This teacher fails

[mortstar]

PC Pro: News: Teacher threatens to call the cops over Linux

 

This does not surprise me what so ever.

 

EDIT: Helios blog: http://linuxlock.blogspot.com/2008/12/linux-stop-holding-our-kids-back.html

Edited December 12, 2008 by mortstar

[GlennT]

Brilliant!!

Let me guess..... IT Teacher??

[mortstar]

Brilliant!!

Let me guess..... IT Teacher??

 

1 here didn't know how to plug a USB cable in this week.

 

You teach IT!

[OutToLunch]

I was going to write something in their defence until I saw the article and the letter she'd written!

 

Before the pi$$ taking continues, following on from one of the other recent threads here - if you saw the student booting Backtrack and not one of the standard Linux distros on the school PCs without your permission, would you not assume they were up to no good and confiscate CDs/spit dummy/throw book?

[russdev]

Also read follow up blog post as well..

 

Blog of helios: Character-Assasinations-Ain't-Us

[MkII]

It'd be a dumb school OTL that didn't prevent their PC's booting from anything but the installed HDD. Null question.

[MkII]

Also read follow up blog post as well..

 

Blog of helios: Character-Assasinations-Ain't-Us

 

Thanks for that Russ - an important addition. I'm so glad that Ken is such a responsible person. Hopefully Karen will emerge unscathed.

[contink]

Also read follow up blog post as well..

 

Blog of helios: Character-Assasinations-Ain't-Us

 

I have to admit I was glad that appeared too... and if I may be so bold, brass-like and condescending (to myself as well I might) as hell we're all guilty of this to a lesser or greater degree.

 

As a wise many once said...

Judge not, lest you have walked a mile in another persons shoes...

Personally I love the follow up to that..

It means you're going to be a mile away when you finally give them your thoughts..

 

... but heck I have to wonder how many magazines, editors, etc... will be bothered at all about the follow up. It'll just be the whole barking dogs routine to get the irate reader wound up.

[Andrew_C]

Also particularly pertinent that she was only repeating the line that her ICT team had fed her... M$ FUD.

[Midget]

i'm pretty sure I saw that the kid was showing them on his own laptop, not a school computer

[mattx]

Who said it's all true ? Just because it's on a website does not mean to say it's cast in stone - could be a load of , or an incident just over exaggerated.....

 

 

 

.

Edited December 14, 2008 by MkII
language

[RabbieBurns]

already posted ;p

 

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/general-chat/27823-linux-stop-holding-our-kids-back.html

[Simcfc73]

Man.. and I thought the Microsoft PR was good. Maybe the teacher was a little OTT but the Linux dweeb aying "Linux is superior to Microsoft Windows" shows that you can never have an unbiased view.

 

Microsoft hate bearded weirdo... Linux hate global domination

[torledo]

"No software is free and spreading that misconception is harmful"

 

Woops!!! Looks like, if true, this teacher failed to do even a bit of basic research before before firing off her little email/letter.

 

That's not unusual mind, i know one or two people who similarly work themselves up into a bit of a state.....and instead of sitting back counting to 10 and thinking about what they are actually about to do, they send out emails and letters before engaging brain.

[contink]

That's not unusual mind, i know one or two people who similarly work themselves up into a bit of a state.....and instead of sitting back counting to 10 and thinking about what they are actually about to do, they send out emails and letters before engaging brain.

Been there, done it, and thus very aware of not throwing stones from glass houses.. Although I still do it from time to time...

 

Now, so much wiser, calmer, etc... *whistles*

 

 

I think we could all think of times when someone could have called us on something because we'd gotten very out of our depth because of a bad day, week or just plain feeling our oats... and then we've found out we're wrong, getting OTT or simply been put in our place.

 

In this case the teacher made a mistake, pushed a lot of buttons and then could have paid a much higher price for it. I'm with the Helios blogger who pointed out that she's at least learned from her mistake. Who the heck are we (or anyone else) to cast her as if that learning can't be worth anything or too late.

[dhicks]

"No software is free and spreading that misconception is harmful"

 

At least she'd got half way there - she had figured out that software is written by people, and some of it is charged for. Lots of teachers are still at the stage where they don't understand that they can't have a given application or resource on their PC or in their classroom because it needs to be paid for. Lots of people still seem to think that Windows and MS Office just kind of comes built in to the PC - I surprise people on a weekly basis by telling them that to upgrade their software they are going to have to go and buy a new copy.

 

--

David Hicks

[MkII]

Nice spin David

[danrhodes]

LOL Silly Teacher!

 

Im a big fan of Linux and to offend such a project is near Blasphemy!

 

Sounds like she needs to do some basic research before she fires of such letters, obviously she has never heard of "Freeware".

 

Tut Tut Tut!!!

 

D

[torledo]

At least she'd got half way there - she had figured out that software is written by people, and some of it is charged for.

 

I'm sorry but saying NO software is free isn't getting halfway there....that's a pretty definitive statement, she didn't even qualify that with saying that 'some' of it is charged for. She basically implied that all software has a monetary cost/fee.

 

Ofcourse there is a cost, from the internet connection used to download the material, to the hosting cost, to the hours of human effort. But it didn't sound like she was being that cute in her reference to the cost of software.

 

She herself said something along the lines of.....**i have no idea about whether what you are doing is legal or otherwise**......so why on earth write the flipping letter if you don't know. She works in a school, what's wrong with asking the kids, 'hey, is there such a thing as software that doesn't command a monetary payment' She could even have set it as a homework assignment, letting others do the research for her.

[dhicks]

I'm sorry but saying NO software is free isn't getting halfway there....that's a pretty definitive statement, she didn't even qualify that with saying that 'some' of it is charged for. She basically implied that all software has a monetary cost/fee.

 

Okay, her original email was pretty crummily written - like you say, she admits she doesn't know about the subject she's complaining about, then goes ahead and complains anyway. She did at least try.

 

We should try and get across to teachers / pupils that all software (and stuff like images, music) is licensed. Licenses differ. It is a good idea to know about different ones. Teachers (and pupils) don't seem to register that someone has had to create, and owns, all the stuff you see plastered around the web - images, especially, people seem to assume are open to be used as you wish. Much better to get people on to the idea of using (and creating) Creative Commons materials (or GPL, etc, software) rather than blunder around using whatever they find.

 

Edit: Hmm, I feel a poster coming on. Something that nice and simply explains different types of content / software license so teachers and pupils get the right idea. Anyone already got one? Uh, Creative Commons licensed, ideally...

 

--

David Hicks