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“On new rails”: Switching to open source software at a high school
Illustration: Libby Levi / opensource.com, CC BY-SA
Where are we going? You stand on the platform. A high speed train links, much advertised, with exclusive amenities and preppy caregivers. This train ride not only business travelers, since the ride promises pleasant to be safely and quickly. Law an unassuming local train at which students frolicking. A railway staff is hard to find, the decor looks a bit messy – but the ride is free. Where you climb a?
The renewal of an IT system is for everyone involved a special challenge. This applies to everyone at home as well as for a school with thousands of users. Because since the last change in the system has done a lot. There are new products and solutions. A “We do it like always” ruled out. So it is necessary to make a number of decisions. What hardware is in question – should there be an ordinary desktop PC or a “liter-PC”, which you can hang behind the screen? Or do you make the tough changes and relies on thin client technology? What software is preferable? Is the successor to the previous operating system automatically the right choice
The questions are so varied that you prefer the other way asks: What should our system can? From this we developed criteria and then checks which system variant best suits it.
This article describes such a system change, triggered by outdated and insufficient hardware and by financially favorable situation, a new equipment put into a piece to can. Our path is by no means directly transferable to other schools, since the boundary conditions such as equipment of the building, preferences and previous experience of colleagues and skills of decision-makers at each school are unique. However, I hope that individual steps for others can be a help in the long decision-making process.
What is special about this path is that with the change of system and a reorientation has taken place in our school. We now almost exclusively use free software. In all 135 computers and notebooks running Linux for three years (currently Ubuntu 4.12). The article therefore also describes the experiences that we have had with the unknown for many students and colleagues Software.
Preparations
No matter what train we will enter, a few preparations for the travel are important. The destination must be clear, known departure date and are complied with. Generally, you should know what to consider when a train of course. In any case, you exchange opinions with knowledgeable friends of, tells of what you intend and listens to what they recommend. For this purpose, mailing lists and forums very well (Linux sample mailing list and the school network admin list at the German Research Network) are.
A concept is always good, even if you later does not comply with it in full. This should cover all those involved – especially the college and the school management – operate. It must be stated requirements, for example in a list of sample applications that you query from colleagues. From this the following criteria for the new system can be derived.
Technical Aspects
- The system must be as easy to administer and run permanently stable.
- are preferred techniques are used, comply with the open standards and are across operating systems available.
- An access to data and software must equally from any workstation and mobile device at school as well as home offices be possible.
- A central user management must uniform access for all services made available.
- The deployment time for a startup (boot) must be as short as possible.
Administrative Aspects
- a forum should be set up for troubleshooting and development of the system involving the teachers, parents and students.
- For more complex and longer-term tasks of the exchange with IT Companies and universities need. For this purpose, it must give a designated contact person.
Content-related aspects
- The IT system is the educational work at school.
- In addition to the use of software for specific applications, the system supports the delivery of learning and training materials.
- The possibilities of communication be improved through the establishment of forums and email usage.
Considerations include also
- the user behavior and the knowledge of the user, because the system is made for you. You must deal with it and thus be able to feel comfortable. Already, one should remember that a time frame for internal training is scheduled.
- the financial possibilities. Often a complete system renewal is not financially from the budget. You will find partners, support associations or foundations that support the project, then of course you have more options.
- setting or entertainment of users. This point must not be neglected. Prevails in the college and in the school management a mood that is open to a new system, or are there convinced users with fixed ideas? Among other plays confidence in the Managers a major role. Without this, the persuasion is difficult.
For us the situation was favorable. It was clear that something new has to come because the old system had come to its limits. In addition, it should, funded by fundraising and support associations, are significantly expanded. By consulting with an IT company quickly became clear that the desired requirements are beyond with a proprietary system the assessed favorable financial framework by far. Of course, there are programs with proprietary licensors that keep costs in the potential for school context. But so you are usually personally identifiable information in a manner out of hand, as it is not proper for the school environment or not allowed.
was favorable also, that in the previous use of the use of educational software the textbook publishers played a minor role. Some programs were already running under Wine, others will soon be available as well. With this knowledge and the hope that in the medium term and the textbook publishers are swirling in browser-based applications, was on this point a change to Linux nothing in the way. As we will see later, this assessment was not entirely correct (see “sites”).
A change of system was not least favored by the people who should oversee the system. Both teachers and students of computer-AG as well as the supervising IT companies knew each other with open source solutions.
So it all looked pretty good for a change of system. Nevertheless, a point should not be ignored: Licences. A comparison of the most popular open source license, the GNU General Public License (GPL), the license of a proprietary provider is in our opinion clearly which model is suitable for the education sector and which do not. But it is also clear that we can rely on no guarantee, unless it is agreed with a support company. If something is not working, you need the help, but you do – if you know something -. World finds
We have therefore prepared everything for the system change, inaugurated everyone involved and get sufficient approval. Then we got in -. In the local train
exit
If you decide on open source, which usually means, you bet on the Linux operating system. As a newcomer you can already feel as quickly lost because a peculiarity of free software is that there are a variety of solutions. And this is valid for the software collections that are available with the operating system together.
- Debian is considered very stable and is often used as a server system.
- Ubuntu builds on Debian but is more aligned with the support of current hardware and provides more for the look and feel of a job.
- Mint is again a parallel development to Ubuntu and is regarded as exemplary in the area of multimedia.
- SuSE is one of the first Linux distributions and the only one from Germany. For ten years he has a server solution for schools.
- For completeness, Redhat be noted the largest Linux distributor in the United States.
It is, as if you walk through the train and can not decide in which compartment you should sit down. Fortunately, there are also a variety of people who are familiar with the variants and happy to help (see ubuntuusers.de or Free Software and Education).
We are using Debian as a server system, because
- Debian is regarded as particularly stable and secure against attacks,
- Our betreuendes IT company has a penchant for Debian,
- Debian “in harmony” with Ubuntu, ie configuration and System structure same very strong.
At the workstations, we use Ubuntu 4.12 LTS a because
- Ubuntu provides a relatively easy entry if you come from other systems,
- Ubuntu is very well documented,
- Ubuntu offers extensive software with many interesting programs for educational use,
- Ubuntu supports multimedia applications sufficiently
- the version 4.12 is a variant with extra long support (Long Term Support, LTS), which means there are five years offered security updates and improvements.
This Decision may in other environment, with other care course be quite different. In any case, one should draw the complete solutions for schools considered as a coupling with professional support is possible here. Not every school has a Linux affinity IT companies on site
- Linux Solution:. Originally from the state of Baden-Württemberg as Educational Solution (PaedML) commissioned system is now by a group of freelance developers developed
- Skolelinux:. based on Debian, internationally employed system
- Open School Server:. school server solution from SuSE with paid support
- Arcturus:. from a resulting project with the computer magazine c’t and the Open German School Network school server solution
- Univention:. Paid open source solution that rather is aimed at education authorities
After. By opting for the operating system now comes the purchase of hardware. One should know that not all hardware is supported equally well by Linux. Especially with peripheral devices such as scanners and printers, there can be problems. Generally speaking, with branded products you drive not bad, partly because they often operate their own Linux support, on the other hand they are usually better documented than no-name products. In any case, it is worth a quick search if the desired hardware is already being successfully operated with Linux (see, for example, or wiki.ubuntuusers.de tuxhardware.de).
Since Hardware generally still together with is offered a proprietary system, as you would have mitkaufen with a pair of shoes and socks, you should specifically look for offers with no operating system or ask the provider afterwards. Perhaps the acquisition of second-hand hardware is concerned. We use for years without problems notebooks that we have acquired second hand. New hardware is for educational purposes oversized usually – at least if you use Linux traveling
Comfortable -. The daily
Now the train. It has opted for a compartment and set up there. After the installation, which is not subject of this article, we have the following tasks in everyday life to do:
- maintaining Images: We are working with the image management system Linbo – a product of the Linux-pattern solution. This installation can be saved and distributed to many computers. The aim is therefore to install new software, updates and security updates on a computer and save it as an image. The other computers are then synchronized with this image
- maintaining the user database. A special feature of the IT system in a school is the high degree of the change in the user data. Each school year is one-ninth of the user completely replaced, all the other change their group membership. We come to this task a set of scripts called sophomorix used. Through its own extension, we can now easily export student, parent and teacher data from the school administration and use them to create user for the school network, the intranet homepage and sorts mail distribution and delete.
- General First level -Support: In a system with about 140 jobs there is always something to do. Time users have forgotten their passwords and do not know how they can restore it, even a guest must be instructed in the system, someone wants to run his private unit in the school network, sometimes strike a printer.
In these points, an open source system does not differ from a proprietary. But benefits arise among others in flexibility through the use of open standards or source code. Only in this way systems can easily be connected to each other and adapt to individual needs. So for example, we found a solution to the internal representation of the publishing plan for which are no license costs, but can be extended. There is no additional user administration must be supervised and no update obligation is upon us. The representation plan is for all students and teachers viewed at any time anywhere.
In the working group of students interested in computers, it can be shown how the problems in the system administration are solved and up in all the depths of Systems inside. So the young people learn more than if they click through menus and submenus. So you can track errors and mend and discuss this with the developers around the world – without a commercial interest behind it, we will examine only the problem solution. Of course, not every student adapt able software, but on a small scale that happens with us already. There are autonomously developed using open source products solutions, which are enhanced and expanded from a next generation of students.
Similarly, we aim this for extensions to the open source content management system Plone in with which we not only generate our homepage, but offer an intranet also many internal content. So runs the scheduling tool, the reservation of rooms and equipment as well as the collection of protocols on this surface. Current plans call for appointment for the parents’, a management of the apologies of students, and an area for simultaneous editing of documents to Google Docs. Of course, this is not possible without IT skills, but it is always easier to learn these things. Open Source is a brilliant educational opportunities!
sites
Many a time machine, the drive stalled. There are on our way a few construction sites. Our riders have to get used to some peculiarity.
What is to assess a students performance, if the presentation is not displayed properly on the school equipment, because it was created with software that does not support open formats? Should we confront the students with these problems or flat the way for them by selecting the proprietary solution and thus takes into account that every student “get” this solution has? Of course, today is one of them for media education, one that educates through licensing models and the students can be a choice. This is not always easy in everyday life, but is better accepted than from students side by colleagues who can not print in the required format your worksheets at school. It is often forgotten that a version change in the proprietary systems may have similar effects. Those who have learned to save a text document in PDF format, is a clear advantage. And a presentation with Prezi still causes surprises.
However, if the projector does not recognize the connected notebook, the trouble is big. Since it does not benefit even if the solution has been reached with three clicks on the menu item “Display Devices”. Most users expect that the projector is only infected and the image can be seen immediately on the wall. Here can of course also with clever configuration to find a solution, but if change by general Beamer shrink the device types now and then, life is difficult.
Another issue is the supply of textbook publishers, with every book a shaped frame CD containing additional material. Most of these offers are run solely on a proprietary system, which would be easy to turn off, if you would follow a few points in the development. Colleagues page understandably growing pressure to be able to use the acquired with the book Software at school in the classroom. This also fails with rework part, but many a time.
Outlook
In addition to the processing of construction sites, the view sometimes in the distance. A project that is currently in the test phase, make it possible that all users can work on their device at home with the same environment as in school. That is data and software are no additional installation. Two solutions are there on the shortlist: FOSS-Cloud and Ulteo – both open source products
This would make it possible to integrate private terminals in the classroom – a trend that is under the. name Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) will also prevail in the schools, there’s no question of an extension of the systems by more hardware because of the non-growing administration resources.
And so it is colorful in school. It will prevail (hopefully) applications that are on all device formats (PC, notebook, netbook, tablet, mobile) run. Web applications are as a clear advantage. Perhaps we will soon need only one (Open Source) browser and an internet connection
This post is in the book published by Sebastian Seitz Band” Open Source and school – Why Education openness needs “(Verlag Liberio) appeared. The book is available at Amazon, iTunes and on the website of Sebastian Seitz. A print version is announced. The book included this article is licensed under the CC BY-SA.
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