[School] Objectives

[Hale Pringle]

Hi Guys!

I just browsed around the links that Phil sent for a while and I have a
<strong> suggestion </strong>.

We need to create and more or less agree on a (limited) number of
objectives for this project.  To brush off a golden oldie.  If we don't
know where we are going, we'll never know if we get there!

I'll drop a personal note in here that I think makes the point.  When I
ran the student/teacher computing for UCF I had a "vision" of where I
wanted us to go and I foungt tooth and nail to move us in that
direction.  After I left my number 2 took over.  When we met a year
later he had an interesting insight.  He said (more or less) "Hale I
used to really resent the small group of developers that you held back
from me.  I really needed those folks to fight the fires on campus.
After you left and they were MINE, boy did we handle the fires.  Now I
look around and I realize that there is no wake behind our boat.  We're
not going anywhere.  I also realize that those guys were the ones rowing
the damn boat.  Ah well....."    My point is that we need to have a
direction and all row in that direction.  We can change direction but at
least when we look back we won't see vast circles going nowhere.

******************************************
Here is a quick list to start the ball.  (Perhaps a wiki would be better
here.)

I.  Create an elementary classroom computer lab with the following
characteristics.
    1. Based on Linux.
    2. Virtually all open-source/free for education software.
    3. Rock solid operation (at the expense of lots of neat stuff.)
    4. Remote Administration (complete with remote reboot of the
server.)
    5. Classroom PCs are cloned.  If one gets squirrelly the first thing
the teacher do is reclone it.
    6. Most software is run from a central server reducing to a minimum
the ways the client PCs can get strange.
    7. A take-home version should be available (perhaps a Knoppix type
or attach here an clone)
    8. We must have an on-line bug-tracking system.
    9. We must have an on-line feature request system.
   10. We must have at least XX teachers from the school on this list.

II. Create a repeatable project that we can clone at other schools and
others can clone from us
   1.  We log everything
       - problems
       - setup time
       - administration time
       - USAGE!!!! (what was used and for how long)
   2. We listen to the teachers and we don't talk at all.
   3. We train ourselves in how to do this and do it in a world class
way
   4. We realize that we haven't done something until we have documented
it so that others know we did it, why we did it, how we knew when to do
it and HOW WE DID IT.
   5. We evangelize it  (I'll tell you honest and true I can't sell for
$$$, but I can get you to hand over you savings account when I talk
about something I believe in.  We want lots of people who feel that way
about this project.)
   6. We focus on HOW WE DO IT and we find others with the same focus.
There appear to be too many parts catalogs (lists of free stuff) and not
enough how-to manuals
   7. We give concrete benefits to those who actively participate and I
don't mean $$$.  We give certificates, endorsements, "Ask me about the
Linux Classroom Project!" buttons,  opportunities to
consult/write/speak. etc. 

III Repeat until done!

(I feel like Bryan so I'll shut up now.)

Hale