Damien said:
I got onto #openhatch today and managed to chat to a few of the good peeps there, someone mentioned this: http://www.one-education.org have you folks seen this? Seems interesting - they provide android compatible hardware and a turn-key technology education solution for Aussie schools. Not sure how easily it can be extended or if it's even free software, but I was unaware of anyone even attempting something like that before.
On the one-education website they say "All children are learners and teachers, and this spirit of collaboration is amplified by free and open tools that are limited only by imagination". So that appears to be a good indication. Damien also said:
On another note, I delved into the openhatch.org website and found some useful info on creating an affiliated event:
Hmmmn. I sense a cunning and devious plan beginning to brew. Glen said:
The department has an install which includes a software bundle called 'eduSTAR'. Many schools use this because of the favorable costs. etc etc.
I'm making assumptions here. But if I understand this correctly eduSTAR is a couple of .iso files that schools can access and use to load onto computers they purchase. Would that be right? The mac version simply being a bundle of applications rather than including the OS. And I assume they would pay license fees accordingly. I would hazard a guess that the windows bias comes from a lack of confidence or knowledge regarding free options. And I'd lay a wager on the presence of mac software being due to zealots within the department and schools demanding they have the option available. Which if true paints a positive picture for promoting a solid proven free/open platform and tool set. My point being that creating zealots just needs talking to and converting the right people. I refer back to my previous statement about a brewing cunning deviousness. Scott. On Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 9:41 PM, Glenn McIntosh <neonsignal@meme.net.au> wrote:
On 20/02/15 13:12, Scott Junner wrote:
On the left hand side of that page you can see links to other related areas. But they did make it clear to me that these sorts of things are handled by the actual school.
The department has an install which includes a software bundle called 'eduSTAR'. Many schools use this because of the favorable costs.
The Mac version is really just Apple proprietary applications for photos and video, with fairly limited coverage.
The Windows version has a wide range of proprietary applications including most of the Microsoft Office applications, but also has free/libre software such as Audacity, FreeMind, GIMPshop, HandBrake, Inkscape, Pencil, Scratch, Stellarium, Tux Maths, and VirtualDub.
My perception is that the bundle prioritizes Microsoft applications over any free/libre alternatives wherever the Microsoft program is half reasonable; I don't know if that bias is explicitly driven by the licensing deals or is just a lack of awareness about the issues with allowing companies (with commercial agendas) to frame educational settings.
Glenn -- sks-keyservers.net 0x6d656d65
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