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Re: [school-discuss] FOSS Professional development courses for teachers



OK. I have a better understanding of where you are coming from.

Some background on me and what I'm doing.
I'm a software system architect and linux user/developer since 1995.
The school system in Australia is ruled by Microsoft due to whole-of-department
agreements and a lack of understanding of anti-trust issues. As a result
bringing linux in on the desktop is pretty much a non-starter.

Anecdotes related to be indicate a general lack of commitment and project
undermining/sabotage by teaching staff leads to failure in trials that go too
far too quickly. As a result I want to get to a point where the staff can see
linux and Windows running side by side and come to their own conclusion that
"hey this Windows stuff really sucks compared to linux".

Anyway, it's all about the apps and webapps are easier to deploy because they
can comfortably drive them from IE. Open source webapps have a particular value
for money driver and open source webapps for administrators are gold because
you can get buy-in and even forward momentum from the school administrators who
are usually hostile to change.

OT: Noticing your domain, I think I had an aloha.com account when I lived out
in Pololo valley some years back.


--- knowtree@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
> > I think this is a bit heavy for our target audience - although I have to
> say,
> > on first reading I'm unsure what the goals of openslate actually are.
> 
> Total integration of IT with curriculum and learning activities rather than
> IT as a subject of study or a replacement for a typewriter. Open-Source
> softwae and courseware as an alternative to commercial textbooks and
> educational software. A collection of resources driven by the user
> community, providing what the community wants.
> 
>  
> > We're looking at approaching the subject based on introducing web apps
> first;
> > show educators what powerful OSS applications exist. 
> 
> Some really good stuff are not web apps. Tux Paint, for example. And if
> your target is older kids, there is The Gimp.
> 
> > Part of the training would
> > be to promote OSS ideas and resources; but that would be secondary because
> > expousing ideologies often turns people away.
> 
> True, yet you need to create a context. You need to convince the good
> people of River City that they have a problem in order to get them
> interested in starting up a band. You need to do the feature-benefit thing.
>  You may be excited that Moodle is FOSS, or that it is a web app, but those
> other folks in the room won't even know how to interpret this information.
> FOSS ideology may not be what you want, but you still need a context.
> 
> As for "heavy," well, if that's the way my writing sounds, and that's a
> problem, I apologize, because I do not mean it that way. What I want is for
> people to feel comfortable about getting involved with Open Slate and Chalk
> Dusk. That is why I set up the wiki, to promote participation. Come on in
> and check it out.
> 
> Gary Dunn
> Open Slate Project
> http://openslate.net
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 



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