Linux in Schools Workshop
Hi everybody We are running a workshop on using Linux at Silcoates School, Wakefield West Yorks. On 2nd of November and still have a few places left, if anybody is interested. The day is aimed mainly at people who are thinking about deploying Linux in schools and want to see it in action with maybe a short session on LTSP and the new StarOffice 6 depending on demand. Below is the text of a letter we sent to Independant Schools in the north of England. So if anyone is interested please get in touch. John WIlson Using Linux and other open source programs in schools For two years Silcoates has been running its teaching network entirely on Linux servers. The system is reliable, versatile, and powerful and has proved its worth in that period. We are now offering a one day introductory course on the use of Open Source software in place of proprietary commercial systems, open to people from any sector of education. Here is a chance to acquire first hand knowledge of open source systems within a working school environment. You will be given the opportunity to share what we have learned about Linux in practice and try our systems out for yourself. The course will pre-suppose no specialised technical knowledge, but anyone who wishes will be able to discuss technical issues with those responsible for the system. We will be focussing on Linux as a server platform (using Windows 98 clients), but we will also be offering a chance to try Open Source applications software in the form of Star Office (which can run on Linux clients as well as Windows machines). Depending on the response to this initial venture, we hope to offer more detailed courses in the near future tailored to the specific needs and requirements of those interested in moving their own installations to Linux. There are further details of the use of Open Source software at Silcoates, giving some idea of the areas we will be covering, at http://linux.lexilog.org.uk/ The course will take place on Friday, 2nd November and will start at 10am. Lunch will be provided. If you wish to attend, please fill in the form below and send to Les Brown, Silcoates School, Wrenthorpe, Wakefield WF2 OPD, enclosing £15 per person to cover costs and lunch.
Just returned from an excellent day at Silcoates - thanks to all involved. We could do with more events of that type! Cheers -- Phil Driscoll
On Fri 02 Nov, Phil Driscoll wrote:
Just returned from an excellent day at Silcoates - thanks to all involved. We could do with more events of that type!
Cheers
I would be very happy to second that. Just for those that weren't there... Silcoates moved from a classroom based peer-peer networking arrangement to a school server based network. And they decided to use LINUX as their servers for authenticating W95/98 logons as well as Email and Web services (spread over a couple of servers). Considering the cost of NT servers serious questions should well be raised nationally as to why schools use NT servers....or indeed why Educational suppliers like RM don't promote and support this kind of solution (it could save them money from customer support - as it works so well - and save the customer too!). I was also interested to see them using their own filtering based on 'lists' from Toulouse Universty - which saved on the cost of commercial filerting products. I still can't see LINUX as being accectable as a general desktop solution for schools due to the large number of commercial software packages that depend on windows and the time to sort out testing for whether or not using WINE would allow them to work. However, I could see Star Office 6 as being a very acceptable replacement for Microsoft Office. -- Alan Davies Head of Computing Birkenhead School
participants (3)
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Alan Davies -
Phil Driscoll -
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