[K12OSN] OpenOffice Curriculum

[Paul VanGundy]

All,

Thank you for all of the sites and insight!

-Paul

--
Paul VanGundy
Information Technology Director
Epping High School
Epping Middle School
P: 603.679.5472
F: 603.679.2966
vangundypw at sau14.k12.nh.us
Registered Linux User #398783

-----Original Message-----
From: k12osn-bounces at redhat.com [mailto:k12osn-bounces at redhat.com] On Behalf
Of Petre Scheie
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 10:56 AM
To: Support list for opensource software in schools.
Subject: Re: [K12OSN] OpenOffice Curriculum

Just one problem with the "It's a MS world out there": It's not true.  Yes,
there are many Windows computers in the world, but there are also many
Macintoshes, there are many places where WordPerfect is the word processor,
there are many places where Novell Netware is the file server, there are
many places where Lotus Notes is the email system, and so on.  People who
say it's an MS world are mostly revealing that they don't know much about
the computing world and that they are essentially afraid of their computer
in that they won't be able to make it work if things aren't exactly as they
expect.  As has been pointed out on this list many times, these fear-driven
statements come from adults, not the kids; the kids quickly adapt to
whatever is put in front of them.

While they haven't abandoned MS Office (yet), I did get my school to write
its standards to say that kids should learn 'word processing' instead of 'MS
Word' and so on, by pointing out that ten years ago Word Perfect and Lotus
123 were the dominant apps in most businesses, and that, as David has
pointed out, the kids should be learning the concepts, not the specific
implementations which change with each new version.

Petre

cisna-barry at wc235.k12.il.us wrote:
> Hello List,
> 
> Thanks for eveyone sharing what they have had to overcome in just 
> trying to get the Opensource programs initiated into their schools. Im 
> very much in the same boat at the school i am at , in that the last 
> superintendent was very receptive to Linux,due to the $$ savings and 
> availabilty of help from message boards like this one,and it being a 
> "community effort". We have a new superintedent this year due to the 
> fact that our school and another school "up the road" merged,there for,
the new school board,etc.
> The first words from the new superintendent when trying to explain the 
> benefits of Opensource/Linux was "Well weather you like it or not Its 
> a Microsoft world out there". Need I say more?:(. Bottom line around 
> here is "well its, free but how long will OOo stay free",,or something
similar.
> this was another question about Linux/ K12LTSP viabilty. Im sure you 
> all have had the same frustration, in diffenrent ways when "preaching" 
> about Linux/ K12LTSP.
> As said earlier kids will pickup very quickly on the "bells and whistles"
> of each app, but certain  teachers just have the same mundain routine, 
> sort of like,, "We should have Apples to do such and such".
> But then again .I m just a lowly peon in the scheme of things:) Just 
> my 2 cents.
> 
> 
> Barry Cisna
> 
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