Fw: RE: [seul-edu] Comprehensive Student Management

[Douglas Loss <dloss@suscom.net>]

On Thu, 31 Aug 2000, owner-seul-edu@seul.org wrote:

> From: "Raybould, Kevin" <KRaybould@AppGenesys.com>
> To: "'seul-edu@seul.org'" <seul-edu@seul.org>
> Subject: RE: [seul-edu] Comprehensive Student Management
> 
> Doug
> 
> I approach this from a slightly different angle. My main focus
> is not really
> on getting Linux desktops into the classrooms.  My focus is
> getting teachers
> the tools they need to help educate students, and students the
> tools/help
> they need to learn as much as they can.  I agree that Linux
> desktops would
> be the best option. They are in almost every respect superior
> to anything
> else available (IMO), and would provide a marvelous, hands on
> learning
> experience for interested students. However, I also believe
> that the
> teachers and students who need this type of help the most are
> the ones least
> able to afford the effort and cost of switching their machines
> to a new
> desktop.  I believe that it is better to take half steps and
> improve the
> situation incrementally, then to try and completely change the
> world at a
> stroke.  
> 
> I strongly believe that freeing up resources from IT can make
> a world of
> difference, particularly in the poorest schools.  Every little
> bit helps.
> Would education, particularly science related education, be
> vastly better in
> this country if students all ran Linux desktops.  Yes.  Would
> education be
> improved -even a little bit- by using Linux to assist teachers
> in doing
> their jobs better, by using Linux to free up financial
> resources where ever
> possible?  Yes, I believe so. Are small improvements
> worthwhile, at even at
> the cost of short term acceptance of Linux desktops?  Again, I
> believe so.
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin Raybould
> Unix Engineer/Programmer
> 3160 Directors Row
> Memphis TN 38131
> kraybould@ionictechnologies.com
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-seul-edu@seul.org
> [mailto:owner-seul-edu@seul.org]On Behalf
> Of Doug Loss
> Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2000 1:50 PM
> To: seul-edu@seul.org
> Subject: Re: [seul-edu] Comprehensive Student Management
> System
> 
> 
> Kevin Raybould wrote:
> 
> > As for the design, its sounds a bit cliche-ish, but perhaps
> a web based
> > front end would be the best solution for this type of
> application?  By
> > definition, it would be cross platform, and would ease
> acceptance, I
> > believe.  School sysadmins would not have to install new
> desktops, or
> > support an unfamilair client.  Teachers would have a
> shallower learning
> > curve.
> >
> 
> This gets to something I've been thinking about recently. 
> We're working on
> gaining acceptance for Linux in education.  If we put
> web-based front-ends
> on
> everything we do, I think we may be relegating Linux to
> servers and back-end
> systems, as we're removing the reason for having Linux on the
> desktop.  I
> think
> it's probably a good idea to have such front ends, but I think
> it's also
> important to have native Linux front-ends that are easier to
> use and perhaps
> more fully featured.  I want to see Linux on the desktop, not
> just in the
> wiring
> closet or the server farm.
> 
> 
> > Chris: Thank you for taking on the responsibility of setting
> this up in
> > sourceforge.  I think a good place to start, once this is
> established,
> would
> > be to post an outline of the SASIxp system - that way we
> would have a
> > starting point for desing/code discussion.
> 
> I agree.  Having an outline of the required features of the
> program going in
> will be very helpful.
> 
> --
> Doug Loss                 God is a comedian playing
> Data Network Coordinator  to an audience too afraid
> Bloomsburg University     to laugh.
> dloss@bloomu.edu                Voltaire
> 
> 
> 
-- 
Doug Loss           The art of medicine consists of amusing the
dloss@suscom.net    patient while nature cures the disease.
(570) 326-3987             Voltaire