1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of open-source versus commercial software?
I’ve used Google Hangouts for open-source software when teaching and collaborating. Since it is open-source it is easy by just signing up for a Gmail account or if the school district uses Google for Education the students will have a Gmail account that they can use. It was not always the most straight forward getting the hangout to work. Probably the hardest part was figuring out how to meet online at the appropriate time frame. At times it could be laggy. With open-source, there are forums that you can post questions but no troubleshooting department to address issues.
I’ve taken a course using the Blackboard Collaborate for a graduate course. The instructions had multiple ways they could video connect with students via the Blackboard. They could use a desktop, or smartphone to hold conferences live. The conversations could be archived for future reference. It seemed much more integrated with the virtual classroom.
2. When would an open-source application take precedence over a commercial product?
I’ve used Google classroom and paid LMS. The problem I found that the districts did not want to pay for the added features in the paid LMS. It was beyond their budgets. It could be hard on the teacher when the district could no longer afford it and then switch to something else.
3. What are the issues when choosing between Open Source vs Commercial Software?
Everyone’s situation is different. Budgets are different, devices, and upload/download speeds can require that you take the time to test and demo each version.
Mrs. Miller - Messy Art Teacher Blog 