Open Source Schools Project

HLUG launched the Open Source Schools Project on Sept. 17th, 2011 at 2pm as a part of our Software Freedom Day Event at All Saints’ Church in the centre of Hereford.

Project Aims

    • To introduce and expand teachers’, students’ and parents’ knowledge and use of open source software both at school and at home.
    • To provide a starting point for users through a custom built system, Tuxedu.
    • To increase understanding of how IT works.

Tuxedu has been developed by Dr Tony Sales of the RNCB in Hereford and includes educational programs and games brought together with core skills in mind. Because the primary school version is effectively ‘locked’ teachers and parents can be sure that while using Tuxedu younger students can access a range of open source programs but cannot gain access to the internet or effect any changes to the main PC or network – it is a ‘safe’ system. Tuxedu is built to run well on older systems as well as more up to date PC’s and laptops and so can be run on very basic machines.

We hope that positive outcomes from the project will include

      • An increased use and understanding of open source software by both students and teachers.
      • Students’ freedom to use Tuxedu and other open source programs at home will contribute to an increase and consolidation of their learning experience across all subject areas and more integration between students’ IT work in school and at home.
      • Students will become more than just good consumers of IT but gain a clearer understanding of how IT works – essential at secondary and higher levels.
      • Increased participation and learning for students from homes where digital poverty is an issue.
      • Potential short and long term cost savings for schools including recycling redundant machines back into use, increasing overall available IT stock.
      • Schools will be able to share the knowledge gained, as well as the open source software, with their pyramid or cluster group and the wider community.

if you would like further information about the Open Source Schools Project please contact hlug@hlug.org.uk