Open source software in agricultural education

Abstract

The use of Information Technology ( IT) in education has become a predominant topic for discussion in the recent years. While teacher education curricula have been up-dated to include computers in education, educational instit11tions have adopted the new information technology for teaching-learning and administration. With the emergence of Internet and its World Wide Web (WWW), the trend towards use of information technology in education has seen tremendous growth. The reducing cost of computer hardware also has paved the way for integration of computer in educational institutions. However, because of the heavy dependence on proprietary/ commercially available high cost software and their licensing, many educational institutions are not in a position to harness the potentials of information technology. This paper discusses the alternative to high price software for educational, research and extension purposes and makes a ease for using open source software in education.