developing a K12 Linux distribution

[Stephen Bannasch <stephen@concord.org>]

Can Linux and open source software be used to help give every student access to reliable, high-quality, computing and networking tools?  Can you help make this happen?  Are you doing it already?

We believe the time is right to assemble, adapt, and develop a Linux distribution specifically designed to support K-12 educational needs.  Our goal is to support and facilitate both the open source and educational communities to work together so that kids and teachers in our schools have access to the best that technology can offer.

I know this is already happening here -- we're not trying to replace seul.  We're trying to write a Challenge grant proposal to the US Department of Education to specifically support a number of poor rural schools.  However we are building Linux and OSS into theproposal.  We will be creating, adapting, assembling a specific Linux distribution for both school servers and workstations.  Any development we do for the project if funded would be open source software available to anybody.

If the idea sounds exciting please check here for a lengthier description of the technical ideas/need.  I hope to get a more complete project description up soon.

  http://concord.org/oss/

What we really need right away are letters of support.  The DOE wants in-kind contributions.  I don't know if OSS development can be considered but I think it should be.

-- Stephen Bannasch
   Director of Technology, Concord Consortium
   37 Thoreau Street, Concord, MA 01742
   direct: 978 371 3477, fax: 978 371 0696, main: 978 369 4367
   http://www.concord.org  mailto:stephen@concord.org