Free Software
Free Software in Education
When you use Free Software you can use a program without
expiration date, read its source code, modify the program to fit
your needs, and further share the program and any improvements
you make. The FSFE promotes the inclusion of Free Software in all
levels of education systems and non-formal education.
Students should be taught the use of Free Software
Computer science curricula should focus on information technology
concepts. Students should learn Free Software options for each
task to gain technological competence and autonomy. Training
students to use proprietary products makes them dependent on
software companies. Educational institutes should refrain from
this practice.
Free Software is the key to teaching students programming.
Students should be taught Free Software because this way they can
read the source code of a program and learn how it operates. This
is paramount for students who are self-taught
programmers. Writing code requires reading a lot of code. Using
programs with hidden source code can sabotage learning, while
Free Software lets everyone see in the finest detail how a
program works.
Schools should use Free Software in their technological infrastructure
Educational institutes aim to convey a set of higher values to
students, including freedom, equality, and solidarity. Free
Software is a practice in information technology that embodies
those values. People have the freedom to shape their technical
infrastructure. People are free to improve the program themselves
and share their contributions with others. Everyone is equal in
this process. Free Software communities have a spirit of helping
others. Formal education should not overlook the pedagogical
potential in Free Software. Schools should encourage teachers of
all courses to prefer Free Software when they make use of
technology. The technological infrastructure of educational
institutes should also rely on Free Software.
We further explain why we need Free Software in eduction in our
argumentation
page. You might also be interested in our children's
book about Free Software, our coding competition for
teenagers, or a campaign
(DE) about Free Software in education. You can also help us
collect material introducing programming to children by adding
information in our wiki.
If you agree that students should learn Free Software and schools
should use Free Software, please share this page. Support
Free Software in Education for a future generation with better
programmers and better citizens.
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