StatsCan has released another report in the Connectivity series that details the key indicators for Internet connectivity in Canada. The report can be downloaded here.

It was good to see Saskatchewan in the list of provinces/territories that were identified as broadband leaders (others included the Yukon, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia). However, I still see basic problems in the ‘connectivity agenda’ that seems to assume that hardware dropping and Internet connections equate to better/improved learning. Additionally, the paper identifies increased technology implementation costs as one of the biggest issues in faced by school administrators.

I know a report like this is a measurement tool, and not meant to identify possibly solutions to the maladies of our schools. However, I still can’t get why there isn’t a bigger push for open source software/open content in schools. What is it going to take to get more individuals aware of the cost-savings (to say the least) of introducing open tools and content into our school systems?