[K12OSN] Given this situation, why bother continue with LTSP?

[David Trask]

"Support list for opensource software in schools." <k12osn at redhat.com> on
Wednesday, April 20, 2005 at 2:52 PM +0000 wrote:
>As another note, it drives me nuts, as an educator, when I hear people
>say that "my child will be at a disadvantage cause he/she is not
>learning Windows"  UGH, what a stupid arguement.  In High School I took
>a computer course, and a "college writing" course.  The computer course
>was designed COMPLETELY around Window 3.1 and DOS.  The college Writing
>course include a HUGE amount of time teaching WordPerfect 5.1 I college
>I took a course called "DOS, Windows, and The Internet", I was designed
>as a "intro" course on how to use the computer.  It was based on using
>DOS (as the name), Windows 3.11, and Gopher, the Internet as we know it
>(www) was just 1 chapter in this HUGE book, and not even covered in
>class.  -- I don't use any of these anymore, and the same goes for their
>child.  I am sure this goes for many of the people on this list.  How
>many of you accually were "schooled" with your current computer
>system???????


I agree...that's a tupiud argument on the part of the parent (you can tell
them I said so).  Use this analogy....When they (the parent) learned how
to drive...did they learn on a Ford?  A Chevy?  Did that affect whether or
not they could drive a Toyota?  A Honda?  NO!  A car is a car....just as a
computer is a computer....granted there are differences, but the concepts
are the same from OS to OS....teach the concepts.  Windows XP will not be
around when they get into high school.  Teaching them an OS now is dumb. 
Think back to today's current 8th graders and what they were using in
kindergarten....it wasn't XP....in fact it may not have even been Win 95! 
The Internet?  Probably not...  So much changes so fast, that what we
teach today is irrelevant tomorrow...unless we focus on the concepts.  I
didn't even have a computer when I was growing up...and I'm doing
fine...with any OS.

David N. Trask
Technology Teacher/Coordinator
Vassalboro Community School
dtrask at vcs.u52.k12.me.us
(207)923-3100