Working in the Open: lessons from open source on building innovation networks in education

Abstract

Purpose -This article makes the case that the education community can learn from professional learning and innovation practices, collectively called "Working in the Open" (or "Working Open"), that have roots in the free/open source software (F/OSS) movement. These practices focus on values of transparency, collaboration and sharing within communities of experimentation. This paper aims to argues that Working Open offers a compelling approach to fostering distributed educational professional networks that focus on co-constructing new projects and best practices. Design/methodology/approach -Insights presented here are based on three sources: expert perspectives on open source work practices gleaned through interviews and blog posts, a qualitative case analysis of a collaborative project enacted by a group of informal learning organizations within the Hive NYC Learning Network, a community of over 70 youth-facing organizations in New York City, as well as an overview of that network's participation structures, and, finally, knowledge-building activities and discussions held within the Hive NYC community about the topic in situ. From these sources, the authors derived general principles to guide open work approaches. Findings -The authors identify five practices deemed as central to Working Open: public storytelling and context setting, enabling community contribution, rapid prototyping "in the wild", public reflection and documentation and, lastly, creating remixable work products. The authors describe these practices, show how they are enacted in situ, outline ways that Hive NYC stewards promote a Working Open organizational ecosystem and conclude with recommendations for utilizing a Working Open approach. Originality/value -Drawing from the F/OSS movement, this article builds on standard practices of professional learning communities to provide an approach that focuses on pushing forward innovation and changes in practice as opposed to solely sharing reflections or observing practices.

The Multiple Meanings of Scale: Implications for Researchers and Practitioners

“…For example, the "working in the open" model adapts practices and values from the world of open-source digital production to education settings (Santos, 2018). Drawing from research exploring how social networks promoted innovation (Frank, Zhao, Penuel, Ellefson, & Porter, 2011;Moolenaar, Daly, & Sleegers, 2011;Obstfeld, 2005;Reagans & McEvily, 2003;Ruef, 2002;Spillane, Kim, & Frank, 2012), scholars studying scale as reinvention may analyze the network structures that support reinvention within schools and evaluate strategies for generating such network structures (Santo, Ching, Peppler, & Hoadley, 2016).…”

Making Connections to and From Out-of-School Experiences

“…These types of communities help youth in finding and building identities with respect to interests that matter to them. Santo et al (2016) described how the free/open-source software movement offers models for developing educational networks, emphasizing that professional learning communities can be organized in ways that innovate rather than just reflect on practice. Drawing from their work with Hive NYC, Santo et al named participation structures that support a "working open" approach, which include in-person events, such as regular meetups and pop-up learning events; community and small group calls; and online sharing, such as through project portfolios and a network blog.…”

Social Innovation Partnerships: An Opportunity for Critical, Activist Scholarship

“…Meetups: in-person meetings, typically oriented toward fostering digital • literacy skills among members or collaborations between organizations. The methods for collaboration used by Hive Toronto also overlap significantly with Hive New York City (see Santo, Ching, Peppler & Hoadley, 2016). From the social innovation literature, Robin Murray, Julie Caulier-Grace, and Geoff Mulgan (2010) note the significance of organizational forms, such as networks, in fostering innovation, but the processes for joining together are not always well understood.…”