[Gllug] Technology and UK Education

[Bernard Peek]

On 30/12/2009 12:37, Martin A. Brooks wrote:
> On 30/12/2009 12:15, Walter Stanish wrote:
>    
>>>    I was told that if anyone wished to provide a service to or for schools
>>> it is now a government requirement that they should bid for a total
>>> comprehensive contract, providing everything from building and building
>>> maintenance services to waste management as well as educational facilities.
>>> Start by finding a plumber, an electrician, a bricklayer, and a roofer.
>>>        
>> I'm not sure if you have them in this country but in Australia there's a
>> sort of 'parent and citizen' group associated with each government school
>> which has some degree of lobbying power as the representative body of the
>> local community in school administrative affairs.
>>      
> We have the Parent Teacher Association.
>
>    

PTAs are a possible route into schools. for FOSS. They do a lot of 
fundraising and are likely to be sympathetic to any suggestions for 
saving money. They may have people with some knowledge of Linux, 
although that's a long shot. All of them would appreciate some 
tech-savvy volunteers. Or any volunteers.

There's another route. Most schools use interactive whiteboards, often 
in every classroom. The market-leader is Smartboards distributed in the 
UK by Steljes (www.steljes.co.uk)

The manufacturer Smart (http://smarttech.com/) does have some Linux 
driver software but Steljes don't have the resources (or as far as I 
know the will) to support it in the UK. FOSS will get nowhere in UK 
schools unless all of the major interactive whiteboard brands have 
adequate Linux support. It's a cool technology and hasn't really 
penetrated much outside of the education sector in the UK.



-- 
bap at shrdlu.com

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