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High School Students Develop Linux Imaging and Help Desk Software

An anonymous reader writes "A Pennsylvania school district is going Linux and building an open source high school with the help of student technology apprentices. As part of a 1:1 laptop learning program, 1725 high school students at Penn Manor School District are receiving new laptops running Ubuntu and open source software exclusively. Central to the program is a student help desk where student programmers created a Linux multicast imaging system titled Fast Linux Deployment Toolkit. The district posted pictures of the imaging process in action. Working alongside school IT staff, students also developed help desk software and other programs in support of the 1:1 student laptop program. The student tech apprentices also provide peer support for fellow students."

6 of 116 comments (clear)

  1. Re:What about the windows only software? and offic by Nerdfest · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I look at it the other way. Microsoft products do not fully work with open formats. Public institutions really should be using open formats.

  2. Re:What about the windows only software? and offic by cheater512 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Link to a document that does not open correctly in up to date Open/Libreoffice.

    It is harder than you think. It has been on par for a while now.
    And if the entire school uses it then there is no Office anyway.

  3. yay for common sense in education by rogoshen1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Refreshing to see a HS teach something tech related that's actually useful, and will teach these kids to find work later in life.
    so often it seems the answer is just "throw some money at it, give the little shits an iPad" with no real .. technical chops being conferred.
    any idiot can use a computer for lowly office grunt work. Basically, that is to technology what working at McDonald's is to culinary training.

  4. Re:What about the windows only software? and offic by TrollstonButterbeans · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Open Office and Libre Office *really* need the Excel equivalent (Calc) to be able to print better (like zooming, fit to page, select a range).

    --
    Priest: "Universe from nothing, no laws of physics, sped up time"+ huge discrepancies. Creationism? No. Big Bang Theory
  5. It's about time by ikhider · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Finally, someone is getting it right. Students have access to run great programs, the source code, the ability to modify the programs AND share. This is how it should be, in public schools and the rest of the public domain. Now kindly extend this policy to the rest of the schools throughout North America. This is far more empowering than either of the proprietary routes.

    --
    "SO we bide our time, waiting for a purer kick to bloom and the future is still bleak, uncertain and beautiful" -GSYBE
  6. Re:What about the windows only software? and offic by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Which is why they teach LaTeX.

    If you want to spend 20% of your effort on formatting my school suggests using Word.

    If you want to spend 5% on your formatting and 95% on your content you use LaTeX.