Hi Adam, This is a wonderful thing you are doing here. I struggle with the complicity that goes on with students learning software through the institution and then becoming very wary of trying anything different. And I unfortunately have to put myself in this camp too. Its a strange mix of uncertainty and excuses around time management. I really look forward to the result of your FLOSSification of the adobe creative suite, and getting to grips with FLOSS materials, and ideally incorporating these into our courses. all the best su
=============================### Dr. Su Ballard Academic Leader, Electronic Arts School of Art Otago Polytechnic Te Kura Matatini ki Otago Private Bag 1910 Dunedin 9005 NEW ZEALAND ph. +64-3-4796061 On 14/01/2009, at 5:27 AM, adam hyde wrote: > for any one in NYC... > > > > FLOSSify 1 : Digital Foundations > > For a long time educational courses have been cheap marketing for > proprietary software companies. Can a student really afford all those > expensive softwares required by the courses? No. Ever hear of a > software > company kicking up a fuss because students are using 'unofficial' > versions? Well, it does happen but not often. And why not? Because > proprietary software companies know, as the universities know, that > once > the students leave their training they will be indoctrinated with > those > tools and simply slipstream into being paid up proprietary software > citizens. Simply put, unlicensed software used in education is > tolerated > because it is cheap marketing. > > This is how tools become 'industry standards'. > > FLOSS Manuals is fighting this flow by converting textbooks that use > proprietary software to using free software in their examples. > > We call this process "FLOSSify". We convert the book from closed > software to Free Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) hence we > 'FLOSSify' > the book. > > Our first text book is the wonderful Digital Foundations book produced > by Michael Mandiberg and Xtine Burrough > (http://digital-foundations.net/). Its a text book designed to teach > software by teaching design. The current toolset it uses is the Adobe > Creative Suite and we will convert these examples entirely to using > free > software. > > Not only have the authors given the kind permission to go ahead with > this, they originated the idea and approached FLOSS Manuals to be > involved. We are very happy to get behind this initiative and work > with > the authors to create a fantastic text book promoting the use of Free > and Open Source Software within design courses. > > FLOSSIFY 1 : Digital Foundations will focus on a fun 3 day event at > Eyebeam, NYC. Anyone is welcome to attend and some food and beer > will be > provided. Come and meet some of your old geek friends, make some new, > and help make a step towards unshackling education from proprietary > software. > > FLOSSIFY 1 : Digital Foundations > Eyebeam, New York City > Feb 6-8 > starts 10ish > finishes when we are done > fast connection, a table, some chairs, and beer and food provided > contact [email protected] for more info > > > -- > Adam Hyde > Founder FLOSS Manuals > http://www.flossmanuals.net > > _______________________________________________ > Ada_list mailing list > [email protected] > http://aotearoadigitalarts.org.nz/ _______________________________________________ Ada_list mailing list [email protected] http://aotearoadigitalarts.org.nz/
