Source: Curt Bonk’s and Ke Zhang’s book, Empowering Online Learning
Tim Holt (Intended Consequences) leaves a long comment in response to a recent blog post entitled Think Different in Schools. Tim’s objections boil down to the following:
- Linux just isn’t good enough for schools.
- You need a geek to provide support.
- Not all peripherals are supported so we should use more inclusive operating systems like Mac or Windows.
- Will an iPod Touch work with Linux?
- You get what you pay for…and with GNU/Linux, since it’s free, you don’t get value.
What a bunch of baloney. Let’s take these points one at a time and I promise I’ll be brief:
1) If GNU/Linux isn’t good enough for schools, why are Indiana Schools, India, China, and many other organizations using GNU/Linux distributions to meet their educational needs? They use it because they realize significant cost savings and, more importantly, discover a freedom about free software that isn’t possible with proprietary solutions. Furthermore, use of GNU/Linux doesn’t eliminate the use of other tools. But the vast majority of technology in schools SHOULD be the least expensive tool to get the job done, rather than the most expensive one that few learn how to use.
2) You can’t advocate for social networking, connected learning, global communities, the power of connectivism and then dismiss free software by saying it lacks a 1-800 support line. Actually, you can take your considerable cost savings and put them into support. Anyone who works with free software knows that there are plenty of geeks you can hire–they even form companies!–to provide support. And, that support is LESS EXPENSIVE than the TOTAL COST of buying proprietary software AND the support provided. Simply, you buy what you need, not what the vendor thinks you need.
3) Peripheral device drivers are developed as demand increases. It’s happened time and again…and, yes, Wacom tablets DO WORK on GNU/Linux, such as UbuntuLinux…and a 2 second Google search reveals that has been a fact since 2005.
4) Will an iPod Touch work with GNU/Linux? Uh, well, no but that’s the point isn’t it? Apple makes all their stuff as closed as possible to CONTROL use of devices. In fact, if we are about freedom, liberty, pursuit of happiness, Apple’s approach is an indictment and seeks to limit your creativity to the bounds of their imagination. Ipod? What about Android? The more open your technology, the better.
5) I’m going to steal from another writer. You could get me for plagiarism but I’m going to cite the source and provide some linktribution. “Whoever pays the piper calls the tune.” Ahh, yes, it’s great to have vendors fighting over school districts, wining and dining Board members and superintendents.
In fact, allow me to share a real story from a colleague (from another district in Texas); note that the person was not in the target sales group. I’ve adjusted the names of the vendors to protect myself against slander or libel, I forget. It goes like this:
Peel and Orange–the names of two hardware vendors–were both competing for my district’s business. The Peel rep came up to me and asked, “What do I need to do to get your district’s business?” To this I replied, “You need to wine and dine the school board members, give them free laptops in tailored bags, and do the same for every superintendent’s cabinet member.” The Peel rep was crestfallen. Then, district staff member looked at us and asked us, “Do you know who got the contract?” Ruefully, we shook our heads afraid of what was coming. “Orange” We were surprised. Really? “Yes, they did exactly what I told the Peel rep needed to be done.”
The above is a story relayed to me. Whether it’s accurate, I encourage you to reflect on your experiences with vendors seeking your business.
So, “money talks” is clear. TCEA 2010 is next week and I’m so glad that I can toss the invitations to be wined and dined in the trash. I don’t need an expensive steak dinner to find out whether a product will work or not.
As for graphic organizer software, who the heck uses a desktop based graphic organizer anymore? That’s like using a database that only one person can access.
As a parent and educator, I’ve seen how public schools use technology in schools. For the most part, they run kids through drill-n-practice software, test them for high stakes data collection, and then, when that’s over, they expect them to use technology as a reward.
I’m sure technology can be used for a lot more than that. Go read Bonk’s R2D2. Is it OS specific? And, if not, why are you wasting taxpayer funds on fancy equipment and software only a small percentage of people bother to learn and use?
Go ahead, sprinkle a few Macs and Windows machines in for high end video editing work. But bring the workhorses in for the mass of students and educators who are just interested in R2D2.
Here is his comment:
It is interesting that your perspective is the only one “of reason.” “What will it take to get superintendents to listen to reason?”
Really? Really?
There are a lot of reasons that open source is not used. Despite what you always write, the programs are NOT always as reliable, or as stable. Nor do these OS programs have any kind of support other than the obscure geeks that know each other. Where do I go for support for an OS program? There is no 1-800 number. I have to join a listserve or become part of the LInux Illuminati in order to get help.
I am sorry Miguel, but you are really off on this one. OS, FOR THE MOST PART, is imitative, not innovative.
For instance, is there, after all of these years, an OS program as GOOD as Kidspiration? No, There are imitators, there are online ones, but for little kids, there is NOTHING like Kidspiration. Sorry.
There is NOTHING like iMovie 09.
There is nothing like Garageband. (Audacity cannot do video and graphics, sorry.)
Yes, there are online versions, but they too, for the most part are imitative.
Lego Mindstorms? Pasco Probeware? Do they run on Linux? No, unless there is some hack somewhere that is not supported.Do Wacom tablets work with Linux? No. So I guess graphic arts is out.
Will my iPod touch work with Linux? No, it is not designed to. So if it does, it is a hack job that is not supported by the vendor.
It isn’t always about the Operating system either. It is about the ecosystems that goes with the operating system. Sometimes, things just run on Mac or Windows. Sorry. That is a good enough reason.
For someone that is always insisting that students be given the chance to show how innovative they can be, it pains me whenever you insist that OS is “just as good.” It isn’t.
It is “good enough,” but it isn’t just as good.
I think it is pretty amusing that the OS-ers in the world insist that everyone ELSE should use the cheapest programs they can find. Why stop there? Why not insist that we use the cheapest computers? The cheapest cars? Live in the cheapest houses? You know why they don’t say that? Because they know, deep down, that you get what you pay for.
Next time you are with all of the OS dudes, ask them what kind of cars they drive? Then ask them why didn’t they get a less expensive car? Why waste money on a car that drives better or has a nicer interior than a less expensive car.
The answer is in the experience. The more expensive cars give the drivers and passengers a better experience.
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What kind of car do you drive?Tim
What kind of car do you drive?Tim
I'm posting my open source comment on Miguel's previous posting, but I wanted to post my answer the car question here also :-)I drive a Ford Focus because it's a low cost, high economy car and the quality of Ford in my experience has been great for the many years that I've used them. I have a 35 mile commute, so it was purchased for it's function, not form (gas is expensive!). On the personal side, I have a hard time justifying the cost of a more expensive car when the Focus does everything that I need. I didn't get the Sync because I wouldn't use it, but on a side note (and since we're talking open source), I don't know if it's made its way around in the news, but Ford is open sourcing the Sync SDK.
I'm posting my open source comment on Miguel's previous posting, but I wanted to post my answer the car question here also :-)I drive a Ford Focus because it's a low cost, high economy car and the quality of Ford in my experience has been great for the many years that I've used them. I have a 35 mile commute, so it was purchased for it's function, not form (gas is expensive!). On the personal side, I have a hard time justifying the cost of a more expensive car when the Focus does everything that I need. I didn't get the Sync because I wouldn't use it, but on a side note (and since we're talking open source), I don't know if it's made its way around in the news, but Ford is open sourcing the Sync SDK.
It would take a lot of data gathering, but I sure wish I could look at districts, their budgets, and how they have chosen to spend their money. In these "fragile times" I am sure we will see (and have seen) those smaller, less robust budgeted districts come up with innovative ways to stretch their funds (in some cases, not all of course) out of necessity. Reminds me of "mom and pop" shops struggling to make it in a downturned economy while larger operations refuse to change because "they dont have to".With such talk about access, I'd love to see a "Dave" pulled (the Kevin Kline movie where the everyday accountant helped him balance the budget of the country like a small business would have./ramblings by an allergy ridden man today.
It would take a lot of data gathering, but I sure wish I could look at districts, their budgets, and how they have chosen to spend their money. In these “fragile times” I am sure we will see (and have seen) those smaller, less robust budgeted districts come up with innovative ways to stretch their funds (in some cases, not all of course) out of necessity. Reminds me of “mom and pop” shops struggling to make it in a downturned economy while larger operations refuse to change because “they dont have to”.With such talk about access, I'd love to see a “Dave” pulled (the Kevin Kline movie where the everyday accountant helped him balance the budget of the country like a small business would have./ramblings by an allergy ridden man today.
Gnu/Linux is good enough for the NYSE, NASA, and Dream Works. The Department of Defense and various branches use it in mission critical applications (when firing a missile from an aircraft you don't want to have to reboot). I have used MS since DOS 5.0. I now use Gnu/Linux. I do't miss any of the MS systems. How much have you used Gnu/Linux? I know elderly and children that use Gnu/Linux sans problems.Gnu/Linux is the standard. Free OSes are great. Apple liked FreeBSD so much they're using it to run OS X.I can't even rant enough about how bad MS is. Security, networking, and the file systems for MS are substandard. IE is always behind FireFox.Oh and seriously OS behind the curve on software? Really? It was MS that came on board later with web servers. Apache led and still leads in web server technology.MySql? Python? Ruby? They blow visual anything away.Network security tools? Kismet? Nagios? Ettercap? Nessus (formerly)? tcpcat? even netstat? Metasploit? All free of cost and qualitatively way better than comparative proprietary programs? Oh wait. What about the desktop…?Compiz 3-D effects? Multiple desktops? Knock the socks off of anything on Windows. (And Gnu/Linux has had it for years.)Gee. Not having Kidspiration must be horrible. Much better to have a flakey file system (any FAT system is bad NFS is slightly better) and a huge susceptibility to viruses, malware, and trojans,* code bloat that keeps raising specs out the roof and making it harder (read near impossible) for schools to provide a 1:1 computing ratio so that we can have kidspiration. While we're at it, let's require the eco-dis kids on free lunch to do homework on Publisher and Adobe Premiere. Gnu/Linux networking, desktop effects, serious math and science modeling knocks the socks of anything MS.How good might the educational programs be (Celestia is a good example) if more schools were using it?Imagine what $50,000 (or $500,000 or $5,000,000) could do for many schools if spent on development of OS instead of rinky dink software licenses?MS and Apple are not your friends. They are feeding off of you. They will sue you hard if they think you've violated any sort of licensing agreement. Why give your money to someone like that?Gnu/Linux does not have fewer viruses, malware, trojans and worms because fewer people use it. It is because Gnu/Linux (and the BSDs) were built from the ground up with security and networking in mind.
Gnu/Linux is good enough for the NYSE, NASA, and Dream Works. The Department of Defense and various branches use it in mission critical applications (when firing a missile from an aircraft you don't want to have to reboot). I have used MS since DOS 5.0. I now use Gnu/Linux. I do't miss any of the MS systems. How much have you used Gnu/Linux? I know elderly and children that use Gnu/Linux sans problems.Gnu/Linux is the standard. Free OSes are great. Apple liked FreeBSD so much they're using it to run OS X.I can't even rant enough about how bad MS is. Security, networking, and the file systems for MS are substandard. IE is always behind FireFox.Oh and seriously OS behind the curve on software? Really? It was MS that came on board later with web servers. Apache led and still leads in web server technology.MySql? Python? Ruby? They blow visual anything away.Network security tools? Kismet? Nagios? Ettercap? Nessus (formerly)? tcpcat? even netstat? Metasploit? All free of cost and qualitatively way better than comparative proprietary programs? Oh wait. What about the desktop…?Compiz 3-D effects? Multiple desktops? Knock the socks off of anything on Windows. (And Gnu/Linux has had it for years.)Gee. Not having Kidspiration must be horrible. Much better to have a flakey file system (any FAT system is bad NFS is slightly better) and a huge susceptibility to viruses, malware, and trojans,* code bloat that keeps raising specs out the roof and making it harder (read near impossible) for schools to provide a 1:1 computing ratio so that we can have kidspiration. While we're at it, let's require the eco-dis kids on free lunch to do homework on Publisher and Adobe Premiere. Gnu/Linux networking, desktop effects, serious math and science modeling knocks the socks of anything MS.How good might the educational programs be (Celestia is a good example) if more schools were using it?Imagine what $50,000 (or $500,000 or $5,000,000) could do for many schools if spent on development of OS instead of rinky dink software licenses?MS and Apple are not your friends. They are feeding off of you. They will sue you hard if they think you've violated any sort of licensing agreement. Why give your money to someone like that?Gnu/Linux does not have fewer viruses, malware, trojans and worms because fewer people use it. It is because Gnu/Linux (and the BSDs) were built from the ground up with security and networking in mind.
Miguel,Here is my response:http://web.me.com/timholt/Intended_Consequenses/Intended_Consequences_Blog/Entries/2010/2/4_What_kind_of_car_do_you_drive.html
Miguel,Here is my response:http://web.me.com/timholt/Intended_Consequenses/Intended_Consequences_Blog/Entries/2010/2/4_What_kind_of_car_do_you_drive.html
Don, to beat a dead horse:You said: "Gnu/Linux is good enough for the NYSE, NASA, and Dream Works. The Department of Defense and various branches use it in mission critical applications (when firing a missile from an aircraft you don't want to have to reboot)."NASA makes great use of: Sun Solaris, RedHat and OS X Operating system So by your argument, which is "Because someone else uses it, we should use it" then we all should be using Macs too! Cool. I agree. Soldiers in Iraq are issued iPods to do translation work with the local population…the most , as you guys say "Locked down OS in the world." So what does that mean?http://defensetech.org/2007/10/07/ipod-translator-is-music-to-my-ears/Let me see…I could sit here and match you company for company …Pixar renders its movies on Macs…That is their "Mission critical" app…Your argument does not hold water. The point is, the Operating system should be whichever one works best for the user, not what some bean counter thinks is best.Are you saying that the NYSE doesnt use ANY OTHER Operation system than LInux? They may use linux but they wan their followers to use something else: http://www.nyse.com/help/1094165393622.htmlAs for Jeremy: Did you by a NEW Ford Focus, or a "Refurbished" one that was "just as good after adding some stuff to it?And Don, your flippant remark about not having a program like Kidspiration shows a total lack of respect for what teachers do in the classroom. IF they are using a program, and there is no OS equivalent, then yes, it IS a big deal. Tim
Don, to beat a dead horse:You said: “Gnu/Linux is good enough for the NYSE, NASA, and Dream Works. The Department of Defense and various branches use it in mission critical applications (when firing a missile from an aircraft you don't want to have to reboot).”NASA makes great use of: Sun Solaris, RedHat and OS X Operating system So by your argument, which is “Because someone else uses it, we should use it” then we all should be using Macs too! Cool. I agree. Soldiers in Iraq are issued iPods to do translation work with the local population…the most , as you guys say “Locked down OS in the world.” So what does that mean?http://defensetech.org/2007/10/07/ipod-translator-is-music-to-my-ears/Let me see…I could sit here and match you company for company …Pixar renders its movies on Macs…That is their “Mission critical” app…Your argument does not hold water. The point is, the Operating system should be whichever one works best for the user, not what some bean counter thinks is best.Are you saying that the NYSE doesnt use ANY OTHER Operation system than LInux? They may use linux but they wan their followers to use something else: http://www.nyse.com/help/1094165393622.htmlAs for Jeremy: Did you by a NEW Ford Focus, or a “Refurbished” one that was “just as good after adding some stuff to it?And Don, your flippant remark about not having a program like Kidspiration shows a total lack of respect for what teachers do in the classroom. IF they are using a program, and there is no OS equivalent, then yes, it IS a big deal. Tim
Hey Tim,Yes, it was a NEW Ford Focus. I bought new (first one that I've personally bought 'new') because I wanted the warranty and the extended life expectancy (an added bonus is that I get it at dealer cost, which made the cost even more appealing). My car before that was a used 1995 Mercury Cougar, and before that was a 1970 Ford Mustang (which was bought in 1970 and passed down in the family). While comparing it to open source, I typically install 'new'/current versions and pay for support when needed. I'm sure you can ask me in 10 or 15 years and I'll likely still have that Focus (my daughter has to drive _something_, right? ;-)Along the lines of the car analogy, I've compared open source at times to meals. Many people buy the ingredients and make their own meals, others go out to restaurants (or order in) to get an already made meal. Some "hardcore" people even grow their own vegetables, raise chickens, goats, etc. In my family, we typically cook at home and buy the stuff we need from the store. And yes, I buy generic when the name brand isn't any better value.I'll point out that in 'my' open source world (and I've mentioned it on some other responses) I typically don't use poor quality open source tools. If I'm using it in production, it's usually a very mature or well developed solution. I play around in open source quite a bit and look to help out where I can. If I find myself trying out a tool that's "not quite there" and see the potential for it to be something really good, I may do some work on it and try to fix the parts that aren't quite right for me. Maybe it helps, maybe it doesn't. I don't advocate switching from X to Y _just_ because it's open source. The switch for me usually happens when the argument to stay with X isn't there.Man, if properly moderated, I think something like this would make an EXCELLENT discussion panel at TCEA. Maybe something can be worked out for next year.
Hey Tim,Yes, it was a NEW Ford Focus. I bought new (first one that I've personally bought 'new') because I wanted the warranty and the extended life expectancy (an added bonus is that I get it at dealer cost, which made the cost even more appealing). My car before that was a used 1995 Mercury Cougar, and before that was a 1970 Ford Mustang (which was bought in 1970 and passed down in the family). While comparing it to open source, I typically install 'new'/current versions and pay for support when needed. I'm sure you can ask me in 10 or 15 years and I'll likely still have that Focus (my daughter has to drive something, right? ;-)Along the lines of the car analogy, I've compared open source at times to meals. Many people buy the ingredients and make their own meals, others go out to restaurants (or order in) to get an already made meal. Some “hardcore” people even grow their own vegetables, raise chickens, goats, etc. In my family, we typically cook at home and buy the stuff we need from the store. And yes, I buy generic when the name brand isn't any better value.I'll point out that in 'my' open source world (and I've mentioned it on some other responses) I typically don't use poor quality open source tools. If I'm using it in production, it's usually a very mature or well developed solution. I play around in open source quite a bit and look to help out where I can. If I find myself trying out a tool that's “not quite there” and see the potential for it to be something really good, I may do some work on it and try to fix the parts that aren't quite right for me. Maybe it helps, maybe it doesn't. I don't advocate switching from X to Y just because it's open source. The switch for me usually happens when the argument to stay with X isn't there.Man, if properly moderated, I think something like this would make an EXCELLENT discussion panel at TCEA. Maybe something can be worked out for next year.
A quick clarification on my "I typically don't use poor quality open source tools" should have probably been worded differently. So, the more proper statement might be, "I typically don't use open source tools that are of poor quality". I'm a heavy open source user. Just wanted to clarify 🙂
A quick clarification on my “I typically don't use poor quality open source tools” should have probably been worded differently. So, the more proper statement might be, “I typically don't use open source tools that are of poor quality”. I'm a heavy open source user. Just wanted to clarify 🙂