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

["Kevin Raybould" <kraybou1@midsouth.rr.com>]

Doug

I owe you an apology for this.  I misunderstood what you were saying, and
wrote this before I read your clarification.  I thought you were opposed to
a cross platform client, not the limitations of the web gui.

Sorry for the soapbox attitude, and the wrong-headed criticism.

Kevin

----- Original Message -----
From: "Douglas Loss" <dloss@suscom.net>
To: <seul-edu@seul.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2000 7:16 PM
Subject: Fw: RE: [seul-edu] Comprehensive Student Management


>
> 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
>
>