Comments on: Can we get high school kids into open source? http://blog.lazzurs.net/2009/03/17/can-we-get-high-school-kids-into-open-source/ Me, tech and the world. Sun, 30 Aug 2009 02:08:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: DDevine http://blog.lazzurs.net/2009/03/17/can-we-get-high-school-kids-into-open-source/comment-page-1/#comment-40 DDevine Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:25:53 +0000 http://blog.lazzurs.net/?p=47#comment-40 I think High school is the perfect time to attempt to get kids interested in Open Source. You are in luck if they are already learning things such as MySQL and Java in class because these technologies have a fairly decent FOSS following around them. Unfortunately, in Australia and I'm sure this is the case for everywhere else in the world there is the problem of very un-imaginative teachers who have no desire to step outside their little [Microsoft] box, or to learn something new [and non-Microsoft] so getting the IT students to even come in contact with ANY FOSS software in these cases can be damn near impossible. I just finished school last year, and I have thought about going back and doing a few lunch time presentations/workshops based around FOSS. There is lots of cool stuff that can get people hooked or at least interested enough to remember that something else besides Microsoft is around. I think High school is the perfect time to attempt to get kids interested in Open Source. You are in luck if they are already learning things such as MySQL and Java in class because these technologies have a fairly decent FOSS following around them. Unfortunately, in Australia and I’m sure this is the case for everywhere else in the world there is the problem of very un-imaginative teachers who have no desire to step outside their little [Microsoft] box, or to learn something new [and non-Microsoft] so getting the IT students to even come in contact with ANY FOSS software in these cases can be damn near impossible.

I just finished school last year, and I have thought about going back and doing a few lunch time presentations/workshops based around FOSS. There is lots of cool stuff that can get people hooked or at least interested enough to remember that something else besides Microsoft is around.

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