[NBLUG/talk] OpenOffice 1.1 ISO has arrived; time to gear up for the schools!

[Bill Kendrick]

On Tue, Oct 07, 2003 at 06:20:14AM -0700, Lincoln Peters wrote:
> Unfortunately, the problem seems to be that 
> the way that they teach the classes is dependent on the software, and most 
> students will enter a work force where Microsoft Office rules.  Of course, 
> if they go to work somewhere that uses anything else, the skills they 
> learned are useless.

Yeah, and when MS changes Office, and they haven't upgraded to the latest
version?

Or god forbid the student graduates, and then 2 months later a new version
of Word is out.

THE HORROR!

;^)


> I'm sure that they could instead teach the principles behind the 
> application, so that students could leave that class with the ability to use 
> *any* program of that type (word processor, spreadsheet, etc.).  However, 
> most of the teachers would probably have to be re-trained.

Man, I'm getting SO sick of hearing this.  I don't remember my teachers
being so lazy and stagnant when I was in high school.  Maybe I wasn't
paying attention.  Maybe I was lucky (I somehow doubt it).


How hard is it for a teacher to sit down, look at something 'different'
like OpenOffice.org, and say to themselves "hrm... this doesn't look
harder to use compared to MS Office"!? :^)


> On the other hand, I'm trying to spread the word in the local elementary and 
> middle schools.  Perhaps if we can get OpenOffice into *their* hands (and 
> especially the hands of their parents), the high schools (where almost all 
> computer classes are taught) will soon see a new generation of students that 
> enters high school already knowing OpenOffice.  The high schools would then 
> be hard-pressed to resist switching at least partially (Besides, I don't 
> think that Microsoft can hold its monopoly that much longer).

I have yet to write up my little letter to the schools in Davis, but I'll
hopefully do that tonight (LUGOD meeting, though) or tomorrow evening.

I'll introduce my LUG (LUGOD here in Davis), and try to _briefly_
explain Open Source.  I'll offer our help, if they have any questions,
and suggest they take a look at software like OpenOffice.org, or for the
K-6 schools (or whatever they go up to these days), and even invite them
to come to my little hands-on demo & CD give-away of Tux Paint later this
month.

That OOo flyer for schools looks great, BTW.  (I haven't read it front
to back, yet, though ;) )

<snip> 
>  What low-income family that needs a computer could refuse such an offer?

Another way LUGs can help.  Usable used hardware floats around all the time.
There's a training center near Sacramento that occasionally donates a stack
of Pentium IIs to people who want them (esp. if they take the whole load
at once, rather than picking pieces here and there).


Of course, at that point, though, not only will they be getting OOo,
they'll _probably_ also be getting Linux, too, since I can't imagine
Windows licenses being cheap enough.  (Nor can I imagine LUG folks wanting
to push Microsoft ;) )

-bill!

-- 
bill at newbreedsoftware.com                           Got kids?  Get Tux Paint! 
http://newbreedsoftware.com/bill/       http://newbreedsoftware.com/tuxpaint/