Introduction of open source software into educational institutions

The increasing accessibility of the internet and the frequent use of personal computers drastically changed our everyday life. But not only that – the fast progress of the internet also increased the use of open-source software. In the modern world, information support and technology are two key features of any successful business, efficient education, communication and personal life. Often, payable computer software is being used, but in the recent years the open-source software stepped into the foreground. That is why the open-source software has become a prime source in designing various program tools. The main purpose of this thesis is to present the application of open-source software as the popularity of this kind of software is rapidly increasing. Nowadays one can find various interesting open-source software programs on the internet that can contribute to a better, more appealing and effective learning. That is why the focus of this thesis lies on the open-source software for educational purposes. This kind of software is of great help not only for pupils/students but also for all professors. At the beginning of the thesis, the characteristics of the concepts “open source” and “open-source software” will be described. A short historical overview of the open source (with its advantages and disadvantages) will be presented. After that, the stress will be put on the usage of open-source software – mainly the use of this kind of software in the educational sector as experts are confirming that there are several advantages in using free and open-source software in the pedagogical area. In the recent years, more and more schools began to use non-proprietorial computer software which contributes to a more efficient learning process, which is why a number of this type of programs will be presented in this thesis as well. Also the use of open-source program software in Slovenia will be analyzed and some already conducted analyses of these kinds of programs in the past will be introduced. Also the open-source examples of good practice, which foreign experts have analyzed and the study of a few open-source programs from various fields that are accessible over the internet will be shown. At the end of the thesis work, results of a survey conducted among students, in which they were asked about the familiarity with open-source programs, will be given. The results will show that there are quite a lot of good freely accessible and open-source programs, which could replace the program software for which one has to pay, available over the internet. But the users are still clinging to the standard payable program software that is more familiar to them – most of them would not consider using open-source program software. The study of this topic showed that an introduction of open-source program software at educational institutions would be possible and effective, but it would mean higher costs as teachers/professors would have to gain proper skills and knowledge of these programs in various workshops