[K12OSN] Re: Help me fight FUD

[Rob Owens]

--- Mark Cockrell <cockrell at honeygroveisd.net> wrote:
> Primarily a Windows network running mostly XP with
> some NT 4.0 
> workstations.  We do have K12LTSP in two labs, 3
> libraries, and some 
> classrooms.  The students don't have a problem with
> it.

Then point out to the PowerPoint lovers that to be
100% compatible with *the rest of the school*, they
must use Star Office / OpenOffice

> 
> >What about  leaving that aging copy of Office 97 on
> the system.  Then, if Feature X is missing, they can
> use MS Office for that presentation, and someone
> else (you?) could edit the presentation to be OO.o
> compatible if necessary?  
> >
> Not an option.  If MS Office is available, they WILL
> use it 
> exclusively.  The administration is pretty firm on
> the stance that 
> whatever we do, we'll do exclusively.  All MS, or
> all StarOffice.
> 

If the administration has already made up their mind
that Star/Open Office will be used exclusively, then
the teachers can be mad at the administration and not
you.

But honestly, I don't see the harm in letting the
stubborn ones continue to use software that you have
already paid for (PowerPoint 97).  But point out to
them that they are not being team players (I hate that
term), because they are continuing to put effort into
presentations that can never be of any benefit to the
rest of the crew who is using Star/OpenOffice.  For
instance, your 57 year old auto shop teacher's
PowerPoint file will be useless to whatever teacher
takes his place after retirement.  If he tells you
that he's not putting any effort into it, and that
it's just the same old presentation that never changes
and all he wants to do is be able to show it to
students, well then he's got a point.  And that's why
I think you should keep PowerPoint 97 for anybody who
insists they need it.  But don't dedicate any school
resources (tech support, etc) to it and encourage and
praise the use of Star/OpenOffice.  

Perhaps you could set up a repository somewhere that
teachers can use to share their OpenOffice
presentations with other teachers.  This way every
math teacher has easy access to a presentation made by
every other math teacher.  You could exclude the
PowerPoint users from this if you want.  

-Rob


		
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