Students in a PMHS horticulture class are filmed using open source resources on their school-issued laptops.

PM open source program subject of documentary

A crew of filmmakers is in Penn Manor School District this week to create a documentary on the district’s innovative open source 1:1 laptop program, one of the first of its kind in the United States.

The film will debut at an upcoming global open source conference.

The film crew from Red Hat software company is spending three days interviewing and filming students, teachers and staff at Penn Manor High School and other district schools on the 1:1 program, which utilizes free, open source software.

In the first year of the program, Penn Manor saved about $345,000 in software fees by using open source programs and apps. Implemented in the high school last year, the program will be expanded to district middle schools in 2015-16.

The documentary will demonstrate how a school district can successfully utilize an open source program to expand educational opportunities and enhance instruction.

The Penn Manor film is one of two documentaries that will be presented at the Red Hat Summit, the company’s annual conference, June 23-26 in Boston.

“Red Hat is an S&P 500 company and recognized as a worldwide leader in the open source technology arena,” said Penn Manor superintendent Michael Leichliter.  “The fact that they selected Penn Manor and our students and faculty to feature validates the high quality, cost-effective approach employed by the district for the 1:1 program.”

Red Hat, the world’s largest open source software company, provides support and integration services to businesses and organizations that use open source applications and programs.

Among its customers are the New York Stock Exchange and most major airlines. Learn more here.