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Microsoft's High School Opens in PA

Joopndufus writes to mention a CNN article about a Microsoft-planned high school, newly opened in the Philadelphia area. Funded entirely by that city's school system, Microsoft offered its management skills and personnel to design every aspect of the high-tech setting. From the article: "After three years of planning, the Microsoft Corp.-designed 'School of the Future' opened its doors Thursday, a gleaming white modern facility looking out of place amid rows of ramshackle homes in a working-class West Philadelphia neighborhood. The school is being touted as unlike any in the world, with not only a high-tech building -- students have digital lockers and teachers use interactive 'smart boards' -- but also a learning process modeled on Microsoft's management techniques."

17 of 601 comments (clear)

  1. More information by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 5, Funny

    Staff at the school were happy with how the opening day went, the pupils were welcomed in by a Brian Eno classic on the tannoy system.
    This informed them that the tannoy system was working and it was now safe to enter the building.

    However, once the day got underway things quickly went downhill in the English letter writing class.

    "Dear aunt, let's set so double the killer delete select all,"

    Meanwhile the gymnasium had to be rebooted twice after some children overloaded the basketball hoops.
    Several pupils were stuck in the changing rooms for a few hours until the scandisk procedure managed to locate all the fragments of the key to unlock the door.

    The music class was interrupted because someone brought in an illegal sample of a track in mp3 format and forgot to include a verification document from the parents of the original composer signed in blood.

    On top of all these problems, the school is hunting for the person responsible for posting "goatse" on every single whiteboard, this shocking image appeared at 14:21 and remained on screen for 15 minutes whilst technicians located and removed it.

    --
    liqbase :: faster than paper
    1. Re:More information by maxwell+demon · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yes, but they get bonus points for missing them.

      --
      The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
    2. Re:More information by h00pla · · Score: 4, Funny
      Will there be 'blue blackboards of death'?

      --
      I've been swashdotted -- Elmer Fudd
  2. Crash Course? by ruiner13 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Do they offer crash courses? Do all the windows have blue screens? Does every student get a clippy to help with their homework?

    Ok, i'm done.

    --

    today is spelling optional day.

  3. Forgot One by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    You forgot Chair Throwing 101.

    It replaced their Communications courses.

  4. Graduation by k4_pacific · · Score: 5, Funny
    A: So you go to Microsoft High School?

    B: Yup.

    A: When do you graduate?

    B: I was supposed to graduate in 2002. But I got held back. Then it was supposed to be 2003, 2005, then 2006.

    A: Yikes! Are you that dumb?

    B: No, they just tried to teach me too much unnecessary stuff. They kept cutting classes out of the requirements hoping I'd make it.

    A: So, when are you graduating?

    B: Right now, they're saying 2007, but many think it'll be 2008 or later.

    --
    Unknown host pong.
  5. Microsoft Management Techniques? by rlp · · Score: 5, Funny

    So if you try to transfer to another school does the vice-principal throw a chair at you?

    --
    [Insert pithy quote here]
  6. Re:What the ... by Ron+Bennett · · Score: 3, Funny

    Interesting end time ... 4:19? Another sign of the "420" culture at Microsoft? LOL!

    Ron

  7. Re:Jennifer Government .... by ruiner13 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Isn't that how a lot of us got our surnames anyway? "smith" comes from a family of blacksmiths, "baker" comes from a baker, etc. What was once will be again, I guess. I'm not saying I think it would be a good thing, but it isn't new.

    As a side note, "Bush" I believe comes from the long history of stupid twats in his family.

    --

    today is spelling optional day.

  8. I want to go there! by dghcasp · · Score: 3, Funny

    Microsoft management practices, eh?

    Now, class, your assignment is due friday.

    Of course, if it's not done by then, you can say the schedule slipped and take up to four years to complete it.

    If you don't like your grade, submit a service pack for your assignment and I'll regrade it. You can do this as often as you want.

    Footnotes are not important; if you plagerize something, just define it as your standard. Make sure to change one word so that your writing is different enough from the source.

    And, of course, it's perfectly all right to buy someone else's assignment and then submit it.

  9. Re:Fresh Prince of Microsoft by xdjyoshx · · Score: 3, Funny

    I whistled for a segway and when it came near
    the sticker said "pwned" and the dude had flakes in his hair
    if anything i could tell that he was ready to throw a chair
    but i thought nahhhh forget it wait
    YO HOLEMS YOU SMELL WAREZ?

    I
    pulled
    up to my laptop around 7 or 8
    and yelled to the teacher
    yo melinda page ya later
    i looked at my kingdom
    it was all white and bare
    and there it was known as MS High School despair.

    Sorry i had to finish the song.. geez

  10. No, no; management, not technical by geobeck · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...so before they can sit down, the kids will have to search the school to find where their chairs have landed.

    And the principal will steal the core information from all of the textbooks to be used, change it so it doesn't crash their custom curriculum, then pay off the original publishers when they threaten to sue.

    Students will only receive homework on the first Tuesday of every month, and only if they can prove that they are genuine students by showing the teacher their enrolment certificate.

    Nah, I got nothin'.

    --
    Find environmentally and socially responsible products on http://buy-right.net
  11. Deadlines. by twitter · · Score: 5, Funny

    Do they have deadlines on assignments?

    Graduation was expensively assured in two years but it will probably take six or so. The graduates will have minor, mostly cosmetic, improvements and be as reliable and trustworthy as any other Microsoft release. Some students, like Bob, will never make it.

    Attempts to dominate gaming will produce a few interesting plays but will ultimately be an expensive distraction.

    --

    Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.

  12. Re:Who wants to bet... by owlnation · · Score: 5, Funny

    and bringing an Apple for the teacher gets you expelled...

  13. Sounds great, but... by djlowe · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'd wait for Service Pack 1, myself, before deploying.

  14. Mascot Ideas by neo · · Score: 4, Funny

    CLIPPY!! He can help coach the team!

    BOB!! The yellow face from the BOB OS!

    BILLY GOAT!! With a face like Bill Gates who couldn't love him!

    DEAD PENGUIN!! Picture a penguin that's been fucking killed by certain CEOs

    BLUE SCREEN!! Nothing scares opposing teams like a looming crash!!

    THE ARROW!! The cursor can run around "right clicking" on the opponents cheerleaders, if you know what I mean.

  15. At lunch, in the teachers' lounge... by StreetStealth · · Score: 3, Funny

    The principal holds a lunch meeting, and runs out on stage shouting,

    "EDUCATORS! EDUCATORS! EDUCATORS!"

    --
    Your mind is clear / The things that you fear / Will fade with how much you / Believe what you hear