“Edubuntu aims to be an [WWW] Ubuntu version suitable for classroom use. The aim is to deliver a turnkey solution that enables time-poor educators with mid-range technical skills to set up a computer lab and/or establish an online learning environment with as few clicks as humanly possible, then administer that environment without having to significantly expand their technical skills. Centralized management of configuration, users, and processes together with facilities for working collaboratively in a classroom setting are its principal design goals. Equally important is the gathering together of the best available free software and digital materials for education under one distro”
What a great idea! 😀
Using Ubuntu, and Linux in general, in schools are a wonderful idea, open learning is the way to go. Say you have an IT class at a school, I believe the ways of free software is the absolutely best way to go, that allows students to learn about, and control, the technology they’re using.
It would also extend the life time of the computers a school purchases, Linux can always be scaled down to fit your requirements, take SUSE 9.3 for example, you can always remove KDE and install the light weight XFCE if you want to.
My previous school has about 26 computers running Windows XP and about 32 running Windows 95/98, and the main server is running Windows NT. Except for the Windows XP machines, Microsoft will end support for all the other machines completely very soon, if they havn’t already. Instead of purchasing brand new machines in order to handle Windows XP, they could just go to the internet, and get a copy of Ubuntu Linux, and throw that on the machines.
This way the school will save tons and tons of money, and they will have access to a free market of support for the operating system, if they aren’t satisfied with one support provider, they can go to another and not be forced to upgrade just because Microsoft doesn’t want to support Windows 98.
Another great reason to use Linux in schools is that the students will have so much more freedom to learn about computers, if they want to, and if they like the computer environment at school they can have it at home too.
There is so many good reasons to use Linux in educational institutions, what are we waiting for???