Name: The Open EdTech Advantage: Winning Support (and Funding) in a Proprietary World
Start: 2026-10-08T14:15:00-0400
End: 2026-10-08T14:45:00-0400

All sessions are available online except round tables, special activities, and workshops.

The Open EdTech Advantage: Winning Support (and Funding) in a Proprietary World

Thursday October 8, 2026 2:15pm - 2:45pm EDT

6 DR4

ID: 34005

The evolving landscape of technology demands a fundamental shift in how we approach the procurement of EdTech tools. Higher Ed institutions need access to and control over technology that is inherently transparent, and tools they can not only inspect for ethical use and data privacy but also confidently modify and trust for long-term sustainability. In an era where every vendor claims to have “AI inside,” the real competitive advantage is not a license key but a community: the students, faculty, and staff who can shape, sustain, and continuously improve the tools they use every day.Over the past two decades we have seen how open source technologies and open approaches to EdTech can offer benefits for the institution as well as educators and most importantly, students. Yet one of the recurring challenges with open source software in education is advocating for open source not only as a solution for testing out innovations, but as an enterprise service. For open educators and learning technologists this presents an ongoing issue, balancing the requirements of institutional IT and purchasing policies with the needs of educators and students. With cyber security, responsible use of AI and accessibility all increasingly important, is there any room left for open solutions and services alongside an institution's core digital estate?This session reframes Open EdTech Advocacy from a plea for cheaper software into a strategic investment in human capacity. We will show how choosing open source is less a procurement decision and more a strategy that lowers total cost of ownership, reduces vendor lock-in, grows institutional expertise, and can deliver solutions that truly evolve to fit the needs of a community. We will explore strategies for making the case for open-source tools and open edtech platforms at multiple levels of an institution, from Leadership and Budget Holders, IT Teams and Central Services, to Faculty and Academic Units, as well as Students and Future Professionals.This presentation will also showcase several new Open EdTech case studies (based on interviews conducted with teams of instructional designers over the past 2 years) that show who and how institutions who are at the forefront of Open EdTech adoption develop, scale and deploy open source educational services, including Stanford University, Princeton University and SUNY Oneonta. At a time when openness in education and on the web is more contested than ever before, these case studies offer practical advice for learning designers and learning technologists, as well as strategic insights for anyone navigating funding and procurement processes for open source technologies and looking for practical know-how and resources to help you advocate for similar initiatives in your own institution.

Speakers

Taylor Jadin

Systems Administrator and Director of Operations, Reclaim Hosting

Taylor is Reclaim Hosting’s Systems Administrator and Director of Operations, as well as a proud husband and father, teacher, musician, avid camper, and unashamed nerd. He is passionate about educating and empowering people who want to make cool stuff on the web! Before joining... Read More →

Thursday October 8, 2026 2:15pm - 2:45pm EDT
6 DR4 MIT Samberg Conference Center, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139 USA

Presentation

Speaker Modality In-person
Track Hacking the Open Ecosystem and Praxis for the Public Good

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OEGlobal 2026

Taylor Jadin

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OEGlobal 2026

Taylor Jadin

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