[K12OSN] Another Victory for the Flightless Bird!

Shawn Powers spowers at inlandlakes.org
Fri Jun 4 12:31:23 UTC 2004


[NOTE: Emails like this get me in trouble, PLEASE read my disclaimer]

Well, it was put to our staff here voted almost unanimously to switch 
this summer to our new teacher system (which is thin clients for every 
teacher) for next year.  There are some that oppose the change, but 
financial issues really spoke heavily this year.  The keys for me?

- Including Windows via rdesktop as an option, noting the high cost, but 
including it in the quote.  This eased the mind of folks that didn't 
want to go into something unknown.  Since LTSP allows you to boot a 
client directly into an rdesktop session, folks don't even have to see 
linux if they don't want to.

- Getting well respected outside folks to email the super, saying, "yes, 
thin clients are the way industry and education are going.  It's very 
new, but there are advantages to being on the cutting edge."  Also, a 
quote I love from our main outside consultant, "Thin clients are the 
logical way to go -- not because they're cool, but because they're the 
right thing to do."

- I keep referencing the superbowl ad from this year.  IBM's single add 
was a linux ad.  That's a lot of dough to waste on something if it's not 
viable.

- I have had to tone down my excitement about linux A LOT.  That sounds 
odd, but I was so gung-ho about it, that it seemed to folks it was just 
my pet project that I wanted to push on everyone.

- Lastly, as a Mac school -- the same arguments that have been used 
forever about "it doesn't matter if they use a mac here, they'll be 
prepared for windows when they leave" that works just as well when you 
talk about linux.  The precedent has been set for me.

So mark Inland Lakes Schools as an adopter of linux in the classroom. 
Finally.

[NOTE AGAIN: read my disclaimer.]

--
Shawn Powers
Technology Director
Inland Lakes Schools
PHN: 231-238-6868 x9174
FAX: 509-356-7024
spowers at inlandlakes.org
http://techcorner.inlandlakes.org

--<Disclaimer, now required for frustrating reasons>--
The views, opinions, visions, thoughts, comments,
sarcastic whims, forecasts, poetic outbursts,
cynical wit, future plans, implementation ideas,
OS preference, curricular insight, ice cream preference,
or anything else I might infer are not the
views of Inland Lakes Schools.  Pretty much everything
I say, do, think, or imply with punctuation should be
considered my own delusions, and ignored completely.





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