrust rigid hierarchies, they thrive on shared information and they are eager to try new things -- new methodologies, new software, new gadgets, new ways of doing business."

The interview can be downloaded (18mb) and lasts for about 40 minutes. It will fit easily on most mp3 players and will be good academic listening for a walk around the lake. In my opinion it is well worth it - I think that he provided a well balanced statement on this topic of the role of Open Source software in education.