Re: [Fsfe-uk] Membership

[ian]

On Tue, 2003-05-27 at 10:56, David Casal wrote:
> On Sat, 24 May 2003, MJ Ray wrote:
> 
> > David Casal <address@hidden> wrote:
> > > At this point, we need to put a presentation together on how we'd run it,
> > > etc. I want to put special emphasis on the Regional Support Network for
> > > FE, and will be in contact with the Anglian node shortly to try to meet
> > > about this.
> >
> > As you know, I currently do some work for FE in that region, and I use
> > free software in preference to the college's "MS Campus Agreement"
> > offerings.  I had no idea that there was a Regional Support Network
> > for FE or how to get in touch with them.  Are they meant to talk to
> > front-line staff?
> 
> Yes, I was aware of that, and hoping you'd ask. The Regional Support
> Network is a JISC initiative:
> 
> http://www.jisc.ac.uk/rsc/
> 
> Find the national map here:
> 
> http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=rsclocation
> 
> THe Eastern node:
> 
> http://www.rsc-eastern.ac.uk/
> 
> I am currently talking to Gerard Hayes, Manager for the Eastern node,
> about the JISC bid (open source advisory service). The idea is that we
> would integrate the service with their role, and establish links between
> organisations somehow.
> 
> When we present to the panel next week in London, my point is going centre
> around integration with organisations such as the AFFS, but also with
> companies/people involved (Richard?) who already have commitments to
> education/FS.

If it helps, you can use us in any way you want. The Learning Machine
has a link with Birmingham University that is embryonic but promising
related to free software development projects for under-graduates that
contribute to education. We are also sponsoring theINGOTs.org which
accredits IT skills without being tied to proprietary software. A lot of
interest in specialist schools and we are currently talking to Anglia
Poly, Uni. about cooperation. We are also developing a free electronic
registration application for schools after winning a DTi SMART Award.
Our work is mainly with schools. Further general info on the website
www.thelearningmachine.co.uk and www.theIngots.org.


> What has happened so far? Can it be said that the effort to start off
> SchoolForge UK is well underway? Do you see a JISC service being able to
> collaborate with it easily (keep in mind this service would tackle FE and
> HE primarily), even though its focus is 'schools'? My thinking here is
> that JISC could benefit from -not- starting yet another node, and instead
> fusing effort from existing ones.

Our initial link with Birmingham crossed the School HE/FE divide in the
following way. We were approached by a DTi scheme that gives grants to
small businesses. Birmingham Uni is the DTi consultant so we use our
small grant to get advice from them. In the course of that we got
talking about free software needs for schools so he said provide a wish
list for under-graduate projects - they are always looking for ideas. So
if we provide the prioritised needs list for education free software,
the universities can get their students to pick which ones they like the
sound of. They are then motivated by contributing something useful and
the school pool for free software grows. If there was some funding
available to co-ordinate this it would be a lot more effective. I even
had a US university E-mail me for the wish list so I guess there is
interest.We could keep track of which projects were being done,
completed etc on the schoolforge website making available rpms or
whatever for download when completed.

There is also a lot of untapped resource in the schools themselves.
Involving pupils in things like production of clip art, programming,
debugging etc has a lot of potential. Its just being able to coordinate
it.

> Do people think the membership/voting thread is mature enough now for me
> to say that 'the AFFS is working towards enlarging their membership to
> include people and organisations involved in education', or even 'OSAS
> would work within existing efforts to get people within educational
> institutions actively involved in AFFS activity?'
> 
> D
> 
> David Casal
> e:  address@hidden
> w:  ariada.uea.ac.uk/~dcasal
> p:  (+44) 07803 173 959
> 
> 
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-- 
ian <address@hidden>