[Wolves] Linux in schools

[Kevanf1]

On Tue, 1 Feb 2005 09:31:01 +0000, Peter Cannon
<peter at cannon-linux.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
> On Monday 31 January 2005 17:43, trog wrote:
> 
> > At Handsworth Grammar (where we run open source) the kids are very
> > committed to Stickcricket and Kingsofchaos.  We can't keep them off the
> > boxes (even though they do complain the Linux is crap).
> 
> To be honest I don't care if they run Linux, Windows or Mac I just think the
> kids are suffering through the lack of exposure to what has become a standard
> piece of business equipment.
> 
> I don't really want to get into the "Teachers work really hard" debate but
> from what my daughters tell me its all down to supervision, some scutter kids
> have been deliberately yanking the keys off the keyboards drawing on them and
> one kid deliberately put a floppy disk in with a virus on it.
> 
> It would appear the easy option has been taken and a blanket ban on everyone
> has been imposed, why save the hand when you can cut the whole arm off!
> 
> --
> Regards,
> Peter Cannon.
> peter at cannon-linux.freeserve.co.uk
> Fedora Core 3 & Suse Pro 9.2
> 
> "There is every excuse for not knowing
> there is no excuse for not asking"
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
They are having a similar sort of problem at my kid's school.  The
computers were getting hogged by kids playing games on them - online
ones.  So what do they do?  Lock down the sites that are accesible. 
Ok, that makes some sense.  But, they have also locked down the
educational games that the teachers specifically want the kids to go
on.  The big problem is a lack of specialist computer administrators. 
The admin is down to a teacher.  Disregarding the very thorny subject
of whether or not teachers are overworked/underpaid this job should
not be down to a teacher.  I think it is a rare thing to find a
dedicated admin for a school computer network.  This is why there are
so many problems from viruses to malicious damage as detailed by
Peter.  Yet again, if more Open Source software were used the saving
on license fees alone would probably enable at least a part time admin
who knows what they are doing.

-- 
Take care.
Kevan Farmer

34 Hill Street
Cheslyn Hay
Staffordshire
WS6 7HR