[Lias] netNOW NZ - Getting to the source

[Simon Bryan]

> > I tried this argument on a recalcitrant teacher at one school. The
> > software in question was OpenOffice. Later on I realised that his
> > well-founded fear is that his pupils would pick it up faster than he
> > can.
>
> Yes... so tread lightly rather than agressively.  Few of us will be
> placed in a similar position in our jobs!  It is not a sign of
> incompitance - teachers are taught how to teach... they need to keep up
> to date with teaching methods plus the material they must teach - which
> keeps changing.  Not to mention student dynamics.
>
> I don't personally like articles that claim linux on 386... If you are
> going to put it in front of teachers and students then KDE and
> openoffice is a _good_ idea - bing PIII 500 and 128M memory - lets be
> reasonable about that.
>
> And lets not forget the oodles of educational programs that are written
> for windows (but not linux)

There are some key issues here:
1. Those with decision making power in schools are often the older teachers,
many of these have not yet adjusted to the concept that it is OK for
students to know more than them. The addage now is to be 'the guide on the
side' rather than the 'sage on the stage'. This is a real and powerful
barrier.

2. Schools and teachers are under a constant marketing barrage that
basically says that we do our students a disservice if we don't teach them
microsoft programs, as that is what is used in the 'real world' - many never
check the validity of these claims with their own student base let alone the
wider community. We did and found everything in WP from WordPerfect, to
every version of Word ever made as well as LOTUS, ie there was no
consistency. (Also how much more real do you want the world than a class of
30 teenagers!!). We need to get the parents / politicians / press focussed
again on education for life rather than training for the first of what will
probably be 15 jobs.

3. 80% - 90% of what our school does on computers can be done with Mozilla,
a mail client and Open Office. There are some specialist packages for
education, but I am seeing an increasing number being made up of PDF, HTML,
FLASH etc without using a n exe file of any kind. That is they are very
portable. However it is often that 5%-10% of software that needs Wndows that
is the major influence in purchasing decisions.

4. I agree with the concept of comparing Apples with Apples - Linux on a 386
with 32MB is no match for XP on a P4 with 512MB.

5. Budget is a key argument I have been using successfully. We need to get
the most out of all our systems. 20 older Ipex machines which are P90's with
32MB have had the HDD removed and are being re-deployed as thin clients and
will be used to access our on-line roll-marking system that we are working
on at the moment. Cost = $3000. ($1500 for the P4 'server' and $1500 to have
someone set it up for us). I am currently trying to get winbindd to work to
allow us to deploy some more older machines as straight Linux workstations
running Mozilla and Open Office but also allowing students to access their
home directories (shared from a Samba Server).