Re: [seul-edu] Forming a coalition to promote free and open toolsand content in education

["David M. Bucknell" <david@members.iteachnet.com>]

This message should be kept in mind for when we forget why we started ;-):

Doug Loss <drloss@home.com> said:

> OK, I'm back and I'll (as usual) put my $0.02 in on some of the messages
> that have flown past in the last day or so.
> 
> "David M. Bucknell" wrote:
> > 
> > Let's do this together. I completely support the idea that such a
> > coaltion/collaboration should be multilingual and multinational. Coming
from a
> > background in international schools and being married to a Colombian who
> > teaches Spanish and French, and living and working in asia, I think your
list
> > is a good idea.
> > 
> Definitely so.  We've worked hard to make sure that SEUL/edu isn't aimed
> just at US/Canadian schools, and I think we've succeeded.  I'd insist
> that the proposed coalition do likewise.
> 
> > I think that for starters a lot of Linux and other free/open site admins
might
> > be on this list and should speak up if they are willing to work with the
> > suggested commuity group.
> > 
> I'm not sure what you mean here.  If you mean we should get committments
> from project leaders who are on the seul-edu mailing list, sure, that's
> a good idea.  If you mean we should solicit such committments from
> groups that aren't currently connected to us, I think we need to do some
> organizing first.
> 
> > Likewise, those who belong to LUGS and other relevant groups could help a
> > great deal by asking their members to speak up. I'll volunteer to be
secretary
> > for the start, keeping track of who wants to be in on the project and
which
> > goals get adopted, pretty much by consensus.
> > 
> Again, we need to have something to show them before we can solicit
> their involvement.
> 
> > To add my two cents to the great task list already begun, a lot has
already
> > been done and just needs organizing and shaping. There are loads of
arguments
> > for free and open source in education out there and even bibliographies of
> > them. When we find one, let's post it to an archive
(oss@members.iteachnet.org
> > is a new list that was used to start open source schools but is sort of
> > dormant now, and as it uses mailman it would make a nice repository of
posts
> > specifically meant to give the coalition ammunition).
> > 
> This is a very good idea.  Especially if we can get permission to
> combine the various documents into compilations that cover all the
> points raised in each document, and can get people willing to do the
> compilation.  That way we can have single documents (or just a few) that
> address issues, rather than a multitude that cover substantially the
> same ground, and that people will never read all of.
> 
> > Then whoever's up to it can participate in the ongoing creation of a super
> > bibliography and a _few_ well-taylored introductions for each of the
audiences
> > we wish to reach: school admins, teachers, board members, parents,
students
> > 
> I'm fine with that, so long as the compilations get priority.  These
> could be bibliographies to those compilations, so we don't lose the
> original documents, but I really think that a single document is better
> than a multitude from a consumer's standpoint.
>  
> > As Doug pointed out, the "vetting" of promotional documents will probably
need
> > to be more careful than casual. As he also says, the big players need to
be
> > attracted to the cause. It seems to me we're talking about more than
Linux,
> > though, and I suspect this was intended, but not stated. I'm just saying
it
> > aloud. I would err on the side of including both the "free" and the "open"
> > portions of the community, as well as the companies that work with the
> > software.
> > 
> Yes.  In this case, "Linux" is just a shorthand expression for "free
> software/open source software."
> 
> Doug Loss
> drloss@home.com
> 



-- 
David M. Bucknell
http://members.iteachnet.org/~david
http://www.OpenSourceSchools.org
http://members.iteachnet.org/webzine/
Fax: (US) 775-244-0803