Re: [seul-edu] School count

["Charlotte Fischer" <cfischer5@mediaone.net>]

Add one more: CASA (Center for Advanced Studies and the Arts) is an
afternoon program that provides special and advanced classes for 360
students from six small school districts in the Detroit (MI) area. We are in
our second year using Linux in the computer lab where we teach programming.
It has been very easy for a non-sys-admin (me) to maintain.

Charlotte Fischer
CASA

----- Original Message -----
From: "Colin Dellow" <plarf@moo.ca>
To: <seul-edu@seul.org>
Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2001 8:32 PM
Subject: [seul-edu] School count


> Hi Jennifer,
>
> In my district, zero of the schools use linux in any form.  Despite the
fact
> that they don't know it, that will soon be changing. *grin*  I hope to
> introduce them to linux as a replacement fileserver in the coming year.
>
> My viewpoint, by the way, is that of a student of the school, and as a
Linux
> enthusiast.  You need to convince them that Linux will enhance their
computing
> environment.  In my case, I intend to point to the instability of the Mac
> fileserver as the catalyst for using Linux, and then back that up with the
> following:
>
> Linux adheres closely to standards -- open and closed.  It can talk
AppleTalk
> for the Mac computers and Samba for the Windows users.  Theoretically,
this
> frees the school's choices in hardware purchases down the road -- they can
buy
> Windows boxes and Mac boxes, confident that both types will be able to
retrieve
> networked files.
>
> Linux is inexpensive (actually, it's free!).
>
> Linux can run on cheap (and in some cases, free! ;) hardware.  As a result
of
> the ability to run linux in command-line mode, you don't need the extra
CPU and
> RAM required for a GUI.  Translation: Cheap deployment.
>
>
> The last sticking point is that of the "comfort zone".  If your school has
a
> dedicated tech person, this shouldn't be an issue.  If you rely on the
teachers
> to maintain the computer network, this might be problematic.
>
> Anyway, those are the bare bones of support for Linux that apply to any
sort of
> deployment in a school.  If you could be more specific about the
deployment
> that you are planning to write about, I'd happily provide more feedback.
>
> (The cost is a _big_ thing, in my opinion.  A year ago, my school asked me
to
> help them write up a proposal for a grant.  $50,000 dollars (Canadian,
granted)
> translated into something like 25 computers.  With Linux, $50,000 dollars
spent
> wisely could easily net a person 60 computers.)
>
>
>  --
> -- Colin Dellow
> plarf@moo.ca  - "Programming is like sex: one mistake and you
> have to support it for the rest of your life."
> - Michael Sinz