[Scale-planning] Open Source in Education Track at SCALE 6x

[Steve Glasser]

Tim Frichtel wrote:
> Orv and I talked about possibly having a track dedicated to Open Source 
> in Education at the next SCALE.
> 
> Here are some initial thoughts, I hope this isn't too long.
> 
> Tim Frichtel
> 
> “Education Day” at SCALE 6x
> 
> * Key topics for Educators:
> * * Software that can be used in classroom and at home
> * * General purpose software (OO.org, Gimp, N|Vu, Inkscape, Scribus, 
> Jashaka?)
> * * Educational software (GeoGebra, TuxMath, TuxType)
> * * “Web 2.0” -- blogging (Wordpress) and wikis (Mediawiki)
> * * Possibly programming – Logo, Python, PHP, Java etc.
> 
> * Software for school management
> * * Moodle - this is a no-brainer! Great tool, lots of success stories, 
> solves a real need.
> * * SugarCRM - seemingly odd, but for private schools, managing donors, 
> tuition etc is a logistical challenge
> * * Content Management System - Joomla, Plone etc - show how schools can 
> have a great, up-to-date website with minimal web building skills
> * * Possibly OpenLDAP for managing authentication in large schools 
> (possibly too narrowly technical)
> 
> * Benefits/Risks of Open Source
> * Successfully migrating to Open Source
> * How to get Support
> * * Books, websites, resources for _non-tech_ users
> 
> How to get Educators and Administrators to attend:
> * Position the presentations as ways to get great software into 
> curriculum. I don't think putting the emphasis on free, freedom, or it 
> isn't Microsoft/Apple will be a strong pull.
> 
> * Focus on how this is a great continuing-development opportunity for 
> teachers/administrators. Schools actively look for ways to offer 
> development to their staff. This is usually focused on things that get 
> continuing ed credit, as these help credentialed teachers maintain their 
> credentials, but the lack of college credit may not be a deal killer.
> 
> * Offer practical labs. Logistically, this would be challenging, but if 
> the conference rooms are big enough, we should be able to use LTSP 
> setups that will provide a great environment for working with Open 
> Office, Blogging, etc. It might be possible to get HP (who has a big 
> K-12 sell) and/or Dell, IMB etc to provide some equipment. Maybe 
> Linspire, Novell or RedHat would be willing to chip in. They don't need 
> to provide much. For instance, HP could provide thin clients and LCDs, 
> with Linspire providing giveaway software. Failing that, we might be 
> able to get used equipment resellers (who often market to schools) to 
> loan us equipment. Old laptops can make decent thin clients, or can run 
> Knoppix, livekiosk etc. If you look at Educational Computer shows like 
> CUE (www.cue.org) the hands-on sessions for editing photos, web pages, 
> blogging, podcasting etc are always packed.
> 
> * Provide practical "take-aways". Giving out an Open CD or a Ubuntu disk 
> is nice, but if a short document with some tips on getting started and 
> using the software in the classroom could be passed out as well, I think 
> that would be a lot better. Maybe something like "10 Great Creative 
> Writing projects with Blogs" or "Key features for creating research 
> papers with Open Office Writer" or "Demonstrating Geometry fundamentals 
> with GeoGebra".
> 
> * Get speakers who are educators and have success stories to tell. A bio 
> that states an experienced teacher is using Linux | Moodle | GIMP etc is 
> a much stronger draw than just talking about how great the software is 
> and what _might_ be done with it. There are some great success stories, 
> here are few I've heard of:
> - Riverdale High School in Oregon (http://k12ltsp.org/rhs_casestudy.html)
> - Indiana Schools: 
> http://www.doe.state.in.us/INaccess/pdf/inACCESS_readiness-assessment.pdf
> - Vassalboro Community School in Maine 
> http://www.desktoplinux.com/articles/AT8952848817.html
> 
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If this idea gets any traction I would like to volunteer to help develop 
it.  Anything that helps our schools...although I think this will have 
greater appeal for private schools than for public schools.

Of course you can still count on me to pull wire at scale 6x.

Cheers,
Steve G