Some of the biggest names in information technology are embracing open source components and offerings.  Google is a interesting example of a search company that holds tightly to their proprietary search algorithm, yet finds other ways to contribute to the open source and non-profit sectors.  Additionally, education is another frontier that is ripe with open source opportunities, particularly in the area of course building software.  Google made a big announcement on the topic just this week.  Read more in, “Google Gets Into Online Learning with Open-Source Course Builder Software.”

The article begins:

Considering that Google’s Director of Research Peter Norvig and Google X founder Sebastian Thrun co-taught one of the massive online Stanford classes that gave momentum to the recent surge in online learning, it’s probably not surprising that the search giant itself is now staking out a spot in education’s latest frontier.  After running its own online course, Power Searching with Google, the company is releasing the technology it used to offer the class as open-source Course Builder software.

With proprietary stalwarts like Blackboard becoming increasingly outdated and unfriendly, institutions are turning to open source options.  Moodle has gained ground recently and it will be interesting to see if Google makes an impact as well.  One cannot help but wonder if longtime open source leaders like LucidWorks have any future plans to take a bite out of the education market themselves.

Emily Rae Aldridge, September 24, 2012

Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.