Getting Open Source software into Classrooms
Submitted
by
Daryen
Daryen writes "I am the tech at an elementary school district, and we have been a Microsoft only camp for decades. Like most school districts, our budget is laughably small, and Open Source Software and Freeware seem like ideal choices. However, even when implementing solutions that directly mirror their closed source alternatives in functionality (i.e. Open Office vs. Microsoft Office) I have been encountering resistance. The fear is that the our students will be behind children who had access to more standard closed source programs. I have tried to explain that our teachers should be teaching the theory, not the program, and that the kids will be much stronger users having learned multiple tools, but it is difficult to explain to a non-techy administration. This is one time where I'd like to invoke "think of the children" to get more open source into the classrooms, and give the kids a chance to tackle problems with their own tools.
Any suggestions from the Slashdot crowd on how to convince an administration that is stuck in the Microsoft mindset?"
Any suggestions from the Slashdot crowd on how to convince an administration that is stuck in the Microsoft mindset?"