Re: [Fsfe-uk] UK Online [centres] feedback: Open Office 1 WAS Free Libre Open Source Software

[Paul]

Hi,

> Where centres are dependent upon income from provision of
> qualifications it is the demand generated by the learner that dictates
> the software.  In general they have PCs with MS Office, as do their
> employers or potential employers.  Whilst I agree Open Office is easy
> to use, I am not persuaded that any move to Open Office would be
> welcomed by those learners.  They would probably look elsewhere.  

I can wholy and completely agree with you on this having worked in
education for the best part of my entire working life (roughly 9 months
out of education since leaving school!).

My former employees were teaching MS Works when people wanted WP and
quickly had to switch. They then moved back to Office when Office is
wanted.

I have recently learned that a number of NW colleges are now teaching
both MS Office and OpenOffice as OOo is becoming "in demand" by local
industry due to the cost and the actual workload to teach the pair
really amounts to clicking on a different icon to load up a file!

In a small number of classes, students prefer to use OOo as they can
take away the CD given away by the college free of charge and use that
at home for all of their office requirements and coursework.

Please, don't assume the what a learner wants until you ask them and ask
them in a fair way (that is "do you want to learn something growing in
popularity and use which is not much different to MS Office" rather than
"We teach something you may have never heard of and for all you know,
neither has industry"). You may be suprised by the result.

TTFN

Paul
-- 
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