For open source software, the real challenge lies ahead — taking free software to the mass market, to your grandparents, to your nieces and nephews, to your friends. If we are to be successful we need to articulate the audacious goals clearly and loudly – because that’s how the community process works best.

Professor Eric Faden of Bucknell University created this humorous, yet informative, review of copyright principles delivered through the words of the very folks we can thank for nearly endless copyright terms.

Free as in Freedom interweaves biographical snapshots of GNU project founder Richard Stallman with the political, social and economic history of the free software movement.

Learner will gain an introduction to Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), its philosophy, and how it might benefit students.

Participants will explore different types of licenses frequently used by open source projects.

Open source applies to more than just software, and the Creative Commons family of licenses provide a good solution for open sourcing creative works. This module helps students understand the purpose of Creative Commons licenses and be comfortable with the different license choices available.

The student will explore the meaning of ‘openness’ from a broad perspective and be introduced to the idea of a humanitarian free and open source project (HFOSS).

A teacher holds a mock debate in-class around which software paradigm is superior, Open Source or Proprietary. Initially the students prepare for it through research and argument structuring. Afterwards, they hold the in-class debate, allowing each side to talk and rebut. The event could also beneficially take place on IRC chat.

Students are offered some key and optional readings, whereupon they will be asked questions to answer. This can be given as homework, or as an in-class quiz. The questions are a mix of definitive and open-ended questions. Answers and grading-suggestions are given.

Student will review several pieces of software and find the licensing information.

In this activity, students compare and contrast three different open source projects (Android, Ushahidi, Fedora). Students will gain a basic understanding of why these exist as open source projects, as well as the operating models and licensing used by each. Students will be provided with directed readings and will answer specific questions to develop the comparisons.

Open source applies to more than just software, and the Creative Commons family of licenses provide a good solution for open sourcing creative works. This module helps students understand the purpose of Creative Commons licenses and be comfortable with the different license choices available.

Full text of “The Cathedral and the Bazaar” by Eric Raymond

Student will choose a license for a hypothetical software project based on criteria given.