[Inschool] Re: Tool Kit

[Ralph M. Deal]

Adam Williams wrote:

. . .
> If you mean the website, OK.  They mention calendars, multiple choice
> tests, file sharing, etc... phpgroupware (and several other packages)
> offer this out-of-the-box.  The web services they offer (as far as I can
> tell), leave mean thinking: "So?  Big deal".  A volunteer effort could
> offer such services with very little effort given they had some IT
> infrastructure (servers, backbone connections, UPS, etc...)

Yes!  I didn't know about phpgroupware and have just been looking into & 
even downloading it.  It doesn't seem to have multiple-choice test
features
at present but it seems one could write such easily(?) in php.
While the commercial system seems oriented to sit in one school to serve
the
teachers,students in that school.  If KLUG were to take on such a
project,
if they had the infrastructure you mention, including a physical
location, 
it could serve an entire school district, right?

> I could EASILY see something of this nature hosted under the KLUG
> umbrella if someone pulls together a knot of sincerely interested
> volunteers.  I'd help get the rolling.

Same here, although in my case, I'd be learning more than helping roll
[the ball?]
 
> >I also found the plugged in group itself interesting.  Would be great to
> >build up a physical location
> >where students AND parents and any other interested local citizen could
> >come to learn some simple
> >computer skills, learn of some useful websites, learn how to use email.
> >Wonder if some local Internet
> >Service Provider might be interested in taking on such a community
> >project with volunteers maintaining
> >the actual location and the ISP providing free or very low cost internet
> >access.  Aside from
> >the public service aspect, it would be a great way to promote the ISP
> >for internet connection away from the center.
> 
> The requirement for physical facilities and volunteer assistants makes
> this a MUCH larger effort.  KLUG  and myself have attempted in the past
> to orchestrate entry-level training with community organs before,  but
> the community organs have always exemplified fickle-ness, lack of
> commitment, poor communication, etc...

I believe that.  The former project could have the same problem if
teachers
were not given time or rewarded with at least praise for involvement.
Since this project would have teachers/students working in LINUX as well 
as MS windows on their classroom computers,  would this be a problem?
i.e. can phpgroupware provide services for teachers without their 
having any contact with command-line LINUX?

	Ralph