Teach42

Via The EduBlog: Savings With Open Source in Schools

Also, I watched our network administrator try to install Linux on a new Dell. The linux distro was sent to our district by Novell as a demo. The install went very smooth. I then asked if he could install a program for my students to edit photos or movies like Windows or OS X has. Well, that was a challenge. I think the linux version would not allow root access so, the software I wanted to use could not be added. As a classroom teacher with all kinds of lessons and thousands of dollars of digital camcorders, and digital cameras, I was not impressed with that Linux distro. They can keep it for all I care.

John has quickly gotten straight to the point of contention regarding Open Source software. It may save the school a ton of money, but if you’re replacing software that teachers are used to using you darn well better have a plan for supporting them. It’s situations like this that give Open Source a bad name.

This really has nothing to do with Open Source versus commercial operating systems, it’s really about planning well and considering the needs of the people you’re serving. It’s so easy for IT folks (myself included) to get so wrapped up in the backend details, like savings, features, expandability and so on, that you forget about the people you’re doing all this for.

At the end of the day, if you aren’t making the teachers’ lives easier and improving the quality of education that you can provide to students, then what are you really accomplishing? Sure, saving money is important. But not at the expense of the services you provide to your school.

Personally, I think that Open Source has incredible implications for schools and every school should be considering it. However, I would also impore that people don’t rush the process. Make sure you know what the needs of your teachers are and have a transition plan in place for the people as well as the software.

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