[K12OSN] My vision needs feedback.

[Steve Hampton]

Hi List,

I want to ask for some feedback on a vision (dream at this stage) that
I have.  I need two types of feedback. First if anyone has the type of
setup that I envision and would be willing to let me visit their site
to document, take photos and notes it would greatly help me in my
struggle to get my vision implemented.  Secondly, if the people on
this list that know WAY MORE than me about linux and computer
technology, know of any reason that what I am envisioning would not
work please point out the errors in my thinking.  So here goes with my
vision.

This is what I envision for the high school where I teach computer
engineering. It is a small high school only about 550 students in a
rural area.  I found out that some students were not able to take a
pre-calculus course that is offered through the school collaborating
with an online educational service because the students did not have
computers at home and that really burned me up.  After all I have seen
within the open source community about increasing access to technology
I figure now is the time for me to start fighting that battle locally.

I loved a slide I saw in a presentation I downloaded from somewhere by
David Trask that said something about access for everyone being more
important than a few people being able to use reader rabbit and I
apologize David if I twisted your words but I believe that was the
general idea.  Ok, on with my vision.  I would like for our school to
do the following:

1.  I would like for them to abandon the proprietary software
addiction (Paying more does NOT equal Getting more)

2.  I would like for them to purchase laptops without OSes for every
freshman when they enter high school. They would take them to every
class, home and  then allowed to take them with them whenever they
graduate.  The students would have more incentive to take care of
something they knew would become theirs.

3.  Since the laptops would be purchased without OSes I would like for
them to all get K12LTSP installed and for them to be setup as Thick
clients to authenticate to K12servers using Samba/Ldap throughout the
school on a wireless network.

4.  I would like it if the students laptops worked in this fashion. 
When they took them home and turned them on they could log in as a
local user and access their home folder and even save documents there.
Then when they came into the school and logged into the network their
home folder would be synchronized with their home folder on the k12
file server(s).  This might be possible with an rsync configuration of
some sort I am not sure.  This is the kind of convenience I have with
OSX and iSync but I am trying to build a vision for my school based on
inexpensive open source solutions.

I have crunched the numbers for the hardware and I know it would cost
less to equip the incoming freshman each year with a new laptop fully
loaded with k12ltsp than what the system currently spends on computer
equipment and proprietary licenses.  Not to mention that since the
students would be able to take their laptops to class the math
teachers could stop paying thousands of dollars for graphing
calculators and use the graphing tools included in the edutainment
package of k12.

I know what we are doing now is very expensive and only provides
computer labs that the students realistically only have access to
maybe an average of 2 hours per day.  And the labs are setup so that
they only have certain types of software depending on which lab it is.
For example, the computers in the drafting classroom that COST 2000
dollars for a 10 station AutoCAD license are worthless for chemistry
students they need access to the Math and Science lab.  The great
thing about k12 is that it is all there together, Qcad, Kalzium, and
you know I could go on and on.  The thing is we can't keep doing what
we are doing and expect to get better results, on test scores (which
administration dwells on) or student knowledge and comprehension which
is what is really important.  Changes need to be made.  Access to
technology for everyone, and the right types of technology that help
develop high level conceptualization and abstract thinking are vital.

My main concerns before I try to work up a proposal and then really
work to push it hard is making sure what I want to do is possible.  I
have a feeling that network administration would be easier since I
know from administering the network in my classroom, with linux once
you get all the configurations setup and working right you pretty much
just set back and leave it alone and everything just seems to keep
working right.

PLUS, PLEASE if anyone has .sxi presentations (or even .ppt) that they
would be willing to share that they have used to successfully
influence others I would love to receive links to them if you have
them posted online.  Or if you have great articles, papers, any type
of documentation that you think would be great in promoting the linux
cause please spam me with them. You can send them to me off the list
at steve_hampton28702 at yahoo.com.  I really do appreciate any help and
feedback I can get in this. I think that promoting open source in the
area in which I live has kinda become a passion in my life. GO
PENGUINS, hehe

Steve Hampton
Technology Instructor
Swain County High School
North Carolina, USA
--
Open Source, The Right Thing To Do!