[OSGeo-Discuss] Sharing sad news from the web...

Fri Oct 28 07:54:55 PDT 2016

The way I look at it - and this is from watching Teachers at the school: 
Imagine getting a disk full of software. Have a colleague come over and 
repeatedly poke you in the head while you try to figure out what is on 
the disk and where the instructions are. In a few more minutes have 
someone come over and start singing while you are getting poked in the 
head. Maybe someone pours water in your shoe in another 2 minutes.

It needs to be that simple. That's what the ESRI folk are doing 
"Lessons, 'free', and here is the Documentation".

Simple: software, x directories with x lessons.

A giant Red button with "Don't Panic" in nice friendly letters.

On 10/28/2016 10:39 AM, Angelos Tzotsos wrote:
> So according to Randal, to reach out to schools we need a scaled-down 
> and lighter OSGeo-Live build (probably without the server side 
> applications), with different documentation included. Maybe based on 
> Edubuntu?
>
> I volunteer to make a custom OSGeo-Live iso for kids, but we will need 
> lots of feedback and volunteers to shape up a new documentation.
>
> Last year I had the chance to teach several hours of OpenStreetMap to 
> school kids in a municipality initiative and I can totally agree that 
> things are different with kids. They did not seem to have much 
> difficulty with the OSGeo-Live UI, but we ended up playing with iD and 
> less with desktop applications, like josm.
>
> just my 2c
>
> Angelos
>
>
> On 10/28/2016 04:55 PM, Randal Hale wrote:
>> If I can just chime in (I told my cat I wasn't).
>>
>> The kicker in this is ESRI is deeply entrenched everywhere. They've 
>> entire groups of people just focused on "giving to schools". I was at 
>> the helm of rolling out a full ESRI rollout to a school in 2012. We 
>> had a 50 seat lab setup. I ended up moving them over to FOSS4G 2 
>> years ago - and I need to go back and update their setup (they don't 
>> know how). The school is Title 1 (which means the school is very 
>> poor). The computers are better than what they normally get - BUT - 
>> they will be using them longer than what they need to. They will be 
>> unable to run the next version of ESRI Software. The computers can 
>> still run FOSS4G software.
>>
>> The teachers here in the US (and I have no doubt this is the case 
>> everywhere) are stretched thin. That's what makes ESRI so nice. They 
>> show up and go "here is a curriculum (of sorts) and here is 'free' 
>> software". It's a short term win. They have people targeted to do 
>> just that.
>>
>> So what would Randy do (and I've thought about this more than I care 
>> to mention) to introduce FOSS4G into the schools:
>>
>> A bootable disk with FOSS4G software (I am partial to QGIS - other 
>> things exist) and not everything like the OSGEO Disk. A few select 
>> pieces of software with a purpose:
>>
>>  * 10 lessons of 1 hour apiece to work through that are student
>>    oriented (maybe pick an age range - 12-16)
>>      o Start globally and work down to locally. Maybe we have different
>>        local datasets.
>>  * An explanation for the teachers. They don't understand like we do -
>>    they need us there for hand holding and encouragement. They can
>>    manage kids - We need to help manage the lessons. I'm not a teacher.
>>    I can teach adults - but not kids - it's a whole different game.
>>  * A spot where teachers can get the lessons (NOT GITHUB) and the disk
>>    (maybe we combine all things into a bootable USB stick).
>>  * Help - a place where they can get help (NOT GITHUB). My town has 30+
>>    schools. If more than 1 does this I can't be everywhere. ESRI put
>>    out a call for Geomentors. We put out a call.
>>  * We have COMMUNITY - I don't believe ESRI currently does. They have
>>    an advertising budget. 20 years ago they had community. We have
>>    momentum now. Community is greater than an Advertising budget.
>>  * Advertise it. Ask for help from the teachers.
>>  * Update it.
>>
>> I know I'm asking for a lot - it's time intensive - but I think it's 
>> 100% doable. I go to speak at 2 colleges on GIS Day on nothing but 
>> FOSS4G.
>>
>> We've got all the pieces to make this work except time. I'll carve 
>> out some time if this gets going.
>>
>> I wished the cat had stopped me. Now I'm in it.
>>
>>
>> On 10/28/2016 09:16 AM, Jeff McKenna wrote:
>>> As if someone is reading this ha, a tweet just came across my desk: 
>>> https://twitter.com/GIS4Teachers/status/791981572991746048
>>>
>>> So, we need to also get into that huge K-12 market, plant the open 
>>> seed early :)  A challenge indeed.
>>>
>>> Think on this over the weekend,
>>>
>>> -jeff
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 2016-10-27 12:36 PM, SERGIO ACOSTAYLARA wrote:
>>>> Sadly, only ESRI seems to exist for some in the USA...Imagine the
>>>> consequences of
>>>> this: 
>>>> http://www.pobonline.com/articles/100610-gathering-up-geospatial-pros-to-meet-massive-market-growth
>>>> 
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Sergio Acosta y Lara
>>>> Departamento de Geomática
>>>> Dirección Nacional de Topografía
>>>> Ministerio de Transporte y Obras Públicas
>>>> URUGUAY
>>>> (598)29157933 ints. 20329/20330
>>>> http://geoportal.mtop.gub.uy/
>>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
>>
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>
>
> -- 
> Angelos Tzotsos, PhD
> OSGeo Charter Member
> http://users.ntua.gr/tzotsos
>
>
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-- 
-----------------
Randal Hale
North River Geographic Systems, Inc
http://www.northrivergeographic.com
423.653.3611 rjhale at northrivergeographic.com
twitter:rjhale

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