Re: Linux in the Education System

[Doug Loss <dloss@csrlink.net>]

rnd@sampo.karelia.ru wrote:
> [...]
> 5 - applied level      (how to learn/teach any subjects
>                         with the help of technology OR
>                         use for school administration)
> [...]
> Teachers are usually good at levels 3 to 5 and  directors  must
> be experts of level 5. (Sometimes they intrude into the level 4
> and that is not good.)
> 
> And it must be kept in mind that usually teachers aren't  happy
> when they are told  how  to  teach,  what  methodology  to  use
> (levels 4 and 5, and  computer  science  teachers  at  level  3
> also).
> [...]
> level 5 is what seul-edu is solving;
> 
Here's a place where non-programmer members of seul-edu might make an
important contribution.  If you want to use Linux as a tool to teach a
particular subject, find a program that runs on Linux, learn how to use
it, and write an exercise book/course plan for using that program to
help teach that subject.  As an example I suggest thinking about using
Gnumeric (a spreadsheet) as a tool in teaching statistics.  Since I'm
not a teacher, I'm sure that those of you who are can come up with
better ideas than I can.

This sort of exercise book/course plan could be licensed under the OPL
to allow it to be freely used/translated/annotated without being
commercialized and proprietized.  A joint effort by educators from
different educational systems would have a good chance of coming up with
something useful in a wide variety of schools, I think.  What do you
think?  Be careful what you answer--if you're enthusiastic and have
specific thoughts on which program to use and how to use it, you may be
tapped to be a project leader for that effort.

-- 
Doug Loss                 A life spent making mistakes is not only
Data Network Coordinator  more honorable, but more useful than a
Bloomsburg University     life spent doing nothing.
dloss@bloomu.edu                G. B. Shaw