[seul-edu] [Fwd: Featured articles this week on OpenSourceSchools.org]

[Doug Loss <drloss@home.com>]

owner-seul-edu@seul.org wrote:

> To: <seul-edu@seul.org>
> Subject: Featured articles this week on OpenSourceSchools.org
> From: "David M. Bucknell" <david@members.iteachnet.com>
>
> We have posted 23 full features this month so far, all of them of use and
> interest to those like us who wish to foster open source solutions in schools.
> Please have a read. You won't be disappointed.
>
> David Bucknell
> for Open Source Schools Journal
> ********LAST WEEK'S FEATURES********
>
> * -- Behind the Scenes at OpeNZ
> By David Lane, OpeNZ.org
>
> "I see a tremendous opportunity for the use of open source software in
> schools, and see major shortcomings in the proprietary systems currently used
> by most schools. As I see it, its main advantage is not simply the ability to
> do interesting things with computers in schools (although it will certainly
> allow that). Rather, I see open source software as infusing schools and
> children with the ethos of learning - rewarding curiosity by revealing
> secrets. Children having a chance to test themselves - having the opportunity
> to learn... the joy of learning! That is what education really should be."
>
> Read More: ==>http://opensourceschools.org/article.php?story=20011028181537580
>
> * -- SMP, The Student Management Program
> By Andreas M. Welch
>
> "In high school I spent a semester working in the office, and working with the
> ancient dos based system that had some serious "issues." It wasn't very error
> tolerant, it was definitely slow. But the two most annoying things was that it
> wasn't user friendly (not a problem for me, as a computer person, but for many
> others), and what really bugged me was that I couldn't fix the problems! It
> was annoying at the time, but I had neither the time nor the will to start
> something new, so it just sat."
>
> Read More: ==>http://opensourceschools.org/article.php?story=20011027190500582
>
> * -- Not Teaching Programming in schools?
> By Phil Jones, Linux for Schools Project
>
> "I have heard that programming skills are considered obsolete by today's
> curriculum planners. Apparently the idea is that applications are more
> important because programming is a specialised, marginal job. To this I say --
> rubbish!"
>
> Read more: ==>http://opensourceschools.org/article.php?story=2001102518513468
>
> * -- An Open Letter to the Government of New Zealand,
> By David Lane, OpeNZ.org
>
> "My colleagues and I would like you and the NZ government to consider an
> official position favouring "open source" software (OSS) for computing in the
> government and in business. We believe OSS presents a much better option for
> New Zealand than the current situation - nationwide dependence on the software
> sold by a single foreign vendor whose extremely competitive marketing tactics
> have caused considerable concern in the US courts. "
>
> Read more: ==>http://opensourceschools.org/article.php?story=20011024150728701
>
> * -- What is JUDO?
> By Tom Dunn
>
> "Unlike The Matrix, I can explain it to you. JUDO is a Java IDE for children
> and beginning programmers. JUDO is an educational tool used to teach
> programming concepts. Its purpose is to spark excitement and interest in
> programming.
>
> Writing a JUDO program is extremely easy. Unlike writing a regular Java
> program, you only need to write a void main() function. I call it a function
> because writing JUDO programs requires no object oriented knowledge."
>
> Read more: ==>http://opensourceschools.org/article.php?story=20011023224853895
>
> * -- Don't Short-Change Your Students
> By Lee Ayres
>
> "English is huge, there is no getting around that. The applications of the
> language are varied, its grammar is monstrous and its syntax can be
> overwhelming. The fact of the matter is that it's not an easy skill to teach,
> and in the course of their life the average person will only ever utilize a
> very small subset of the language. This being said, why even attempt to teach
> a broad range of linguistic options, why not start students off on a smaller,
> more easily presented slice of the language."
>
> Read more: ==>http://opensourceschools.org/article.php?story=20011022152049316
>
> * -- Linux Ready for Home Use
> By Jeff Elkner
>
> "I've known this day would come for some time now, but that hasn't tempered my
> enthusiasm one bit. Ever since I went cold turkey, and switched to Linux only
> on my home computer more than six years ago, I knew the day would one day come
> when the rest of my family would be able to join me."
>
> Read more: ==>http://opensourceschools.org/article.php?story=20011021162507769
>
> * -- Open Content Encyclopedias in Education
> By Larry Sanger, NuPedia.org, Wikipedia.org
>
> "I am editor-in-chief of Nupedia, the world's first peer reviewed,
> international, general, open content encyclopedia; I am also the chief
> coordinator and co-founder of the more open and active Wikipedia encyclopedia
> project. I invite you to examine the "about Nupedia" page and the Wikipedia
> article about Wikipedia for basic information about the projects. The
> following discussion presupposes basic familiarity with them. The question now
> before me, then, is: how could such open content encyclopedias as these be
> used for education?"
>
> Read more: ==>http://opensourceschools.org/article.php?story=20011020160315930
>
> --
> David M. Bucknell
> http://members.iteachnet.org/~david
> http://www.OpenSourceSchools.org
> http://members.iteachnet.org/webzine/
> Fax: (US) 775-244-0803




--
Doug Loss                 Always do right.  This
Data Network Coordinator  will gratify some people
Bloomsburg University     and astonish the rest.
dloss@bloomu.edu                Mark Twain