Category: Open Source

  • Open School Leadership

    Free and open source software is the catalyst for Penn Manor School District’s award-winning student learning programs. For one, they save the school district more than a million dollars on its technology budget. Besides fiscal savings are the open leadership principles that foster innovation among teachers and students, help to better engage the community, and create a more vibrant…

  • Mattermost – An Open Source Slack Alternative

    The Penn Manor IT Team relied on a self-hosted IRC messaging server for many years. IRC is great for a technical crowd, but the old-school feel and cryptic conventions never resonated with students and teachers. We’ve experimented with IRC alternatives, but an affordable, school-friendly platform has been elusive. Slack was a promising option–and a few…

  • District of Distinction Award – Open Source Laptop Program

    District of Distinction Award – Open Source Laptop Program

    Penn Manor School District’s open source 1:1 student laptop learning program has earned a District of Distinction award from District Administration Magazine. Every student in grades 7 through 12 receives a laptop computer running the Linux operating system, as well as dozens of open source learning programs. With 2,500 1:1 laptops in grades 7 through 12, and 1,500 Linux laptops in its elementary…

  • The Power of Open in Education

    The Power of Open in Education

    Penn Manor: The Power of Open in Education, a short documentary produced by Red Hat Films, premiered on the opening night of Red Hat Summit 2015. The film features our current and former student help desk apprentices, teachers, and staff. Footage and interviews were shot during a whirlwind three day filming schedule in May 2015. A huge thank you…

  • 1:1 Laptop Program for Middle Schools

    1:1 Laptop Program for Middle Schools

    I’m thrilled to announce that the district 1:1 student laptop program is coming to middle school students this fall. Penn Manor’s board of directors voted on Tuesday night to expand the program into grades 7 and 8. Approximately 800 students will receive a district-issued laptop at the start of the 2015-16 school year. The middle…

  • Enabling Students in a Digital Age: TEDxLancaster

    It was an incredible honor and privilege to be selected to present our open source 1:1 laptop learning initiative and student apprenticeship program at the inaugural TEDxLancaster event on May 3, 2014. I hope I successfully captured the spirit of our program, and venerated our remarkable student tech team.