Re: [school-discuss] Some questions about OSS in education:

[Knut Yrvin <knuty@skolelinux.no>]

lørdag 14 august 2004, 16:04, skrev wen heping:
> But i have some questions about OSS in education now:
>     1 Suppose in the future most of the k12 schools us OSS as ICT
> tool,then when we look back,what is mark of the beginning of OSS in
> education? 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software_movement
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology

> 2 Which Linux distribution is the best for school?I s it 
> Debian? LTSP? FedoraCore? Gentoo or sth. else?

Skolelinux: 
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1624113,00.asp

  To deploy LTSP properly, though, you do need to have a wee 
  bit of Linux expertise in the house. If you don't, there's a 
  new, easy-to-use Linux thin-client package based on LTSP and 
  Debian Linux that almost anyone can set up: Skolelinux. 

  Skolelinux was designed for school use with minimal resources 
  in every sense of the word. This Norwegian-created Linux 
  distribution is the easiest-to-install thin-client operating 
  system, regardless of its parent operating system, that 
  I've ever seen.

Why: 
-- The new debian-installer
-- Common architecture out of the box
-- Focus on local languages
-- The rest of the list: 
  http://www.skolelinux.org/portal/about/why

Independent report of day-to-day use: 

http://developer.skolelinux.no/rapporter/statskonsult_2003_24_eng.pdf

>     3 Which country is the most active in applying OSS in education
> now? It is said that Latin American countries are more interested in
> using OSS in education than the other parts of the world, is that
> true?

Norway, Brazil and Spain: 

http://www.skolelinux.org/portal/press/press_releases/joint_statement_20040702

>     4 Which is the most important paper that advocates OSS in
> education? Those who like OSS always think E.S.Raymond's <<The
> Cathedral and the Bazaar>> as their Bible, is there such a Bible in
> OSS in education? 

None of the above. 

Read more about computer literacy, software for everyone and The Digital 
Divide: 

http://www.skolelinux.no/~conrad/snofrix/html/us/fri.html
http://gguillotin.chez.tiscali.fr/digital_divide.htm
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/schools.html

> 5 What is the percentage of the k12 schools that 
> use OSS instead of Microsoft's product now in your country?

In secondary school 20-30% has access to OpenOffice as their main 
office-tool. The growth in use of Skolelinux on track. We know of 200 
schools that has migrated, or are migrating from Microsoft to 
Skolelinux in Norway - all transitions are motivated bottom up. 

>     6 I heard that Latin American is very active in applying OSS in
> k12 education, is that so? Anybody cab afford me some information
> about it?Better in English.

In Brazil this is political, as it is in Norway (The Norwegian Board of 
Technology): 
http://www.brazzil.com/2003/html/news/articles/aug03/p139aug03.htm
http://www.teknologiradet.no/files/7polished_copy.htm

Sincerely 
Knut Yrvin
-- 
Project manager (cel: +47 908 95 765) Skolelinux Norway and OpenOffice
translation to Norwegian. Office 1: SLX Debian Labs Forskningsparken,
Gaustadalle 21, 0349 OSLO, NORWAY. Office 2: IT-Staff Akershus County
Council, Schweigaards gate 4, 0185 OSLO, NORWAY