|
List Info
Thread: Fwd: Edubuntu Feisty
|
|
| Fwd: Edubuntu Feisty |
|
2007-03-29 06:58:31 |
|
On 3/28/07,
Uwe Geercken < uwe.geercken datamelt.com" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">
uwe.geerckendatamelt.com> wrote:
there are also other things that are in the way to implement linux.
currently we in germany are still trying to equip a lot of schools that have
been left out in the past for various reasons. as economy is on its way up, in
many places money is made available to buy computers for the schools.
suddenly, money is not a (prime) issue. it is important to be up-to-date (poor
results of the educational system add to this) and the local politicians want
to have their showcases. and the question they ask is: "how many computers,
printers, etc?" ok that makes lets say 40000 bucks. our local school e.g. has
been extended for a million and in the same go they equipped the computer room:
20 brandnew computers with windows, office, printers, switches and kabeling.
that was just a small bit.
Sad. Somehow I'd thought that Microsoft was only so dominant in the US.
my argument with the teachers was:
- teach them linux and windows. later the kids can decide on their own depending
on where they work and what they work on
- if they know linux, it is easier to adopt to windows, then the other way
around
- give them something interesting (which windows not is). all those issues like
violence is in many cases caused by the fact that the kids don't have anything
to do and no place to go to. although this is not an issue in my town, I say:
give them something to do that they like, using the computer.
- unlike the current generation, kids should understand what is inside the
computer. harddisk, slots, memory, etc. they should know what that is and how
it works.
- you can easily combine the lessons in math, chemics, languages, etc with the
computer. the kids can do something useful and waste their energy. or you can
integrate the computer in school projects.
I totally agree. The above points are made in an EXCELLENT& nbsp; podcast by Mike Huffman and Laura Taylor in an interview by Steve Hargadon at
http://educationbridges.net/k12opensource/?p=8. They discuss the state of Indiana9;s inAccess program. The "A" stands for affordable. Schools get government money to buy computers but only if they run Linux on them. Some interesting quotes: "The word "Linux" never comes up." Teachers only care that each student gets their own computer that can support the curriculum.
teachers are by the way a big problem. they have in general no understanding
of computers, they don't know what possibilities there are and they do not have
a lot of time to educate themselves. I believe teachers need to be in the boat
as well. that is important.
ok. this is all for the moment. a mixture of hope, entusiasm and resignation is
the best description of how I feel when I discus with them. but I know it takes
time and so I don't give up.
Yes, please be patient with them. As a teacher, I must add that each year, teachers are asked to jump in a new "boat", that is a new learning system or behavior management program and they natually get pretty cynical about it. But when teachers see something that works *reliably* they will use it.
what I see here in
europe is that the kids nowadays grow up with at least three languages: german,
englisch and then the language of e.g. a spanish father, an italian or french
mother just to name some. in school they usually learn englisch and french or
englisch and spanish.
As an aside, this is such a strength for the kids of Europe. Foreign
languages typically aren't introduced here in the U.S. until 9th grade.
Having started to learn Spanish in my 40's, all I can say is it's muy
difícil!.
Scott
|
| Re: Fwd: Edubuntu Feisty |
|
2007-03-29 11:29:39 |
My take on the following:
"Scott Ledyard" <scottredboot.biz> writes:
>
>my argument with the teachers was:
>- teach them linux and windows. later the kids can
decide on their own
>depending
>on where they work and what they work on
+++++++++++++++++++
It shouldn't be "teach them Windows or teach them
Linux", but rather teach
them concepts vs. applications and OS's. Once you teach
concepts....the
OS is largely irrelevant. I'll use my own school as an
example. Today's
eighth graders entered this school in the fall of 1998 as
kindergarters.
At that time, many of the computers in this school were not
hooked up to
the Internet at all (I came on board in the fall of 1999 and
fixed all
that) The computers were old LC580's and LC II's (Apple)
running System
7.1 or 7.63. They ran applications like Clarisworks,
Netscape, and
others. The few PC's we had were running Windows 95 or 98
and all sorts
of older software. Fast-forward to today (a few short years
later)....we
have Linux thin-clients in every classroom....a lab of
Linux
thin-clients....Apple iBooks in the hands of every single
7th and 8th
graders (provided by the State)....a lab of eMacs (Apple)
which can boot
or run as a session - Linux, Windows, or Mac OS X....and a
scattering of
eMacs in special education classrooms to run Lexia Reading
software.
Now...if we had expended all of our energy teaching
Clarisworks....or
Windows 95....where would we be now? Instead we focused on
things like
how to save documents, proper keyboarding, keyboard
shortcuts like CTRL-S,
and so forth. As time went on, the kids were able to adapt
quickly, sit
down, and get to work...regardless of the OS. They now
float effortlessly
between computers, laptops, and OS's as if they made no
difference and
they don't). The other day, I had a 1st grade teacher come
and ask me for
another Linux terminal so her kids could type more. She
made the comment
that she prefers the Linux machine because the clipart is
better. (go
figure!) 
One other note....roaming profiles is a huge key to success
in many of
these case...especially in a thin-client terminal
environment. Anytime
you can make it so that the users documents. preferences,
etc, follow them
regardless of where they log on or sit....you'll have a much
easier time
with the transition.
++++++++++++++++++++
>
>- if they know linux, it is easier to adopt to windows,
then the other way
>around
+++++++++++++++++++
not necessarily....I've found that it makes no
difference....90% of it is
the attitude with which you approach the change.
+++++++++++++++++++
>
>- give them something interesting (which windows not
is). all those
>issues like
>violence is in many cases caused by the fact that the
kids don't have
>anything
>to do and no place to go to. although this is not an
issue in my town, I
>say:
>give them something to do that they like, using the
computer.
+++++++++++++++++
or better yet, teach them how to "go out and
play"
+++++++++++++++++
>
>- unlike the current generation, kids should understand
what is inside
>the
>computer. harddisk, slots, memory, etc. they should know
what that is and
>how
>it works.
>- you can easily combine the lessons in math, chemics,
languages, etc
>with the
>computer. the kids can do something useful and waste
their energy. or you
>can
>integrate the computer in school projects.
+++++++++++++
true, the trick is to make the computer another tool in the
process rather
than the process itself
+++++++++++++
>
>
>
>I totally agree. The above points are made in an
EXCELLENT podcast by
>Mike Huffman and Laura Taylor in an interview by Steve
Hargadon at [
>http:/
/educationbridges.net/k12opensource/?p=8 ]
>http:
//educationbridges.net/k12opensource/?p=8. They discuss
the state of
>Indiana's inAccess program. The "A" stands for
affordable. Schools get
>government money to buy computers but only if they run
Linux on them.
>Some interesting quotes: "The word
"Linux" never comes up." Teachers only
>care that each student gets their own computer that can
support the
>curriculum.
>
>
>
>
>teachers are by the way a big problem. they have in
general no
>understanding
>of computers, they don't know what possibilities there
are and they do
>not have
>a lot of time to educate themselves. I believe teachers
need to be in the
>boat
>as well. that is important.
+++++++++++++++++
And....administration needs to have the guts to say
"Get with the program
or get out of the profession....in this day and age there is
NO excuse for
not educating yourself on the use and integration of
computers in the
classroom. Schools can provide professional development
opportunities to
a certain extent, but at some point it becomes the
individuals
responsibility to learn on their own.
+++++++++++++++++
>
>
>ok. this is all for the moment. a mixture of hope,
entusiasm and
>resignation is
>the best description of how I feel when I discus with
them. but I know it
>takes
>time and so I don't give up.
++++++++++++++++++
Yes, don't give up...and don't push....just steer
++++++++++++++++++
>
>
>
>
>
>Yes, please be patient with them. As a teacher, I must
add that each
>year, teachers are asked to jump in a new
"boat", that is a new learning
>system or behavior management program and they natually
get pretty
>cynical about it. But when teachers see something that
works *reliably*
>they will use it.
>
>
>
>what I see here in
>europe is that the kids nowadays grow up with at least
three languages:
>german,
>englisch and then the language of e.g. a spanish father,
an italian or
>french
>mother just to name some. in school they usually learn
englisch and
>french or
>englisch and spanish.
++++++++++++
that's a very cool thing about Europe!
++++++++++++
>
>
>
>As an aside, this is such a strength for the kids of
Europe. Foreign
>languages typically aren't introduced here in the U.S.
until 9th grade.
>Having started to learn Spanish in my 40's, all I can
say is it's muy
>difícil!.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
true (dammit)...........I took 4 years of French....I live
next to Quebec
and need to be able to order beer when I travel across the
border 
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hey...above all....keep fighting the "good" fight
>
David N. Trask
Technology Teacher/Director
Vassalboro Community School
dtraskvcsvikings.org
(207)923-3100
--
edubuntu-users mailing list
edubuntu-userslists.ubuntu.com
Modify settings or unsubscribe at: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/edubuntu-users
|
|
[1-2]
|
|