Re: Linux for Learning

[thi <ttn@mingle.glug.org>]

Michael Goehring writes:

 > If so, why? What is the motivation to do so? Yes, there are numerous
 > problems with the current educational system, but numerous
 > initiatives are already proliferating to address the issues. For
 > example, the SIF (Schools Interoperability Framework) Initiative
 > <http://www.schoolsinterop.org> is working on reducing the redundancy
 > in the North American educational system by creating an XML standard
 > for moving data back and forth between currently divergent
 > applications. This "best of breed" approach allows schools to
 > maximize the efficiency of their data collection, while eliminating
 > redundancy. Every vendor associated with the SIF Initiative is
 > devoted to changing the current way the educational system shares
 > data, and willing to work side by side with their competitors to do
 > so.

"best of breed" should include a wide diversity, else your best will
become retarded (or so the genetecists tell us) over the long run.  some
of that diversity should come from outside industry.

i must question the assertion about vendor commitment.  interoperability
has traditionally been seen as a negative factor wrt maximizing profits.
even internet hardware companies pile on proprietary extensions in their
MIBs.  standardizing one layer of the data hierarchy hardly guarantees
higher layer interoperability.

 > If you decide to create alternatives to the current proprietary
 > software, what are your hoping to accomplish? Have you heard from
 > schools that no current educational solutions meet their needs,
 > thereby necessitating an open-source environment to re-build the
 > infrastructure from the ground up?

just the parts that need to be open.  in the end, some people consider
all infrastructure requiring of openness.

personally, i consider the seul-edu effort to also be a model of
education as it evolves from centralized to network-based.  the lessons
are of organization and production of code, two valuable skills that can
be applied by both student and teacher, in a wider context.

thi