open-source labs and homework

[Ben Crowell <crowell01@LIGHTANDMATTER.COM>]

Many thanks to Richard Hake for the very informative post!
Unless I hear pretty soon from someone who says such a thing
already exists, I'm going to try to set up a small, special
purpose e-mail list on this topic, and make a little web page
with links to people's materials. I've already e-mailed
Richard Furnstahl about this.

Bill Waggoner (are you on Phys-L, Bill?) suggested that the
TYC listserv might be a good way to get the word out about this,
but didn't have the information about the list handy. Does
anyone know where their listserv's home page is?

If I fail to turn up a preexisting e-mail list or other
online organization, I'll post an invitation on Phys-L
within a day or two inviting people to join. Any suggestions
for names? Open Physics Education Group?

I do have one comment re Richard Hake's post:
> However, some caution regarding changes by inexperienced physics
> teachers is in >order - online SDI labs are NOT early beta versions,
> having undergone a lengthy >"redesign process" [described by Wilson
> and Daviss (ref. 7)] of continuous >long-term classroom use,
> feedback, assessment, and research analysis.

When people hear about the open-source concept, they often
worry that it opens the door to stupidity. Modifications are
not guaranteed to be good modifications! But it's important
to realize that the freedom to modify something does /not/
imply the freedom to modify the version that is maintained
and distributed by the original author. In the case of
Linux, for example, Linus Torvalds exerts complete control
over the kernel (core of the operating system). People who
want their modifications to become part of the official
Linux kernel send him their code, and he will reject it if
he doesn't like it. Also, one of the advantages of using a formal
open-source license (see, e.g., opencontent.org) is that it
spells out the responsibilities of people who modify your
work. For instance, my book, Newtonian Physics, is open-
sourced under a license that requires modified versions to
credit me as the author, and they must also carry annotations
explaining how they've been modified.