Linux in the schools
Categories: Media, Education, Gadgets & tech
In my day, the schools all had Apple computers -- specifically, the Apple II. Apple worked hard to get their computers into the hands of future computer buyers, even going so far as to sell them with the Bell & Howell (remember those old film projectors?) name on them. These days, however, most schools have switched to Windows-based machines, possibly due to the relatively high cost of Apple's Macintosh computers and the plentiful supply of ex-business donated systems.There are those, however, who feel that schools don't need to pay Microsoft hundreds of dollars for what many consider to be an inferior operating system. Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation, wrote an interesting paper explaining why schools should exclusively use free software, such as the widely available and extremely powerful Linux operating system.
Stallman says that using free software, in addition to saving schools money, encourages an atmosphere of learning -- the technology behind the software is not locked away in some corporate vault, but is there in the open for children to see and learn from. It also fosters a sense of community sharing as the software can be shared with the students for the betterment of all.
Richard Stallman isn't the only one who feels this way, of course. A lot of people in the computer industry agree with him. Likewise, there are those in the education world who agree, perhaps most notably in Switzerland. Beginning next fall, nine thousand computers will have the Windows operating system removed and will use only Ubuntu Linux. There will be no proprietary software on the systems at all.
According to Manuel Grandjean, director for the schools' technology services, the use of free and open-source software (FOSS) "encourages participation and the democratization of knowledge and provides product independent competences" as well as being a "reinforcement of equal opportunities" for students.
I would love to see more schools making this switch, not only for Stallman and Grandjean's reasons, but also because it will better prepare students for the reality they will face when they leave the academic world.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mel 4-07-2008 @ 1:21PM
"I would love to see more schools making this switch, not only for Stallman and Grandjean's reasons, but also because it will better prepare students for the reality they will face when they leave the academic world."
What reality is that?
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Meagan 4-07-2008 @ 1:35PM
Valid question Mel. The vast majority of corporate environments use Windows. It's possible that may change before the current generation grows up (for all the reasons mentioned) but right now, it's Windows. You can't really say that if you understand Linux you'll understand Windows... I went to college with a bundle of computer engineers who were completely unable to help with any computer issues I might have had... because they only knew Linux.
I do actually like the idea of schools switching to Linux... I don't however think we can make guesses or assumptions that Linux better prepares them for their future.
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Jen Henry 4-07-2008 @ 2:31PM
Yes, most schools use Windows. Many also still use Apple. It's always been accepted practice that different schools will use different platforms, and in some cases the same district will use multiple platforms. Why not add one more? Especially if it's at no cost to the district!
I have to admit to being a Linux user. But only recently. The Linux of old required a heavy amount of 'geek' knowledge to master and tweak the system to get it to do as you wish. Current variants, like Ubuntu, and the Edubuntu available to schools operate like Windows are very user friendly and free. My husband converted my old laptop to Ubuntu last year and I loved it. I just bought a new laptop with Windows again and am considering going back to Linux again.
While Windows is often in the forefront, Linux is often in the background, it runs many of the daily interfaces and programs that we take for granted including web 2.0 and open source applications. You could even be standing at an ATM machine that's running Linux and you don't even know it.
I still use Windows regularly at work. I also use Microsoft applications and have no trouble opening them using open source office. I still transport work back and forth from work to home.
And when Roger mentioned that schools spend $100s of dollars he should have said thousands. The school district I work in, which is very small spends over $10,000 a year in licenses for just their office staff alone. Like this article reports: http://searchenterpriselinux.techtarget.com/news/article/0,289142,sid39_gci1245710,00.html
This school in California by switching to Linux cut their costs from $100,000 to $2,500.
There's a lot of reasons for our kids to learn multiple platforms. One thing to keep in mind? While they're using Linux at school, most of them will have Windows or Apple at home. They're still learning and using multiple platforms.
Jen
http://furoreandfrenzy.com
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Justin 4-07-2008 @ 7:29PM
I'll second this one as well.
The question of "What reality?" is basically invalid if it's referring to "How are we going to prep kids for windows when they're going to be used to Linux". By the time kids grow up and move on, none of the interfaces they would have today will be even remotely similar to the ones they used in school. I used an AppleII in schoo yet I am fluent in (almost) every OS. The schools here are using all Apple systems, yet most kids still use Windows at home. Linux is simply another "flavor" added to the stock and still does/teaches/acts the same. I think it's a good idea to have a more "well rounded" perspective of computing when it comes to an OS. If a kid can learn different OS structures early, it'll be a breeze for them to convert from one to another easily. I've come up against totally foreign OS systems before, and had no problems getting myself up and running in minutes. Everything in computers still follows the same rules in the end. A hard drive is a hard drive and a printer is a printer. It doesn't matter if it's a nice bubbly blue icon or a funky red icon with paper.
The cost saving is incredible when using Linux, not to mention it is much more flexible if you really get down to the nitty-gritty. The only downside is that "everyone" uses windows. So there are small program incompatibilities at times, but nothing that would usually affect anyone in a high-school or earlier level.
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the goddess anna 4-08-2008 @ 1:08PM
Just wanted to add that the military (and quite a few businesses that I know of in the DC/Baltimore area) use Unix systems. Knowing Linux can be quite helpful in learning Unix.
I could never write a program on my computer (Windows OS), but I can write several for my laptop (Linux OS). It's just a more user-friendly system, IMO.
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Jill 4-08-2008 @ 7:19PM
That all said, our elementary school just started a Linux program.
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