Complexity in an Educational Technology Transformation from Proprietary to Free/Libre Open Source Software: A Case Study

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dc.contributor.authorConnelly, Cathryn
dc.contributor.supervisorSanford, Kathy
dc.date.accessioned2013-08-30T17:34:53Z
dc.date.available2013-08-30T17:34:53Z
dc.date.copyright2013en_US
dc.date.issued2013-08-30
dc.degree.departmentDepartment of Curriculum and Instruction
dc.degree.levelDoctor of Philosophy Ph.D.en_US
dc.description.abstractInformation and communication technologies (ICT) are having a rapid and increasing impact on all K-12 schools as school districts attempt, in a myriad of ways, to keep pace with the technological changes taking place in society. Unfortunately, this impact is increasingly a financial one as financial challenges continue to figure among the most extensive barriers to ICT use (Plante & Beattie, 2004). This research explores ICT options that are cost effective to our educational institutions and our communities while maintaining high functioning and sustainable technology for students and educators. Low-cost alternative technologies such as Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) and cloud computing lessen the socio-economic divide between students, encourage the sharing of technological advancements and collaboration and allow teachers to freely and legally give their students access to software necessary for success. In addition to the potential benefits of this technology’s use in an educational setting, this research also addresses the pragmatic aspects of introducing these tools district-wide. Complexity theory is utilized to lend an understanding of how to look at technological changes within the context of society as a whole, within enabling constraints that create the conditions for the emergence of new patterns of teacher, student, task and content interactions. This complexity frame informs themes in the study such as: (1) the importance of forward-thinking technology from recursive feedback loops on decision-making and planning in order to “keep up” with technological changes outside of school, (2) the critical impact educational leaders have on the change environment when both introducing these technologies into a school district and providing enabling conditions so that new ways of teaching and learning with technology can emerge and (3) the effect changing technological systems and support infrastructures have on enabling new teaching and learning processes.en_US
dc.description.proquestcode0710en_US
dc.description.proquestcode0524en_US
dc.description.proquestcode0533en_US
dc.description.proquestemailkatyconnelly@gmail.comen_US
dc.description.scholarlevelGraduateen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1828/4874
dc.languageEnglisheng
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.rights.tempAvailable to the World Wide Weben_US
dc.subjectcomplexityen_US
dc.subjectFree/libre open source softwareen_US
dc.subjecteducationen_US
dc.subjecttechnologyen_US
dc.subjectK-12en_US
dc.subjectschool districten_US
dc.subjectthin clientsen_US
dc.subjectLinuxen_US
dc.subjectElggen_US
dc.subjectcase studyen_US
dc.subjectICTen_US
dc.subjectinformation and communication technologiesen_US
dc.subjectsustainableen_US
dc.subjectaffordableen_US
dc.subjectFLOSSen_US
dc.subjectOSSen_US
dc.subjectleadershipen_US
dc.subjectpragmaticen_US
dc.titleComplexity in an Educational Technology Transformation from Proprietary to Free/Libre Open Source Software: A Case Studyen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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