[K12OSN] Presentation help

[Richard K. Ingalls]

Jim Hays wrote:

>Abe Loveless and I are giving a presentation on K12LTSP at the Illinois
>Education and Technology Conference in a couple weeks.  Bob Munds and I gave a
>similar presentation at this conference last year.  
>
>I am looking for "success stories" to include in the presentation.  Can any of
>you send me a brief descrition of how you are using K12LTSP and how it has
>worked out for you?  I need some brief descriptions and good quotes to use in
>the presentation.
>
>Thank you.
>
>-----------------------------------------
>Jim Hays
>Technology Director
>Monticello CUSD#25
>Monticello, IL  61856
>-----------------------------------------
>
>_______________________________________________
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>K12OSN at redhat.com
>https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/k12osn
>For more info see <http://www.k12os.org>
>

I use K12LTSP at my school (small rural school in Missouri).  Initial 
install was a small 9 client writing-lab (teacher uses the server as her 
"client").  Easy.  Works.  No crashes.  Students had no trouble 
migrating to Linux from Windows.   Our costs were for server, laser 
printer, switches and refurbished boxes for clients.  Next install was a 
small 5 client lab for the "special ed" room.  They use the lab for 
web-surfing research and writing.  Another easy install.  Our cost was 
less than $900 for a server, laser printer, switch (used existing older 
PCs as clients).  No problems.  /home directory is NFS mounted from the 
first lab's server.  I'm in the process of installing a third server to 
power to classrooms for a total of about 25-30 clients.  Another school 
donated 25 old PCs with monitors (Cel 366, 128RAM) so these will be the 
client PCs.  We only had to purchase parts to build a server (and buy a 
refurbished laser printer).  Costs were around $700 (server has 3 Gb RAM).

I also use Linux as a Webserver and Web-filter (squid, DansGuardian & 
squidGuard).  Which saves us additional money every year we don't have 
to subscribe to these services from an outsource.  Additionally, I use 
Linux to power Nessus (an opensource network monitoring tool).  I am in 
the process of installing OpenAdmin on a Linux box to be our School 
Information System server (online grades, discipline tracking, 
attendance tracking, etc.).

Over all I am very pleased with K12LTSP and Linux in schools in 
general.  The general public needs to be aware of the cost savings and 
the frivolous waste of taxpayer dollars on "proprietary" solutions.  We 
should all migrate to open-source solutions and spend our money on 
support from the programmers, I think.

-- 
===========================================================
"He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep
 for that which he cannot lose."
 -- Jim Elliott

RICHARD K. INGALLS
Director of Information Technology
Glenwood R-8 School District
West Plains, MO

email..ringalls (at) glenwood.k12.mo.us
web....http://glenwood.k12.mo.us
ph.....417.256.4849
fax....417.257.2567

"Miracles are a retelling in small letters
 of the very same story which is written across
 the whole world in letters too large
 for some of us to see."
 -- C. S. Lewis
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