Praise for The Open Schoolhouse
“The Open Schoolhouse is an inspiring story about how the Penn Manor School District is leveraging open and innovative technologies to empower learners now and throughout their future. Charlie Reisinger, Technology Director, chooses practice over theory to bring to life the technical, educational, financial and cultural issues, decisions, and actions that have shaped the Penn Manor story. By doing so, Charlie provides readers with a systematic transformation model to inform and guide school leaders grappling with similar goals and constraints.
The underlying theme of The Open Schoolhouse is to motivate all of us to think critically and openly about our vision for schools and the role of technology. When planning and integrating technology, Charlie Reisinger presents a compelling story for considering the mindsets, behaviors, and skills that learners will need to be future-ready citizens. That premise resonated with me as a parent and educator as our lives are increasingly impacted by demands to learn, unlearn, and relearn to effectively participate and remain competitive in a world of ever changing circumstances. The Open Schoolhouse provides a glimpse of what authentic, relevant and meaningful education can look like when adults and learners work together in a truly open environment.
Charlie and his team have been an ongoing and benevolent source of ideas and support for our team at South Western School District. I highly recommend The Open Schoolhouse and encourage readers to connect with Charlie and the Penn Manor School District for further details and developments.”
Dr. Karen Kuntz, Director of Data & Instructional Technology, South Western School District @KarenKKuntz
“The Open Schoolhouse is a game changer for the education system in the United States and beyond. Students, teachers, and administrators alike will find inspiration in the programs happening at Penn Manor School District. Reisinger details the chronicles, decisions, and events of how to bring affordable, open source technology into the classroom. The book is not only a framework to replicate and build upon their success, but a persuasive argument to convince any administrator that cares deeply about education to make change happen for their respective schools.
This is not a book by an academic for academics. It is the story of how open source technology is being used in the classroom to prepare students for the reality of a workforce that is more and more dependent on using technology. As a parent, I thirst for this type of education for my children. As an open source advocate, it’s amazing to learn how the variety of open source tools can have an impact on a student’s education and workforce preparedness. It should be required reading for every teacher, administrator, and elected official who makes decisions about education.”
Jason Hibbets, Community Manager for Opensource.com, Project Manager at Red Hat, and author of The foundation for an open source city. @jhibbets
“Charlie Reisinger has written a lucid and moving account of a remarkable event in the history of instructional technology. This jargon-free, first-person narrative covers every aspect of a complex migration to a learner-centered, open-source computing environment for a large public school district, and does it with wit, wisdom, and a host of experiential insights that will be invaluable to anyone hoping to replicate any part of what Reisinger and his team accomplished in the Penn Manor School District.”
Dr. Timothy McGee, Rider University