Re: [seul-edu] LWCE NY proposal deadline changed!

[SteelHead <bill@ries-knight.net>]

On Friday 07 September 2001 09:24, Doug Loss wrote:
> Jessica Sheffield wrote:
> > The other option, of course, is to blow off the LWCEs
> > as too industry-oriented and focus on smaller Linux
> > conferences, education conferences, etc. The advantage,
> > of course, is that we're much more likely to get in;
> > the disadvantage is that they're nowhere near as
> > high-profile.

Doug Loss  wrote:
> To be honest, I think this may be our best bet.  LWCE is
> very much commercially oriented; we don't really fit
> there, or reach the people we're looking for. Besides,
> we're essentially preaching to the choir at these shows. 
> I think our efforts would be much more useful at
> educational conferences like FETC, NCEITA, etc.  After
> all, the people that attend _those_ sorts of conferences
> are the ones who will make the decisions to adopt Linux
> in the schools, not the people we see at the various
> LWCEs.


I agree with Doug, but I do think we need to Preach to the 
Choir on the notion of why and how to move Linux into the 
schools.  At LWE this year I tossed out a quick and dirty 
approach:  One Penguin in every school doing one job really 
well.  It has been recieved very well. I would like to 
continue this as a selling point, but it takes more than 
one voice to be heard.  

I was very pleased to hear that the chief of Red Hat said 
we need to get Linux in the schools as he presented his 
closing speech to the attendees of Linux World Expo last 
week.  His comments were, with SuSE pushing their offering 
of Linux to all High schools, very timely for us, and a 
validation of our efforts.  Each goup has its own reason 
and agenda, but we can  take a unified front towards gettin 
Linux in schools.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-7015137.html
http://www.mozillaquest.com/Linux/SuSE_Linux_Free_4HS_01_Story_01.html

I am looking to the possibility of appearing at the CUE 
conference this fall (www.cue.org) to sell the notion of 
Linux in the school.  I need to have one or two apps with 
good utility to educators to sell this notion there.  If we 
can have success there, (and even if not), I would like to 
see a Linux presence at other education programs and 
conferences, both as show booths and presentations.

Some examples of things to offer: 

There is a project  serving 25 instances of Win98 via 
Win4Lin from a 4-way Linux box to a bunch of X terminals, 
allowing one Linux Server to provide 25 virtual desktops 
runnung on a "single windows session" developed by Kirk 
Rheinlander.  (This is anecdotal, btw).  The hardware can 
be reduced for the xterms, and the users are still able to 
run Windows as well as Linux in the Lab.

There is administrative software to help schools to 
coordinate and run such mundane things as grades, student 
records and attendance.  Records can be updated via the 
web, or across a WAN or even across a LAN as the needs and 
policies require.

There is the Cafeteria Management app that was floating 
around SEUL-edu some time ago.  I don't know the current 
status or functionality, but I am sure it could be tuned to 
presentation quality if needed.

We could offer easy email service options to the schools 
that do NOT require the expense of a Microsoft Exchange 
Server, higher uptime, better security, and full 
compatibility with Apple, Windows and Linux users.

This is a short list, and these are not by any means the 
only options around.  If some one with the time to toss out 
a proposal for some sort of presentation today (Friday 7 
September), perhaps we can get IDG to see the value of 
adding a session or track offering that reflects the value, 
to the Linux Business World, of enhancing and encouraging 
the use of Linux in the educational setting.  If IDG will 
listen, then business will follow suit, and we will get 
education dialed in to Linux.

Here is the primary page, just do it!

http://www.linuxworldexpo.com/conf-sub-06.shtml
LinuxWorld/New York 2002 Call for Papers

Bill