[Fsfe-uk] Re: [Northwales] OSS in Welsh Schools

[Richard Smedley]

cc'd to Schoolforge UK - 
see the messages titled [Northwales] OSS in Schools 
on http://mailman.lug.org.uk/pipermail/northwales/2006-October/thread.html
for background

Also returning thread to FSFE-UK, as Phil needs to get his presentation 
in soon - usual apologies to anyone caught in the cross-posting crossfire =^)

On Saturday 28 October 2006 16:58, Phil Thane wrote:
> In the spirit of Open-ness and co-operation, I've posted a draft of the
> presentation I'm going to put to the WAG Schools IT Strategy Group. Please
> feel free to rip it to shreds - providing you make helpful suggestions.

Hello Phil,

I've cc'd to Schoolforge UK to involve some more of those at
the chalkface. There has been a tendency in the Free Software world
for people to duplicate each other's work, often in the dark about other 
efforts [something occasionally noticeable at LinuxWorld]. Therefore 
I cross-post to get people talking to each other :-)

Hope that you find at least some of the following, which roughly
correspond to the numbered slides, helpful:

1. [didactic, /not/ pedantic]
You call Free Software ``Open Source Software'' on every slide.
After fifteen years of the Free Software movement, the term ``Open Source 
Software'' was invented in 98 by Tim O'Reilly and some of his friends because
they felt it was embarrassing to talk about freedom, and businesses would
be turned off from using GNU/Linux if they had to think about ethics :-(

I'd like to think that when it comes to schools - which have the job of
instilling values into the next generation - we should be unembarrassed about
talking about values of freedom, community and education.

Please note also that access to source code is essential to only two of the 
four freedoms of Free Software, and that much open source software does not 
confer freedoms upon the user beyond the chance to look at the source code.

2.
Some good points for you to expand upon as you talk :-)

3.
Calling the GNU OS Linux makes the 22 years work of the GNU project sound like
an accident :-(
http://www.gnu.org/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html

4.
I don't know how many of the examples from Schoolforge you will get to
touch upon - but I would recommend Skegness Grammar, who saved enough 
with LTSP to erect a new computing building, and employ an extra part-time
IT teacher :-)

5.
As you get ready to introduce apps for Welsh schools, this would be a
good time to mention the excellent support for the Welsh language in
GNOME, KDE, Mozilla, OOo - iow the major components of the GNU/Linux
desktop.  This would make the mention on 19 a re-inforcement of the
point.

Also for the languages of immigrants to Wales other than the English.

6.
Worth adding in some usage statistics? Averaging 20%: fewer in UK, but
around 30% in Finland.

7.
I take it you'll be mentioning 100,000 OU Moodle users, and use by 53%
of FE colleges in the UK?

8.
It's always OpenOffice.org - the name Open Office proved impossible
to protect :-/

ODF is key to adoption here: soon to be mandated by the European 
Commission.

9.
How about handing out copies of the Open CD at this point? :-)

10.
V good to admit limitations (CMYK) in the GIMP - but don't forget it
is ahead of Photoshop in scriptability which may have a role in some
schools' arts projects.

(11-15)
Some good apps - and obviously there are many others to argue
over for inclusion - particularly for Primary schools). 
How about something for mind maps? And something for HTML?

16 (well 1-27) :%s/Linux/GNU\/Linux/g

17
See later comments on desktops, LTSP and boldness.

21.
See also Skegness's own v successful management system.

24.
QCA have given Ingots the nod - although they have yet to make an official
announcement - so schools should be much more interested in running 
the certification :-)

25.
There is some merit in all of these suggestions, but so many evaluations have
been carried out by others, is it really worth waiting while WAG carry out
their own?
Bear in mind also that all bets are off in schools IT provision with BSF, 
which will totally change the landscape (though quite probably not for the 
better).

26.
I think that we can give you answers to all of these questions :-(

27.
http://www.schoolforge.org.uk/
http://www.kyfieithu.co.uk
elgg
etc.

> Bear in mind I'm going to talk too so what you see is just the headlines.

Of course - but this is what will stay with them. Particularly when you
hand them a hard copy of either your slides or an executive summary
and set of bullet points :-)

> My preferred strategy would be to adopt OSS on Windows now, then Linux
> servers then once it's stopped being a novelty start to trial Linux
> desktops.

I think it's worth being bolder. Yes, say that Free Software can be adopted 
on MS platforms - but also push the huge advantages of LTSP :-)
They might not take up the suggestion - but as it is already successful in
hundreds (thousands?) of schools, why shouldn't we have it in Wales? ;-)

> Let me know what you think.

All my opinion - I'm not speaking on any group's behalf in this instance
- but I hope you consider some of the points. I'm also happy to talk at 
length off-list before you give your talk :-)

It's great what you've been doing :-)  But please share more with
Schoolforge UK, and other actively interested parties =o)

> Download from:  www.brynvilla.llangollen.co.uk/P_links.html

Good luck with the presentation :-)

Regards,

 - Richard

-- 
Richard Smedley,                                         address@hidden
Sustainable IT Consultant
                                 ``Software Freedom for the Voluntary Sector''

[Now is not a good time to ask me what happened to MOST - but 
keep watching this space ;^]