[K12OSN] K12LTSP demo - any suggestions?

[Jason]

Does anyone mind if I use these presentations?

R. Scott Belford wrote:
> Bill Bardon wrote:
> 
>> I support a small high school with a 30-computer student lab. They ran
>> SuSE Linux on the individual machines up until last summer, when the
>> powers on high declared it would be switched to Windows. We converted
>> all the machines to W2K over the summer (still running Samba on the
>> Linux server for personal folders and network shares.)
>>
>> Today I had a conversation with the teacher responsible for the day-to-
>> day lab operation, and she's had enough of Windows. After fighting
>> with viruses, spyware, and crashing computers, she wants to go back to
>> Linux!
>>
>> I'll be demoing K12LTSP this Friday, using my LTSP server which I'll
>> bring on site, and a few of her lab computers booted from floppies.  Do
>> any of you have recommendations for how I should approach the demo? Any
>> experiences or wisdom to share?  Once the comps are booted over the
>> network (which still has a small WOW factor for me, and I know how it
>> works ;-) what then?
>>
>> Obviously I'll show her OpenOffice and Mozilla, maybe Scribus and some
>> of the Kedu stuff. More than that, I want to emphasize how easy it will
>> be to administer and maintain.  Since I do most things from a console,
>> I'm wondering what GUI program folks use for user maintenance.
>>
>> Lots of questions, feel free to take a crack at any of 'em.  I'd love to
>> see Linux back in this lab.
>>
>>
> 
> We are slowly acquiring a good deal of experience in approaching schools 
> with the benefits of an Open Source Software lab.  In a recent 
> presentation at an ilearning conference for our Department of Education, 
> I think I finally found the zone.
> 
> What I like to do first is to demonstrate the software.  Using a donated 
> laptop installed with the K12LTSP, I go through these slides:
> 
> http://www.hosef.org/projects/eschool/ilearning/presentationoo.sxi
> 
> though earlier in the year I used these Webmin heavy slides (Webmin is 
> featured prominently and appropriately in Skolelinux) at our eSchool 
> Conference
> 
> http://econference.k12.hi.us/conf2004/
> 
> http://www.hosef.org/projects/eschool/eschool.rev2.eyecandy.sxi
> 
> 
> They emphasize that Open Source Software labs provide a vendor neutral, 
> standards-compliant learning platform that provides free software tools 
> that can be integrated into existing curricula in order to meet or 
> exceed NCLB Mandates.  I draw attention to the job creating potential, 
> the economic development opportunities, and the education innovation and 
> entrepreneurship opportunities (ala Bill Kendrick and his Tux* Suite).
> 
> I think that in the future I will not show screen shots of the programs 
> but instead actually launch them.  At any rate, I stop halfway through 
> and explain that this is all great.  Now all we have to do is to use 
> this free software and install it on the computers we have at our 
> schools, or we can just get new ones with the money we can save on 
> software.  Problem is, there aren't any or many computers in place 
> already, and there is really not money to be saved and then spent for 
> new ones.
> 
> Here begins the magical pitch.  I ask, 'What if I could show you how to 
> extend the resources of existing computers and turn previously discarded 
> computers into fully functional workstations?'
> 
> Puzzlement.
> 
> Out of my bag comes the switch.  Out of my bag comes two network cables. 
>  I explain that just as your cable box gets its programs through a 
> high-speed cable, the version of Linux that we promote for schools 
> enables a central server to power previously discarded computers with 
> the speed of today's supercomputer.
> 
> Next comes the magical Dell Box.  Seen here already naked
> 
> http://www.hosef.org/gallery/exhibitions/dscf0251
> 
> its case cover is removed by pressing two buttons, its cd and floppy are 
> quickly released, and I can hold this up and show that, hard drive free, 
>  it looks like and borders on being trash.
> 
> While removing the parts I explain that this method of setting up a 
> computer lab enables the school to use either computers that it 
> currently refuses from the community for being too slow or computers 
> that HOSEF can donate to it to create a complete computer lab.  I plug 
> in the peripherals, I plug it into the switch, I plug the switch into 
> the server, and I plug the overhead into the client.  30 seconds later I 
> callously pick up the booted client and say that this junk is now treasure.
> 
> I log in, and I complete the presentation from there.  I explain how 
> using these components from NewEgg
> 
> http://secure.newegg.com/app/WishR.asp?ID=904498
> 
> and donated computers from HOSEF we were able to set up a 30-client 
> computer lab at Enchanted Lake Elementary that cost the school 3344.17
> 
> http://www.hosef.org/gallery/enchanted-lake
> 
> and that was written about here
> 
> http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Sep/16/ln/ln21a.html
> 
> Incidentally, our new build list is now this one:
> 
> http://secure.newegg.com/app/WishR.asp?ID=1031978
> 
> 
> So, I now have the audience enthralled and interested.  This is where we 
> have a lot of strength because we already have a laundry list of DOE 
> schools running Linux that we can refer them to.  One of those is an 
> Adult School where we have donated a lab and now hold weekly workshops 
> and classes, for free, as a community service.  By partnering with the 
> Honolulu Community College (heavily Debian based for core network 
> services) we are able to store hundreds of ready to roll clients.
> 
> This is also where we as a community are most exposed.  We still don't 
> have out of the box documentation and curricula to make this immediately 
> valuable.  The Skolelinux folks have written a bunch of great 
> documentation and simplified the install as much as possible, just as 
> the K12LTSP folks have.  The fact is, though, without national support, 
> without a backbone of easily attained documentation, we are vulnerable. 
>  I have to no avail implored IBM, Novell, and HP to get on board with 
> this tremendous opportunity to sell software, support, and hardware.
> 
> I end the presentation by explaining that we by no means promote the rip 
> and replace philosophy for diffusing this OSS innovation.  If a school 
> is comfortable with and well-served by a proprietary application, it 
> should be left alone.  We do emphasize, though, that there are OSS 
> alternatives, as we all know, to many name-brand apps that are worth 
> considering.  We propose that Linux labs be used as the workhorse and if 
> there is money leftover to spend that it be used for support, training, 
> and that delicious Apple hardware so good for multimedia education.
> 
> That is how we approach it.  I could say so, so much more, but I'll save 
> it for other threads.  If we can serve as a reference, or if our DOE 
> success is of value to you, please exploit us.  Below my signature are 
> some links to other press.  Soon, very soon, two one-hour videos will be 
> put online from my TV appearances on a DOE program in which I install 
> and demonstrate the K12LTSP on live TV.  Hosted by a seasoned teacher, 
> he asks all the right questions, and I hope that once online this will 
> be a valuable resource for all of us.
> 
> with aloha
> 
> --scott
>