Re: [school-discuss] bootable CDs?

["" <marilyn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Extremely cool!  I can build my own?  Wow!  I am definitely going to play with
that!  Thanks!

Marilyn

Quoting Shane Coyle <shane@xxxxxxxxxxx>:

> Hi Marilyn,
> 
> I may be a bit biased, since I actually have a project that is a live CD
> aimed 
> at public schools, but I think that the Live CD is the perfect format for 
> bridging the digital divide in schools and ensuring that all students have 
> access to the same high quality software tools.
> 
> A project that you may be interested in is Slax (www.slax.org), it is 
> essentially a live CD building system that will let you decide which programs
> 
> you want to include by simply copying the cd to your hard drive, adding new 
> modules with the programs you want, and reburning the disc onto a new cd-r. 
> 
> 
> Of course, I will also shamelessly plug my own Live CD, EDU-Nix 
> (pronounced "EEE-DEE-YOU-NIX") (www.edu-nix.org).  The first testing copy of
> 
> Version II was just released, and is based on slax.  It also contains several
> 
> Free Software programs for WIndows PCs as well, including OpenOffice.org 2 
> and Mozilla Firefox.  Lyx is not included in the present build, but could 
> easily be added, I am sure there is a Lyx module available at slax.org, or I
> 
> will be glad to whip one up for you to add to your own CD.
> 
> Regards,
> Shane Coyle
> www.edu-nix.org
> 
> 
> 
> On Friday 29 September 2006 15:29, marilyn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> > Does anyone else see the potential in bootable CDs?
> >
> > I used them the moment I discovered them back in 2003.  I was teaching
> > keyboarding and Knoppix 3.2 had a copy of LyX on it.  The students used
> LyX
> > to write reports for their other classes.  I sent a Knoppix CD home with
> > every kid at the end of the term.
> >
> > Since then I've kept up with Knoppix and frequently have used it as my
> > primary OS, using my hard disk just for storage.  Since my technical
> > expertise is not at the level of most of you on this list (music teacher .
> > . . yesterday I spent the day playing "Hot Cross Buns" on recorders all
> > day), I appreciate that Knoppix usually sees my hardware and networks
> > easily.  It's much less complicated then messing with an installation.
> >
> > Last Spring someone from the schoolforge list sent out a link to Frozen
> > Tech's Live CD List.  http://www.frozentech.com/content/livecd.php
> >
> > Wow!  That was like Christmas!  I had no idea there were so many flavors!
> >
> > I found two I liked for school use right away.  I use Kanotix to print out
> > posters, but the most important for me is Musix.
> >
> > For the past two years I have been teaching music at an intermediate
> > school. Musix is a bootable music studio.  I boot from the Musix CD, it
> > sees the sound card and presto - I've got sequencers, synthesizers, music
> > notation editors, drum machines, a music theory game and even a guitar
> > tuner.  I have permission from my system administrator to use bootables so
> > next week I am taking all of my music classes to the lab to run Musix.  We
> > will play the music game, play with the drum machine, and write a recorder
> > song using only five notes.
> >
> > Couldn't we have a bootable CD for each subject area - math, science,
> > writing, art?  A teacher can use bootables without the district adopting a
> > new OS.
> >
> > We will be using Samba Network Neighborhood to save our work on district
> > servers.
> >
> > Of course you all know about Freeduc.  I use that with my little kids at
> > home.
> >
> > I am giving a presentation on bootable CDs at our local TCEA conference on
> > 10/28.  It will be interesting to see if anyone attends!
> >
> > Later,
> > Marilyn
> 
> -- 
> Shane Coyle
> Founder, EDU-Nix.org Project
> www.edu-nix.org
> 
>