[TOS] How to become a POSSE instructor

[Gregory Hislop]

Greg - Well put.

I think it's essential to think about POSSEs on two levels.  One relates to technical knowledge.  The other relates to the attempt to mix or create common purpose across two very different cultures - FOSS and higher education.  We all know that the required technical knowledge does not require particular formal educational background.  But for the cultural issues, we need knowledgeable guides from each world.

Matt's comments also provide an important perspective - that we need to be thinking not just of learning by POSSE participants, but how to successfully translate that into organizational change in higher education.  Unless we get to that level, the POSSE impact will be very limited.

Greg Hislop

-----Original Message-----
From: tos-bounces at teachingopensource.org [mailto:tos-bounces at teachingopensource.org] On Behalf Of Greg DeKoenigbserg
Sent: Monday, March 01, 2010 10:58 AM
To: Matthew Jadud
Cc: tos at teachingopensource.org
Subject: Re: [TOS] How to become a POSSE instructor

On Mon, 1 Mar 2010, Matthew Jadud wrote:

> Professors teaching professors isn't interesting, it's your bridge into 
> the culture.

I laughed out loud at this.  It's humble, hilarious, and exactly right.

Look, the FOSS world has done plenty to alienate academia already, whether 
intentionally or not.  From where I sit, the greatest single value of TOS 
is in having a set of professors who are deeply sympathetic to the FOSS 
idea and its potential, but can guide us through the labyrinth of 
academia.

Which is, incidentally, exactly what POSSE is, only in reverse.  It's a 
set of FOSS advocates who are deeply sympathetic to the potential of 
academia to enhance FOSS immeasurably, but can guide professors through 
the labyrinth of FOSS.

--g

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