Abstract:

A few years back, the original idea of open source projects was to create an alternative to closed software that produced unfair profits for companies, that have dominated the market in a particularly successful way. The current dynamically evolving environment of technologies puts new demands on educational institutions in many disciplines, and especially on teachers, to adapt to new trends. It is easy to put on a wave of popular commercial products, although it is costly and, from a personal experience, often quite confusing.

The paper will reveal the scope of the positive effects of leaving the comfort zone of using closed software towards the ocean of open source capabilities. The object of the author's interest is to teach Geographic Information Systems with the goal to create good start for people, which could operate as knowledge workers able to grasp complicated issues. The article uncovers some problems an ordinary teacher may have to deal with introducing open source products into curriculum and infrastructure of faculty. It also discusses the specifics and especially the benefits of using free resources in education and mentions the learning core concepts with multiple open source alternatives and their impact on the professional development of teacher and students.

Keywords:

Open Source, Geographic Information System, Education.