On Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 11:01 PM, Narendra Sisodiya < [email protected]> wrote:
> Dear FOSS Enthusiasts and Activists. > I am writing this letter to all for a request to create a task > force to advocate FOSS in schools. If we fail to advocate Linux in schools > then we will be failed everywhere. > Most of the computer users like me are using computer from Last 5-6 > year or less. They learned everything in college only. Also at our time > computer was a costly device. We have not faced much difficult in migrating > from Windows to Linux. Now we love Linux based distro and advocate for open > curriculum, content , no-patents, no-DRM etc. > But today scenario has changed. Computer are available in every * > Mohalla* and Village. many of them are not having Internet connectivity. > they are just using some pirated software. This is not a small population. > This is a very huge population. This huge population of school students is > also including student who do not have money to buy computer but they are > learning using cybercafe and coaching classes. > If you do not tell them to use FOSS and Linux based Distro, they > will continue using pirated window software for next 10-15 year of their > life until they got lucky to enter into a college where Local LUG is active > and he got change to explore GSoC and other activities OR course curriculum > include FOSS. > *After 7 year, if you wish to give a lecture for advocating > FOSS/Linux in a college then Do you think you can convince them to use > FOSS/Linux and stop using the proprietary products which he is using from > last 10 years? > * During a workshop of Kids at NCERT, a 5th class kids refused to > work on Kturtle because he was using LOGO software from last 1 year. Those > who do not know LOGO created very beautiful diagrams with Kturtle. > You can only reach engineering students at College level Linux/FOSS > promotion and activities. But these student who are going to use proprietary > product for they whole school life will go in various domain like art, > music, law etc. you can never convince them after their mind-wash. > I learned to do advocacy from two side attack. System is like > pyramid. Bottom side contains huge student. and tip is controlled by those > who run Education system. at top level we need to look for syllabus change > and other activities. At bottom side we need to advocate FOSS and Linux > principle in schools. Imagine the power of community and collaboration value > inside this huge community. This student community need out love, care and > guidance. We can together create a task force and think for various > strategies to introduce FOSS in schools. If you empower this student > community then they can crate whole curriculum and e-learning videos of > their syllabus by themselves. > > > == Duty of Task Force == > * Creating mailing list or all FOSS + Edu persons > * Bring all FOSS+Edu on mailing list Or paper newsletter > * Creating Workshop for discussion. > * supporting the development of SchoolOS > * empower technical level of student and teacher > * Creating article for FOSS advocacy > * Creating template letters for creating workshop in schools > * getting help from NCERT and other institutes. > * Creating booklets/Books - Classwise > * Creating Portals for students and teacher > * Creating teacher and student community > > Please Join - SchoolOS mailing list - > http://groups.google.com/group/schoolos and wiki.schoolos.org > > -- > ┌─────────────────────────┐ > │ Narendra Sisodiya > │ http://narendrasisodiya.com > └─────────────────────────┘ > > -- > l...@iitd - http://tinyurl.com/ycueutm > I think this initiative is a good idea. Though I have myself been using Windows since '97, I have started preferring free software since I came to IIT D and became familiar with it. I think it will be a good idea to encourage its use in schools. A student who learns to use Windows in school will probably stop learning new features after a while, because there ARE none, but a student who learns using free software will always have more to discover, and later, more to create! -- Mihir Mehta, B. Tech student, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. -- l...@iitd - http://tinyurl.com/ycueutm
