RE: Your Mission (should you choose to accept it)

["Marshal Anderson" <marshal@marshal.co.uk>]

> I understand what you're saying, and to some extent you're right.  I
> think Ian and Georges did mention some ways in which Linux has some
> identifiable benefit over other OSs.  To those I'll add that Linux can
> often be made to run acceptably on hardware that can no longer support
> the various commercial OSs, and that Linux can be a way to deploy
> essentially the _same_ (not merely similar) programs onto the many
> disparate systems that a lot of schools gradually acquire, since there
> are Linux ports for so many different platforms.

This is interesting and could be important. The question it begs is; what
happens as Linux develops as an OS with more facilities that we might want
to use - will it slowly require more and more powerful machines? If so this
advantage is temporary. If not, then it's a real selling point for schools
that want to keep legacy systems in use - maybe even bundle the OS with
edsoft packages as a complete 'solution' (we seem to be big on 'solutions'
in te UK ATM :)

>
> The real point I want to make is that we're not looking for an
> educational reason to choose Linux over the other OSs, but for
> applications for Linux that will allow it to be considered at the same
> level as the others.  Linux may be the greatest thing since sliced
> bread, but if there aren't any pedagogical programs for it, it isn't
> appropriate for school use.  Once we can point to and demonstrate the
> same capabilities on Linux that can be demonstrated on the
> other OSs, we
> think the benefits of using Linux will speak for themselves.

OK - there's two methods of approaching this - they're not exclusive. On the
one hand producing materials that are the same as on other OSs means that
Linux machines can be seamlessly integrated with existing systems - this is
our experience with the drift from RISC OS to Windoze. On the other hand
there's the enthusiast/evangelist route. Here you kind of make a huge
assumption about Linux users (stop me when I get too wrong here). That they
are the kind of free-wheeling can-do creative types who will also be
interested in a more creative approach to education. It was interesting that
the Topologika packages mentioned elsewhere as suitable for porting were
verymuch along the didactic/rehearsal line - whereas there might be more
mileage in going down the MusicBox, ScreenTurtle, Tiny Art line as they are
content-free packages encouraging exploration, thought and a more
consructivist approach to learning.

What say you????


  Oh, and
> when it comes to teaching _about_ computers and programming,
> Linux is in
> a class by itself.

I expected that was the case - now what you need are some decent learning
materials to go along with it :)

Marshal