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Software Review
More Than Open Source: A Second Look at Sakai
3/14/2007
Building Experts vs. Buying Licenses
Choosing an open/community source software application over a proprietary commercial package does not guarantee cost savings. While the base cost for open/community source software is low, making this choice can require greater local technical resources. However, rather than spending money on commercial software licenses and support contracts, choosing an open/community source system can allow a school to redirect resources toward building in-house expertise. Building experts also enables a school to achieve their technology goals through practices that support their educational mission. Should a school need extra technical assistance, commercial vendors exist that offer reasonably priced support for open/community source systems. So there are a number of approaches you can take if you are interested in Sakai. Some schools choose to run Sakai locally, providing all their own staff, with no external support--either technically or for implementation. Other schools run Sakai locally and provide most of the staff, but purchase support externally--either just for implementation help or for ongoing technical assistance. Still other schools choose to have Sakai eternally hosted, outsourcing all technical and implementation staffing, hardware, etc.
Building Tools to Change Education
Even if your school outsources all technical tasks, you and your educators can still engage and help direct Sakai's future development and use. By using open/community source technology, schools gain even greater opportunities to help shape the tools they use to better support their educational and research programs. And your innovation--be it technical or pedagogical--can then be shared with the wider community, building your institution's reputation in practice and innovation.
Open Source...Community Source
For some, the words "open source" are as much a warning sign as a possible solution. Visions of anonymous coders working in foreign basements don't sit well in calculating your IT total cost of ownership. While still open source, Sakai builds on a "community source" model, supported by world-class institutions and governed by a board of directors at the non-profit Sakai Foundation. The current board includes nine representatives from educational institutions, both national and international--including Foothill College (CA), Indiana University, Stanford University (CA), University of California at Berkeley, University of Cambridge (UK), University of Hull (UK), University of Michigan, and
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