WITS FOSS Awareness Day - A Report
1357 days ago
WITS FOSS Awareness Day (FOSS AD)
(3 September 2009)
True to the spirit of celebrating Software Freedom Day later this month, WITS hosted it's first FOSS Awareness Day event within the KIM portfolio. In previous years similar events have been hosted by the School of Math Sciences with the B.Sc students demonstrating their technical achievements using FOSS (Free & Open Source Software).
On the 3rd of September the FOSS AD was held on West Campus, in the newly rennovated FNB building in the main auditorium. The final number of registered delegates was 274 but over 300 people attended the event.
The welcome address of the event was given by Vice Principal Dr. Yunus Ballim. Various other senior Wits staff attended the event.
As part of the "Virtual Pathway" the students had computers set up along with various vendors that included, Sun Microsystems, Obsydian, TSI and Acer.
The main goal of the event was to provide insight and awareness to the WITS community, both staff and students, around what FOSS means and the role it plays in the world. The main drive of the presentations of the morning session revolved around getting a basic idea of what FOSS is, and it's role in the world more specifically South Africa looking at the topic from both a government and vendor perspective. Arno Webb from SITA (State IT Agency) presented on behalf of government and Muggie van Staden from Obsidian represented a perspective from the FOSS vendor community.
The presentations then moved focus to the University and the role that FOSS within WITS. This was presented by both Dr. Derek Keats, DVC KIM and Scott Hazelhurst with their combined extensive experience in this field. A view of where WITS is "today" with regards to using FOSS as well as a view of where WITS is headed in the adoption of more Free and Open Source Software in the future. An indication of the commitment from CNS in formalising support for FOSS was presented by René C. Schutte from SCS, CNS (Student & Client Support, Computer & Network Services).
After the tea break the event took a turn towards technical demonstrations that showed the maturity levels of FOSS in the business application arena, using products such as Open Office for word processing, presentation creation and manipulation of spreadsheets. The demonstration went on to take the example tutorial and upload it, and share it within Chisimba Realtime Tools by David Wafula. Adding podcasting to the mix was demonstrated by Rayjaan Richards which allowed for a comprehensive demonstration on how an eLearning tuturial can be developed within the FOSS arena.
Other technical demos followed including a 3D rendering product, called Blender demonstrated by Steve Cloete (Masters Student) as well as a FOSS graphics package called The GIMP demonstrated by Dr. Keats. A audio product aptly named Audacity was demonstrated by Fatima Rahiman.
After the demonstrations a lunch served together where delegates could mingle with the B.Sc students under the mentorship of Shun Pillay as well as talk with the vendors viewing more FOSS products asking questions and engaging in conversations relating to the topic of the day.
The event came to a conclusion at around 14h00.
Contributors to this event include:
Acer Computers for providing a computers and hosting a kiosk in the virtual pathway- Canonical for providing Ubuntu and Kubuntu CDs for the goodie-bags
- Obsidian:
- Muggie van Staden as presenter on FOSS in South Africa from a vendor perspective
- Providing a computer and hosting a kiosk in the virtual pathway
- Providing ad-hoc gifts for the audience
- SITA, (State IT Agency), Arno Webb, presenting on FOSS in government
- Sun Microsystems:
- Providing a computer and hosting a kiosk in the virtual pathway
- Providing brochures and stickers for the delegate goodie-bags
- Providing Open Office CD Pack for the delegate goodie-bags
- TSI:
- Providing a computer and hosting a kiosk in the virtual pathway
- Providing gifts for the delegate goodie-bags
- Helping with putting the goodies in the goodie-bags
- WITS Audio & Visual, for doing interviews
WITS CNS, CIS (Communication & Information Security), Rosa Kotsiovos, Marius Bloem, Rudi Lier, Costa Iacovou providing free high-speed WiFi access to all delegates- WITS CNS, SCS (Student & Client Support) Quality & Communications Team, Jay Parsad "Go Open" DVDs, delegate registration
- WITS CNS, SCS (Student & Client Support), Student Support, Netanya van Rheede, Donovan Pillay and Student Assistants for arranging providing computer monitors for the Virtual Pathway
- WITS CNS, SCS, René C Schutte:
- Event organiser
- Presenting on CNS Support for FOSS
- MC
- WITS CNS, SCS, SOE (Standard Operating Environment), Stuart Murray-Smith building the event presentation server
- WITS Digital Art, Steve Cloete , technical demonstrator of Blender
WITS Faculty Science/ Faculty EBE (Engineering & the Built Environment), Scott Hazelhurst, presenting on the status of FOSS in Wits today.- WITS Faculty Science, Math Sciences, Shun Pillay and his team of B.Sc students for hosting six kiosks in the virtual pathway
- WITS Functions & Events for catering
- WITS KIM Office, David Wafula, technical demonstrator of Chisimba Real-Time Tools
- WITS KIM Office, Dr. Derek Keats:
- Presenting on FOSS in the World and South Africa
- Presenting on the FOSS ecosystem at WITS as part of the KIM strategy
- Technical demonstrator of The Gimp
- WITS KIM Office, Fatima Rahiman, technical demonstrator of Open Office Impress, Chisimba eLearning and Audacity
- WITS KIM Office, Rayjaan Richards, technical demonstrator of podcasting
- WITS KIM Office, Kasturie Sanasie as event organiser
- WITS Marketing, Ferna Clarkson, for WITS FOSS branding, goodie bags and stickers
- WITS PIMD, Nico for helping with logistics
- WITS Security for looking after very expensive equipment
- WITS TV for recording the event
- WITS, Vice Principal, Dr. Yunus Ballim, Welcome talk
Please email comments to fossad@wits.ac.za
- Article and photos by, René C Schutte (MC for WITS FOSS AD 2009)
Podcasting at Wits
1388 days ago
At Wits, we have opportunities to use podcasting to support teaching-and-learning, as a means to promote our research, as well as to engage with the broader community.
Where the material is visual, there are a number of online services that allow you to quickly synchronize a podcast with a slide presentation in OpenOffice, PowerPoint or Keynote, and create a media rich tool. Of course, at this point it is no longer a podcast and the student needs to be online to view it. But it does illustrate how podcasts can be extended to provide richer experience.
Benefitis of Podcasting at WITS:
- allowing an absent student do download the podcast of the recorded lecture;
- allowing students to replay the lecture after it has taken place;
- providing a means for lecturers to communicate curriculum, assignments and other information with students and other stakeholders;
- record book discussions, vocabulary or foreign language lessons, medical practical’s, interviews, and debates;
- learning and teaching language;
- students conduct interviews in the field and produce 'radio show' podcasts;
- students record interview process, and upload for assessment;
- Publishing student oral presentations.
- Convenience for both faculty and students ofì portable digital course content, and reduced dependence on physical materials
- Flexible location-independent access to digital, multimedia course materials, including reduced dependence on lab or library location and hours.
Pedagogical Perspective Benefits of Podcasting in academic use:
- Effective and easy-to-use tool for digital recordings and interviews, filed, notes, small group discussions, and self- recording of oral assignments
- Greater student engagement and interest in class discussions, labs, field research, and independent projects
- Enhanced support for individual learning
- novel aspect of podcasts raises students interest and encourages engagement with the materials.
- Podcasts are relatively easy to create and deliver without needing specialist skills or expensive software and equipment.
- Provides an opportunity to review own teaching style and effectiveness.
- Analyze needs and engage faculty in the use of new methods, ideas and ICT, researching pedagogy in order to choose appropriate tools to complement course material.
- Research methods - both of pedagogy and of technological options helps to educate faculty in the implementation of ICT within the learning environment.
- Enable audio and slide casting capability with Podderlive and Slideshare - whatever the technology selected, it must serve the needs of the students and meet the practical realities of program, curriculum, administrators, and educators
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