On Fri, Mar 28, 2008 at 7:56 AM, Craig <craig@???> wrote:
> Hello everyone,
>
> I posted this in Ubuntu-UK and had a great response. Several people
> pointed me towards you guys, so I thought I'd see what advice you could
> give me.
>
> I have been an Ubuntu user for not very long (since around October) and
> have been amazed at the stability, compatibility and usability amongst
> many other things. I think it really shows what a community can do if
> they pull together - they can develop an operating system that (in my
> biased opinion) is better than that of a multi-billion pound company.
> I am 13 and go to Court Moor School in Fleet. The school is very
> keen on getting the latest technology - virtual learning environments,
> computerised registration etc. Currently I am persuading various people
> around the school to switch to ubuntu. I have found quite a few people
> who would be interested in having someone who really knows what they're
> talking about to show them some of the features and the security they
> could use and some of the things included in edubuntu.
> Obviously this is still in early stages, I was just wondering if
> this is something that anyone would possibly be interested in doing so I
> could negotiate further. Otherwise, any ideas on ways to persuade a
> school to switch to ubuntu? What I would really like to know is who I
> really need to talk to - Head of ICT, technicians... and also some
> information about what sort of things edubuntu has.
>
> Craig.
Craig,
welcome to the LUG. Glad to hear that there are still young inquiring
minds that haven't been brainwashed in to exploring the ways of
Microsoft office.
Typically, schools are not that interested in the platform that they
use, but are primarily concerned with the support they receive.
Switching to Ubuntu on a big scale is not going to happen quickly.
However, I've found that change by stealth is the best means.
Recently, the school I work at had a redundant server but wanted to
have an intranet to showcase work. I suggested that we install Ubuntu
on the server at no extra cost and host a CMS to manage the content.
The staff were really pleased that it could be done easily. I have
tried to set up the machine to make it as easy to manage as possible
(allowing them to see that I'm not trying to tie them in to my support
indefinitely). Everything is going well so far.
You may find that your school has some old hardware that they are
looking for an excuse to either do something with or get rid of. Ask
if anything like this exists and then if you can play around
installing Ubuntu on to it. Suggest it as a project - something to
evaluate. If the school is going for a Becta kite-mark kind of award
(you will need to research this more) then this might tick some boxes
in terms of extra-curricula activities. These kind of activities are
best run at break times with the support of a trusted teacher who
doesn't want to oversee your activities all the time (due to them
being in their break time) but also doesn't want to create any extra
stress on the existing curriculum.
Don't be disheartened if things don't go your way - just keep
suggesting that it's something you, and others if you know of anyone,
would like to tinker with. You may have other avenues to explore such
as a Young Enterprise project where you can try to make money through
certain activities. Whatever you find out in your school, always keep
the relevant staff informed. Best of luck in whatever happens.
Adam
--
http://www.monkeez.org
PGP key: 0x7111B833
