[K12OSN] OpenOffice Curriculum

[Petre Scheie]

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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