[K12OSN] Curriculum Problems (Please Help Me...)

Dennis Daniels ddaniels at magic.fr
Sun Nov 7 16:18:07 UTC 2004


Many of these questions will be answered in part here:
http://www.theospi.org/

Training teachers is a big problemo...especially older teachers will 
chafe at the use of technology... the big issues are classroom 
management... if you don't have enough machines to go around then you 
have serious logistics problems as students are not all doing the same 
thing... which lets in way too many variables for trouble... that, and 
students have very different skill sets...some can get going quickly 
others need lots of hand holding... another variable that a less than 
skilled teacher will freak over... I run my English classroom on a 
K12LTSP network... and I know that what I'm doing is not easy ... 
teachers less enthused and skilled than I will rebel. Humans are the 
weakest link in the chain of progress...

good luck with your search!

Dennis

Shawn Powers wrote:
> I have a big request.  I know you folks are all busy, but any help would 
> be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Would the folks that have LTSP in use be willing to send me their 
> district's curriculum plan, or technology plan, or some documentation 
> regarding how thin clients fit into your curriculum?
> 
> Several teachers in my district recently dug up a curriculum plan from 
> 1996 (I kid you not), which is long before my time at the district, 
> which quotes specific "tinker toy" applications that are no longer able 
> to be used in the classrooms.  This document is now the "Holy Grail" and 
> has been used to file multiple grievances, etc, regarding the use of 
> linux and thin clients.
> 
> Mind you, the current principal has never even seen this document 
> before.  Anyway, I would like some examples of the *proper* way 
> technology is described in schools using LTSP, so that this old document 
> looks as silly as it is.
> 
> If you have time, could you also let me know how you are currently 
> addressing the following issues in your district:
> 
> 1) Printing.  Do you have printers connected to the thin clients in 
> classrooms?  Are these Lasers or Inkjets.  If laser, how is the problem 
> of "no color" addressed?
> 
> 2) Scanning.  How does a classroom teacher scan things?  Are scanners 
> available in your classrooms?  Some of them?  All of them?  If in a thin 
> client environment, how are you doing that?
> 
> 3) Digital cameras (with USB connections, floppy drives, or flash cards 
> and readers).  How do your teachers get the pictures into the computer? 
>  *D0* your teachers get photos from cameras into the computers?
> 
> 4) Saving files.  How many folks are using remote floppies?  USB 
> keydrives?  Anything else?  How do you manage the transportation of 
> files to and from home?
> 
> 5) Elementary "Edutainment" games.  (NOTE: I personally think many of 
> these games are a farce... but we're not talking about my opinions 
> unfortunately)  These are especially desired in the elementary.  How do 
> you handle requests like these?  If the answer is some sort of 
> emulation, is it stable?
> 
> 6) Please briefly explain how a teacher takes/submits grades to the 
> office.  Do they magically get rosters of students into a program, or do 
> they have to type the student's names in?  When the end of a marking 
> period comes, do they have to copy the grades from one program into 
> another, or are the grades automatically exported?
> 
> 7) Sound.  Does sound on websites (especially flash) work on thin 
> clients?  How about things like quicktime streaming media, or windows 
> media player stuff?
> 
> 8) Video streaming. Videos via streaming media from our ISD is going to 
> be the only way to get videos for classrooms in a few years, and I need 
> to know how to manage that.
> 
> 9) Training.  How do you train your staff?  Mandatory paid training? 
> Voluntary after school training?  Where?  In a lab of thin clients?
> 
> 10) Are your thin clients for staff use only?  Student use only?  In a 
> lab environment, or in "mini-labs" in the classrooms?
> 
> 
> I know that's a lot of questions, but I'm looking for official backing 
> from other schools that will reiterate the things I'm saying in my 
> district.  Thank you VERY much for answering any of the above either on 
> or off list.
> 
> -Shawn
> 
> 




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