2004年12月19日

11 slides

Enrico Zini (enrico@debian.org)

Free software in schools

What brand of cars
does your driving school use?

(and is this any useful when learning how to drive?)

"It is possible to give students the programs used at school so that they can continue the work at home, without imposing expenses on the families and without encouraging the practice of illegal copying."

Daniela Volta, italian and latin teacher, J.M.Keynes High School

Computers are not only Office

"Using free and alternative software is perfect for educating students to use computers as tools for study and work"

Daniela Volta, italian and latin teacher, J.M.Keynes High School

Software needs not to be generic

"Information technology education must not mean training students to use specific applications. Instead, one should develop skills that are valid with most of the programs that may be installed"

Daniela Volta, italian and latin teacher, J.M.Keynes High School

There can be more than one way

screenshot di gnumeric e calc

screenshot di tuxpaint e gimp

o screenshot di altri WP

"LUCKILY, there are always things that haven't been translated yet!"

Alberto Gistri, Gruppo Operativo Linux Empoli

Not only software is free

http://www.wikipedia.org

http://www.gutenberg.org

Many, many others

"Thanks to Free Software, our students can compare the performance of different programs; they know the problems related to different document formats; and they have developed a more critical and informed way of using computers as a working tool."

Daniela Volta, italian and latin teacher, J.M.Keynes High School

Free Software also runs on Windows

If you can't change operating system now, you can start with the applications

http://gnuwin.epfl.ch

Our staff who created the school's system has grown professionally, gaining many new skills. Free Software allows us to study and find solutions, to modify the system with absolute freedom, with much less legal obstacles, and with the support of a community which is open to sharing technological knowledge"

Daniela Volta, italian and latin teacher, J.M.Keynes High School

You would not be alone

http://www.schoolforge.net

You can learn together with others.

You can learn from what others have done.

You can create something new, and show others what you have done.

Some experiences from Italy...

Individual cases start to link together (2004-11-17 meeting in Empoli)

J.M.Keynes High School:

Uses Free Software applications on Windows

Linux servers with lots of internal and external services (started using
internal e-mail, stopped using paper)

Saved on licenses, created one more computer room

Gives students free CDs with the software they use at school

Created the Italian thesaurus for OpenOffice.org

Empoli schools:

Agreed with local administration to work only with Free Software

Built Linux-based laboratories, migrating courses to Free Software
applications

Cryptography math course

Started evaluating the Linux compatibility of special hardware like
electronic whiteboards

From Spain...

Conclusion

It can be done!

It is being done!

You can do it!

Do it!

45 mins including questions: ~35 mins of talk

Goal: show that there are problems we don't usually think about, nor we are

aware of

Introduction: what the talk is about

Showing non-technical problems that can happen inside Debian and we ren't always aware of

2003-07-19T11:28:55