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Software Review
More Than Open Source: A Second Look at Sakai
3/14/2007
Sakai has wiki and blog functionality within the secure environment of the collaboration and learning environment, thus protecting student privacy while incorporating cutting-edge tools. Sakai is leading the way in integrating library database content inside the collaboration and learning environment, increasing ease of student access to peer-reviewed sources. Sakai includes a tool for graduate students, their advisors, and their departments to track progress. Unlike systems brought to you by remote coding teams, Sakai tools are designed by educators for educators: for example, the Sakai assignment tool enables instructors to grade and comment within a student assignment without downloading it, and at the same time keep an unmarked copy of the assignment for the student to revise. And since Sakai is open source and uses open standards, tools external to Sakai can be integrated: tools like TurnItIn, the plagiarism detection service; TILE, The Inclusive Learning Exchange that creates learning objects for various learning styles and abilities; and LAMS, the highly intuitive visual environment for creating sequences of learning activities; just to name a few. From podcasting and student evaluations to clickers and outcomes management, the list of tools you can use or add within Sakai continues to grow and diversify with new tools being added all the time.Open Source Advantages
As open source software, Sakai brings several advantages to campuses that are considering it. In the wake of Blackboard's purchase of WebCT, Sakai emerges as an alternative for schools concerned about the risks of proprietary systems, including uncertain licensing costs, unresolved product roadmaps, and continued instability due to patent lawsuits. In today's technology landscape, open source applications are becoming a "safe haven" compared to the uncertainties and turmoil in the proprietary software marketplace.
Controlling Your Technology Destiny
A great advantage open/community source systems offer over commercial systems is the ability to have greater influence and control over the technologies that become essential components of your enterprise. Because these technologies are truly "open" and typically conform more closely to common standards, schools have the ability to modify, extend, and integrate them more easily than proprietary systems. Because schools can also take part in the governance of community source projects like Sakai and Open Source Portfolio (OSP), you can help set directions for their future development and use. Taking control of your technology destiny can let you disengage your future from vendor business plans, and the ultimate result can provide better tools and give more flexibility to meet your changing technology needs.
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