RE: [seul-edu] Remarks from a science educator

["Greg Tutunjian" <greg@isoia.com>]

Regarding Alan's Comment: 
<snip>
>> Teachers do not want to take the time to learn GNU/Linux or any other OS.

<snip>
I have found that when Linux is presented to them in the context of a formal
curriculum, each teacher is very excited to learn Linux and often takes on
additional responsibility to propagate its use within their classroom and/or
school.

I teach an on-line course entitled Emerging Technologies at Lesley
University (Cambridge, MA) http://www.lesley.edu/soe/111tech.html 
Last semester, I re-purposed the content and presented a new course.
The Linux module was the standout star.

"... take the time ..." - Most of my students note that they have VERY
limited time to pursue new tools and technologies (let alone an operating
system, a synthesis of both, IMHO).  When we engage in chat sessions to
discuss our backgrounds and goals, it's obvious that educators (at least in
the U.S.) are under financial and time constraints.

We all have time constraints and those things that we make time for in our
personal and professional lives.  Not everyone is predisposed (has to be a
better word, I think) to look at operating systems, even when they present
such a rich set of low-cost (and no-cost) tools and supporting
functionality.  Just finding a personal computer on which students can
experiment (and have administrative rights) is a challenge for many in the
class.

I come at this from 30 years (ouch!) of technology and methodology
development and application, half within software and hardware companies and
half within technology consumer organizations.  I think we'll see a broader
application of Linux in schools (and other organizations) when these
conditions occur:
1.  Linux "images" are available to be pushed to desktops (versus allowing
individual installations and configurations, a systems management and
security nightmare)
2.  Organizations institute Linux tool suite standards (again, with fixed
operating conditions, like the OS, so support is manageable and affordable)
3.  A Fortune 100 corporation announces that they are moving off MS-Windows
as their preferred desktop OS to Linux.  This step will assume 1 and 2,
above, have been addressed, and will "sway" educators and the like to make
the same changes. This corporation will have to be a U.S. corporation, as
"we" tend to follow our own (not "me", just the "follow the [perceived]
leader" mindset we seem to adhere to, day in and day out.)

Cheers,

Greg