With the slogan, “Who you are…What you need” Linux advocate Jonathan Hughes launched the Linux in Education portal on February 20th. The site is designed specifically to provide teachers and other people involved in education with tools, resources, and information about implementing Linux.The site features cases studies about Linux implementation that are geared to school IT staffs to provide examples, proofs, and contact information for people who are willing to help.
There is also information about the popular K -12 Linux Terminal Server Project (K12LTSP), which allows the use of older thin client servers as workstations – at little or no cost.
For teachers, there is an exhaustive listing of Linux educational applications, like Tux Typing, and a multitude of science-based programs.
Administrators will find information about what Open Source is and how it can be of benefit to a school system. Administrators can also look at case studies to see how Linux has already been implemented in some schools.
For students and advocates, the same information is presented along with links to outside resources of interest.
From the Linux in Education press release:
The site’s easy navigation will delight viewers with the information they are looking for, quickly. School IT staff will find the technical information they need to plan, setup and administer a Linux server and Linux-based computer lab. Teachers and students will be able to find the information they need to effectively use Linux at school and home. A page for school administrators will provide the essential information they need to plan Linux into their technological strategy. Jonathan Hughes, the website’s designer, comments, “It was my goal to keep the focus of the site narrow so that the viewers can find the information they need in a very effective way.”
A special section of the site is devoted to giving the Linux in education advocate the tools they need to advocate Linux in their area. “In fact,” Jonathan Hughes explains, “that was one of the purposes I fore saw for the website. A website that a Linux advocate, whether an IT staff already in a school or an active community volunteer, could give to educational professionals that gives them a starting point in their exploration of Linux in education.”
