High School Goes Open Source, Outfits Every Student with Ubuntu Laptop

[vasile.dickulescu]

It’s abundantly clear that technology plays a huge role in education these days, as we’ve already seen with the Samsung School initiative and the increased used of online media for teaching. Whereas most other schools look to Windows and Mac for their student computers, one American high school is taking an entirely different direction: an open-source direction.

Every student at Penn Manor High School has been given an Acer TravelMate laptop loaded with Ubuntu 13.10. That’s over 1,700 laptops being distributed to the student body and, what’s more, all of the students are being provided with full sudo access to their computers. What this means is that they are granted effectively superuser level security privileges to do as they will with their TravelMates.

In fact, the school is encouraging students to “install software and lift the hood of the system to better understand what makes it tick,” said district technology director Charlie Reisinger. “Linux offers so many opportunities to explore computing, programming, and the arts.”

While this move could prove to be something of a hindrance for students when they need to transition back into a more mainstream computing environment, the experience and knowledge could be great for students who move on to careers in IT, like systems administration or work related to web servers. By encouraging them to tinker, students may be better equipped at solving their own problems, as well as collaborating with a larger (open source) community.

It’s not too shabby that the district stands to save at least $360,000 in licensing fees alone either.

Sorce: High School Goes Open Source

Mi-a placut mult de tot partea asta "all of the students are being provided with full sudo access to their computers". Sa vezi ce rup elevii cd-urile si usb-urile cu Ubuntu LiveUsb sa repare GRUB-ul

Edited February 27, 2014 by vasile.dickulescu

[l3tmeb3]

In RRomania nu merge treaba asa : 1000 de laptopuri primite gratuit de cateva scoli din Romania zac nefolosite, in praf. Ce explicatii au dascalii

[vasile.dickulescu]

pisamas pe fosilele alea de profesori....toti cauta sa faca rost de licente de windows si de antivirusi sa le dea mai departe pe la rude si cunostinte.....

acum vreo 2 ani, liceul unde am invatat eu a primit donatie vreo 30+ calculatoare (monitor, unitate, periferice) destul de performante, de la o facultate. Cateva dintre calculatoare rulau XP SP2 iar restul nu prezentau sistem de operare, insa timp de vreo 2 luni toata lumea a fost multumita. Dupa ce s-au linistit apele si s-au vazut cu sacii in caruta, "diferiti" profesori (directoare, directoare adjuncta, profesoara de informatica...cei cu ceva influenta in liceu) au inceput sa dea zvon prin scoala ca sistemul de operare e prea vechi pentru performanta calculatoarelor si ca au nevoie de licente de Windows 7 pentru a le "revigora" pe cele cu XP si punere in folosinta pe cele goale )

Long Story Short: Inainte de a incepe perioada bacului sau in vacanta de vara au primit ceva licente de la Inspectorat, dar pe care si le-au impartit intre ei profesorii mai sus enumerati. In prima saptamana a noului an scolar eu si un coleg am fost chemati in biroul directoarei si rugati sa facem o favoare liceului si anume " puteti sa faceti voi rost de windows 7 din surse proprii si sa il instalati pe toate calculatoarele din noul cabinet de informatica? "

Legat de reportajul de mai sus, nici macar unui elev nu au luat interviul, probabil le era ca spune vreunul ceva care sa ii dea de gol

Edited February 27, 2014 by vasile.dickulescu