Teachers Need an Open Source Education 440
palegray.net writes "Teachers are sorely in need of an education in what open source software is, what it isn't, and how it can benefit their students. A recent news story at the Reg discussed the case of a Texas teacher who accused those distributing Linux to students of committing criminal acts. A HeliOS blog entry exposes a 'higher education' culture of apathy, lies, and fear of open source software. Things have got to improve, and that improvement needs to start with misguided teachers getting their facts straight."
Re:What?! (Score:1, Interesting)
I can not agree with with you more. I've shared (and still share) student housing with people training to be secondary school teachers. One of them is genuinely smart and would be a great teacher. However I've meet people who are becoming teachers because they think it will be easy and after a five minute conversion with them have been left with the feeling that they struggle to get dresses in the morning by themselves.
More money to teachers and dissuading lazy people to become teachers is clearly the best option regardless of the subject or area of teaching that they are entering.
Re:What?! (Score:5, Interesting)
I agree with your points 2 and 3, but there is serious risk of raising salaries too much. Especially at the younger levels.
The desire to teach is a HUGE positive in a teacher, and currently most teachers could be making more money. This means they are taking a portion of their pay in job satisfaction (don't let them fool you, it is a great job that makes you feel good).
Paying enough that teaching appeals to people in it for the money is risky.
Also, teachers with a good education make decent money, certainly as much as any other entry level job for someone with a liberal arts degree. I don't know what people make with science backgrounds though, but I bet it is more.
Re:What?! (Score:5, Interesting)
Also, it would be nice to raise the public awareness about the importance of the teaching profession. One of the main pillars of the future of a country is currently seen as just a simple job anyone can do.
Just my humble opinion, and I'm sorry if I offended you.
I agree with your comments, and would add:
Parents need to take an positive, active role in their child's education
I know a lot of teachers, and they have far too many stories about parents who whine:
"It's your fault my little darling is failing. You aren't doing enough. What are you going to do to get them to pass?"
Of course, the parent has been told repeatedly that their darling cuts class, fails to turn in work, is high in class, misses makeup tests, etc., and there response is to do nothing and continue to blame the teachers.
Not to mention those that try to call teachers at home, on weekends, etc. Even though any teacher with half a brain doesn't give out home numbers parents find them any way.
I couldn't teach, because the first time I got that "What are we going to do?" crap I'd tell them unless they got a mouse in their pocket there isn't any we in this. And flunk their sorry kid.
Call me at home and you're likely to discover your phone number has been mistaken for a free sex number.
No wonder many of the good ones leave for other jobs where they don't have to take all this crap.
Re:Lack of knowledge not an excuse (Score:5, Interesting)
You must be new around schools... :-)
I've worked with "Head of IT" Teachers who can't install a simple application and don't understand "read-only" attributes.
I've worked with IT teachers who teach that the main components of a PC are a monitor and a hard drive "which contains all the other bits of the computer, including the CDROM".
I've worked with IT teachers who have NEVER programmed a single line in their life, trying to teach people how to use a programming language.
I've worked with IT teachers who are reluctant to let go of their floppies because they can't handle USB drives.
I've worked with IT teachers who have *zero* concept of licensing and just install everything everywhere.
Unfortunately, I met most of those people while working at a specialist IT secondary school / Academy.
It's common to most schools and to most subjects and even to most teachers - they might have a *related* degree (i.e. maths teachers with physics backgrounds, or even IT teachers with "business" backgrounds) or an actual degree in their subject but it doesn't mean that they understand the most fundamental things they are supposed to be teaching.
There are exceptions, as always, but it's true for the vast majority. At one point, I was tempted to do the extra 1 year PGCE in the UK in order to go back into those schools and show people that, actually, a network manager can do their job in a trice, but they can't hold a stick to a good network manager. Unfortunately, it would mean having to come down to their level for that entire year and I'm not sure I could manage it without pissing myself laughing.
Cost, Maintenance (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:citations please .. (Score:1, Interesting)
Dumbass her name was changed in blog to protect her identity.
Re:What?! (Score:1, Interesting)
A desire to teach without competent ability to teach is of no value.
Higher salaries mean those who already desire to teach are better able to justify that career path. Teaching is an incredible time commitment and most teachers are not compensated adequately. Far from "being in it for the money" we are asking teachers to essentially pay us (with their time) to educate our children. We risk losing those teachers.
We also miss out on otherwise competent individuals who are not willing to make the financial sacrifices require to become teachers. Frankly, I don't care if my child's teacher is "in it for the money" if he or she is giving my child a quality education.
Enable our schools to punish incompetence and problem teachers will not be a problem at any pay scale.
Re:Lack of knowledge not an excuse (Score:5, Interesting)
This teacher was a moron. Plain and simple.
You worry about when teachers only "teach" with their ignorance while abusing their position. What happens when they use that same ignorance to pursue prosecution from outside authorities and to have the student permanently expelled?
I have been in the Principal's office with the police in the room with the Principal screaming like an idiot asking for me to be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. My crime? I was in possession of the Anarchist's Cookbook. Spittle was flying across the room while passages were being read that described thermite and 10 ways to kill somebody with your finger. It was taken from my backpack from another teacher when I left it in class. The police actually had to calm her down to explain to her that I had broken no laws whatsoever. It took 2 weeks to get me back into school by going to her supervisors and pointing out that I did not even break any rules in school.
I was also through the same situation later on when a teacher that taught computer science claimed that a file left on a "hacked" server proved I was the perpetrator. Why? It had a line of text that said, "Ed did this". Seriously, that was the CSI level proof that required my expulsion from school. I knew the kid that did it and he thought it was absolutely hilarious what happened. At the time my ethics demanded I did not "squeal", so I never said I knew who did it.
It's one thing for people to completely ignorant of what open source software is, licensing models, copyrights, fair use, etc. It's another when they use their ignorance and position of authority to force their ideologies on a student. That's just inappropriate when a teacher does that.
It's something else when a teacher sets out to destroy you over their ignorance. It sucks since a student is most often left in a position that they can't defend themselves at all, even when they are right and innocent.
Re:Teachers are 'slow' anyway (Score:3, Interesting)
slowly changing (Score:1, Interesting)
My daughter's school is the pilot for our county in the adoption of Open Office -- we are in Stafford county, the 12th richest per-capita in the US!
However, when we still get "do a powerpoint" as a requirement and when math teachers have not heard about open source projects like octave, gnuplot, etc., we have a problem....
Also, the school board rules still prohibit "altering computer date or programs" or "removing computer data or programs", so I guess they can't even log in or save a file without violating the rules....
Re:Why is it all about teachers? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Lack of knowledge not an excuse (Score:4, Interesting)
Most teachers aren't smart. Sorry but it is true. They think they are they brag how they have a masters degree. (and complains that it is the lowest paid job that requires a masters)
I am not saying they arn't really good teachers out there who are incredibly smart and excellent teachers but most of them are not.
First lets cover why they became a teacher. They will say they want to help kids etc. That is the BS answer. The real reason is because they have a lack of imagination on what other jobs are available that offer a middle class life style. They know what school is and what the job as teacher mostly consists of. So they spend their life in the school system because it is what they know.
Second Fear of Math and Science, why is there a shortage of Math and Science teachers. Because people go into teaching as it is a degree that you don't need to take Advanced Math and Science class. They don't even have to take pre-calculus (Depending on the college and state). All their courses are taught in a similar fashion mush like English classes. While Science and Engineering Majors need to take some of those type of classes and more Math/Science driven classes, we actually get a more robust education then the teachers do. The people who are not afraid of math and science go to a degree that will pay better.
Third the Masters degree is a joke. The schools know it is required for these people to continue their career, so they are not going to make it tough or challenging. It is more the same except the course numbers are 500s and 600s with perhaps one bigger paper thrown in. Heck there is even a class that teaches the teachers the current slangs for sexual references, that they might cover in the class. Even the MBA program which is light and fluffy compared to Science and Engineering Masters degrees teaches useful skills and concepts and when needed they tell you you are going to need to use Math to solve these problems.
Forth tenured jobs are way to secure. I understand the reason for tenure is to protect the teacher from government pressures or from parents (say you were also a coach and you didn't let Johnny, son of a House Representative in the basket ball team because he absurdity sucked, so he called on daddy to get you fired, your protected) But it creates a counter culture which puts people in a lull. If your job isn't at risk and the union will avoid any pay for performance measures, what motivation do you have to teach at high quality and improve yourself. You are not going to change careers as yours is safe and a guarantee raise. So over time the teachers mind just kinda rots to a point where it teaches what he/she has taught for the last 20 years, only adding a new tidbit of information every 5 years just so kids realize that we have actually landed on the moon.
Fifth their ego, our culture want they put them as being smarter then everyone else, which actually creates and opposite effect. For example at the time I had a job which did laser printer repair (including the color ones), however I was brought on board as a software developer The bubble pop forced be to do both jobs. I couldn't convince a teacher that the primary colors that they taught us in school are incorrect (Red, Blue, Yellow). But there are 2 sets of primary colors depending if they are pigments which absorb light (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow) or admit light (Red, Green, Blue). She was so stuck on what was on the Elementary School art color wheel, and her rational is that is a teacher with a masters degree so she is right.
There is massive resistance from teachers when they are forced to learn something themselves. A class on public relations to teach them to better handle parents and students. Technology education... You name it after they get there masters degree learning has stopped for most teachers.
Re:Frist psot? (Score:3, Interesting)
That reminds me of a story that was supposed to happen sometimes in late 80's in Prague. The police tried to confiscate a dissident's computer (I believe the dissident was actually Vaclav Havel). They took the keyboard and the monitor, writing them down in the report as "computer" and "TV". They left the main body on his desk, telling him that "he can keep the amplifier".
Re:citations please .. (Score:2, Interesting)
Believe it or not, some teachers are educators and believe in education.
Fixed that for you. I was a mathematics instructor for over a decade. I left that profession largely because of insufficient pay, a lazy and apathetic student body, unconcerned administrators, and incompetent colleagues. I shared several math classes at university with education majors. They were uniformly the worst students in the class.
Any teachers out there who *are* OSS experts? (Score:4, Interesting)
I teach high school, and I consider myself something of an OSS expert...I've been using OSS since the 90's (actually made some money from it working in the industry for several years), several consulting gigs related to OSS, currently a developer on a couple of active OSS projects. I don't believe I fit the mold of your typical "OSS-challenged" teacher. But the problem I have is finding like-minded teachers who have a clue about how to integrate OSS technology in the classroom. My school district has taken some baby steps in this regard (they have a Moodle installation I'm helping with, and I use OSS tools in every one of my CS classes without fear of reprisal).
So, where do the teachers hang out who not only know how to spell "OSS" but are also actively promoting OSS in the public school system?
Re:Lack of knowledge not an excuse (Score:4, Interesting)
I have been in the Principal's office with the police in the room with the Principal screaming like an idiot asking for me to be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. My crime? I was in possession of the Anarchist's Cookbook. Spittle was flying across the room while passages were being read that described thermite and 10 ways to kill somebody with your finger. It was taken from my backpack from another teacher when I left it in class. The police actually had to calm her down to explain to her that I had broken no laws whatsoever. It took 2 weeks to get me back into school by going to her supervisors and pointing out that I did not even break any rules in school.
I was also through the same situation later on when a teacher that taught computer science claimed that a file left on a "hacked" server proved I was the perpetrator. Why? It had a line of text that said, "Ed did this". Seriously, that was the CSI level proof that required my expulsion from school. I knew the kid that did it and he thought it was absolutely hilarious what happened. At the time my ethics demanded I did not "squeal", so I never said I knew who did it.
It's one thing for people to completely ignorant of what open source software is, licensing models, copyrights, fair use, etc. It's another when they use their ignorance and position of authority to force their ideologies on a student. That's just inappropriate when a teacher does that.
It's something else when a teacher sets out to destroy you over their ignorance. It sucks since a student is most often left in a position that they can't defend themselves at all, even when they are right and innocent.
It sounds to me like you had also demonstrated your own ignorance of the culture you were exposed to. In a day where kids are bringing bombs and guns to school because they got one too many swirlies, you can safely assume a teacher to feel threatened and scared when a kid is packing the Anarchist's Cookbook in his backpack. If you were a little less ignorant, you might have left it at home where your privacy is more or less assured.
Not that I'm agreeing with the reaction of the principal. I had a similar experience when, on a day where the sky was pissing great floods of rain, I made the mistake of putting a hat on before putting my hand on the door to the outside and the principal snatched it off my head. "No hats in school", he said with a smirk as he glanced out at the torrent. So I gawked in disbelief and went to my car. I started to leave but the principle of what the principal did was soaking in to me as the rain was soaking into my hair and dripping down into my shirt, so I stopped by the office to demand my apparel back. The office ladies said they could page the principal up, but I said "No, I'm so mad at him I don't want to see him. I'm afraid I'd hit him." Wrong thing to say about a man with short-man-in-power syndrome. The next day I was called into the office where a police officer was waiting for me and the principal was ranting about how I had physically threatened him. Me, a student with no record of ever having been called to the office, a student that made good grades and was on the drumline, a rail that weighed all of 145 pounds, that made the mistake of using the word 'hit' in a sentence that involved a pissant in authority. I mean, I could understand if I had come in to that office with a knife and a letter that said "I'm going to kill you" and asked one of the office ladies to deliver it to him, that might be a threat, but I came in looking like a drenched cat and I was pissed that this guy had fucked with me on a rainy day just to ruin my afternoon. I wasn't exactly oozing violence at that point. So in short, I agree with your premise. Fucking school administrators. Piss on them.
Re:citations please .. (Score:2, Interesting)
Actually, an anecdote is proof of existance. If I have a black sheep, that is proof that black sheep exist. It's not even evidence of a certain number of black sheep (other than "at least one"), but it's proof incontrovertible of one.
That said, it does matter. If there is only one "Karen" (unlikely in my estimation, but I don't have any further evidence, so we'll ignore the likelihood here), then it's really not worth the effort for a major open-source drive. If "Karen" is representative of 80% of teachers out there (also unlikely, but I digress), then said drive would be worth it just in tax savings alone (cut their budgets by millions of dollars per year and get the same quality of education because the savings would be on software licenses). So, it does matter. A lot.
My digression: take the average knowledge/comfort level with open source you find in the general population. Apply it basically unchanged to the teaching population. Yes, teachers are, in general, more prone to learning (though I've seen my share of extremely lazy teachers). But, like any other human being, they're going to concentrate their spare-time learning on things they enjoy. Obviously, one of those things is teaching itself. Computers in general as a subject likely won't be significantly different from the population at large - there are some computer geeks, and some technophobes among the teaching population. And, among those who enjoy learning about computers, they're more than likely to go with the flow and learn what they think everyone else is using: Windows, MS Office, etc. If they were truly geeks, they'd probably have taken up computer science rather than teaching. Now, granted, this is all pure logic based on some fairly broad assumptions, but I do think it makes sense. I don't see teachers being especially special in this regard - their knowledge level of open source may be a tiny bit higher than average, but I don't think it significant. Thus, given all these assumptions and that my logic holds, I would propose that targetting teachers for open source would be a wise thing: not only in tax savings on their budgets, but in preparing the next generation for a wider software choice than the current generation thinks it has.
Re:Lack of knowledge not an excuse (Score:3, Interesting)
The thing that people often forget is that teaching itself is a serious talent/skill.
Are you from the teachers Union? That is a fat load of bullshit. Since they have been running that line, geting more and more people shut out of the schools, the quality of education has dropped.
Re:Lack of knowledge not an excuse (Score:3, Interesting)
You raise a good point. Back in the days of one room schoolhouses, they used to accept any available woman, which you would think meant a lousy education, but those one room schools turned-out some of America's best and brightest.
If you have the knowledge, teaching the knowledge is no special trick. You just need a little bit of patience (i.e. don't beat your students because they say 20 + 20 = 50).
Re:Frightening hypothesis (Score:2, Interesting)
I'm actually a teacher behind a firewall, so I have to post as an AC, but it's not really the unions. I'm in a non-union state, and we still don't get pay based on performance. It's government policy in most states. But the problem you address is real but isn't caused by unions alone.
I don't disagree with the concept, but let's not call it "tougher" subjects. I teach English and would venture to say that it isn't an easier subject.