Re: Re: Taking over the GNU Education activity

On Tue, 4 Feb 2003 20:51:04 -0500
toby cabot <[email protected]> wrote:

> Adam, Stephen,
> 
> Thanks for your interest in helping GNU!  I'll copy this message to
> the [email protected] mailing list and you can work with the list
> members to figure out the best way to proceed.
> 
> Regards,
> Toby Cabot (GNU Project Volunteer Coordinator)
> 

Adam, Stephen,

'[email protected]' gets forwarded to [email protected], so I'm one of one
the right persons who can answer, and I say yes, please, go ahead.
There is a project called 'edu' on savannah.gnu.org, see
	http://savannah.gnu.org/projects/edu
Have an account, send it to me...
 
> 
> On Mon, Feb 03, 2003 at 12:33:37AM -0700, minddog wrote:
> > We are interested in a full organization inside schools to control,
> > monitor, and defend the students rights of free software in the
> > classroom and outside.  This project is currently called "the Free
> > Software Academy", but we would like to merge it into the GNU
> > Education activity, and in doing so take over that activity (as
> > requested on the Help Wanted page).
> > 
> > A short list of our planned activities:
> > 
> >  * Many schools force their students to use non-Free Software to
> >    support non-free file formats, such as MS PowerPoint.  In fact,
> >    this problem was the original inspiration for the FSA project.  We
> >    would speak as a third party interest on behalf of students
> >    asserting their rights to use Free Software, explaining the
> > 
> >  * Offer mailing list, Freenode, and Wiki resources to assist teachers
> >    in developing courses based on free software.  Good support will
> >    bring satisfied schools that won't switch back very fast and that
> >    will be positive about free software to other schools.
> > 
> >  * Post information about the activity in schools, perhaps with help
> >    from the Digital Speech Project.  We'll have information sheets for
> >    schools and students about why Free Software is good for them, and
> >    why they should care.
> > 
> >    "Did you know if you give your friend a program that is a
> >    $.... dollar fine?"
> > 
> >  * Produce products which are attractive to the schools.  Mainly
> >    thinking of prefab packages for specific platforms.  Give the
> >    package a simple graphical interface and automate the installation
> >    process. Make a lot of these packages then burn them on a cd and
> >    give them to whoever you want to convince. Chances are good they
> >    will try it and copy the CD (better explicitly say copying is
> >    allowed :-) for their collegues, and with a bit of luck they will
> >    install the packages on the school network....the CD production bit
> >    is of course not immediately feasible.
> > 
> > Some of the plans we have in order to acheive our goals:
> > 
> >  * Create *many, many* scenarios describing different obstacles to
> >    adoption of Free Software in schools.  This is best illustrated by
> >    an example.
> > 
> >    Institution: Doesn't understand free software, likes PowerPoint and
> >    shows all its educational material in it.
> > 
> >    Student: a GNU/Linux guru/Free Software/Free file formats
> >    supporter.  He wants to see some of his in-class presentations at
> >    home.  But there are no texinfo, postscript, HTML, or PDF formats.
> > 
> >    His solution: Nag teacher, teacher ignores him.
> > 
> >    His solution with FSA/GNU Education backing: Nag teacher, Teacher
> >    ignores him, CC the ignored student's with a request to have GNU
> >    Education/FSA contact the teacher.
> > 
> >    Teacher learns that what she/he is doing is causing her material in
> >    the classroom to be partly copyrighted by microsoft.....educate!!
> > 
> >    Teacher downloads software to easily convert her/his file formats
> >    to standard ones.  She/he and her students are now very happy!
> > 
> >  * ...We'll have to invent every scenario and have a large FAQ put
> >    together.  Then we can review these and try to invent some type of
> >    universal input for everyone so that we can handle all requests.
> > 
> >  * This is only relevant if we become the GNU Education activity
> >    ... we could include fliers with GNU snail-mail (orders, (C)
> >    assignments, etc) asking people to post them, as with the recent
> >    "Free Software, Free Society" book leaflets.
> > 
> >  * Bridge between computer groups and Digital Freedom groups.
> > 
> > Before we can do all this, we need a communications medium.  At this
> > time, we feel the best way to do this would be to take over the GNU
> > Education activity.  If you are interested, please let us know.
> > 
> > Adam Ballai <[email protected]>
> > Stephen Compall <[email protected]>
> 
> 
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> 




-- 
Odile Bénassy, développeuse de logiciels libres
Odile Benassy, libre software developer
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