| San Diego schools pick SUSE Linux desktop |
May 21, 2007
 The San Diego Unified School District has selected Novell's SLED 10 (SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop) as the standard platform for its "Always-On Learning Initiative," a mobile computing initiative intended to help students achieve academic success and prepare them for life and work in the 21st century.
Specifically, the Always-On Learning Initiative, like the much better known OLPC (One Laptop per Child) initiative, is designed both to keep students in school and to help their grades and test results. To do that, the San Diego school system is relying not just on Linux, but on open-source software. To quote from Student Computing in San Diego Unified School District, "Both open-source software and Web applications provide students, teachers and parents wonderful tools and resources in education that are by and large free!"
This school district turning to the Linux desktop and open source is not a small matter. The San Diego Unified School District is the second-largest school district in California, serving more than 130,000 students, 100,000 of whom are in grades three through 12.
"This mobile computing program will help students develop the cognitive tools they will need to compete in the global economy," said Dan Wolfson, program manager of Educational Technology for The Office of the Deputy Superintendent of San Diego City Schools, in a statement. "To be beneficial to students and cost-effective for the district at the same time, our desktop operating platform needs to meet high standards of reliability, ease of use and administration, as well as being affordable. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop clearly meets those requirements."
The school district's On Learning Initiative is currently in the first phase of a three-phase implementation that is expected to run for several years. Deputy Superintendent Geno Flores said, "The district is enthusiastic about pioneering the Always-On Learning Initiative to personalize student learning. The initiative will provide meaningful learning experiences for all participating students, especially those who may not have access to computers at home. We believe it will help students develop higher order skills and to function effectively in the world beyond the classroom."
In a statement, Roger Levy, Novell vice president and general manager of open platform solutions, said, "San Diego Unified School District is to be commended for undertaking such an ambitious initiative to benefit students. Novell is pleased to play a part in its success by supplying the eminently affordable and manageable SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop that will provide a familiar and reliable computing experience for students, teachers and system administrators."
-- Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
Do you have comments on this story?
Talkback here
NOTE: Please post your comments regarding our articles using the above link. Be sure to use this article's title as the "Subject" in your posts. Before you create a new thread, please check to see if a discussion thread is already running on the article you plan to comment on. Thanks!
Related Stories:
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
