Schoolforge-UK:Press Release
From Schoolforge-UK
Released 6th October 2003 via email at 2027 hours
Manchester, England, 7th October 2003 -- The Schoolforge-UK project has launched a collaborative web site for educators at http://www.schoolforge.org.uk/ to facilitate adoption of open source software and materials in UK schools and colleges.
Schoolforge-UK was started after the April 2003 Open Source in Education Conference, hosted by mPowerNet at Anglia Polytechnic University. Supporters of the project aim to promote widespread adoption of free software and open source materials in UK education.
A governing body for the project has been formed with members drawn FROM the UK education and free software movements, including those working for schools, colleges, City Learning Centres and education suppliers. As a first step, they are collecting information on existing UK and worldwide projects and suggesting tasks that volunteers could start work on.
World wide interest in the adoption of free software has mushroomed in recent months. Free (or "open source") software is commonly developed by teams of volunteers, often collaborating over the Internet, to produce computer code of a quality and reliability that often surpasses more traditional methods of software development. (Examples include the GNU/Linux Operating System and Apache Web Server). Key to the success of such projects are the licensing terms, which ensure that the computer "source code" is freely distributed for testing and enhancement by users and other professionals all over the world.
Developing countries have been quick to seize on the reduced costs, improved security and greater self-sufficiency offered by free software, which has recently been mandated by governments in France, Peru, Venezuela, South Africa, Germany and the Region of Extremadura, Spain. Similar benefits are being realised by local authorities such as the Cities of Largo, Florida, Austin, Texas and Munich, Germany. Closer to home, the counties of Powys and Nottinghamshire are among those using free software. The European Union is actively promoting free software, HAVING made policy statements to the effect that member governments should be looking at open source for public sector software solutions.
In education, open source not only significantly reduces costs but also the workload of staff, both in ICT and elsewhere in the organisation; sharing resources developed by individuals, departments or through the teaching community can significantly reduce the time taken to prepare lessons. There are also important educational benefits for students in being able to study and work with the "source code" upon which computer programs are built, and in gaining first-hand experience of collaborating with others over the Internet.
Early support for Schoolforge-UK has come FROM the Association For Free Software (AFFS), who provided technical help in setting up the Schoolforge-UK web site. MJ Ray, AFFS Treasurer, said: "We are very pleased to be helping this effort. This GROUP has many very talented people who can help UK education to realise the cost and flexibility benefits that sharing resources will bring, especially software.
For more information, contact Chris Puttick, Publicity Officer - chris@centralmanclc.com, or visit the web site at http://www.schoolforge.org.uk.
Distribution
Please make a list of suggested press targets here:
- TES - news editor - frances.rafferty at tes.co.uk
- Slashdot - maybe simoniker@slashdot.org as Slashdot is rather anarchic - he seems to submit on open source occasionally. The other alternative is for someone to try to submit directly. I've never managed to get anything in, but will try if you want. RichardRothwell
- The Register
- Education Guardian education.editor at guardianunlimited.co.uk
- Independent Education section - no specific contact - use newseditor at independent.co.uk
- Google News - no press release capability as based on searching other news sites; if we make it in to this one, we've done well!
- Simple End User Linux Edu project
- LinuxToday PR ([User:MjR|MJRay]] has account there)
- k12osn@redhat.com K12LTSP mailing list
- DebianEdu Wiki & !DebianEdu list: debian-edu {at} lists.debian.org
- Becta - I'll find out who/where inside Becta would be best - JonathanMatthews - possibly "Alastair Clark" <alastair.clark@becta.org.uk> have a look at... http://search.ngfl.gov.uk/centres/centres.archive.0303/msg00098.html RichardRothwell
- British Computer Society - no education specific contact - bcshq@hq.bcs.org.uk
- comp.os.linux.announce
- GNU Linux User and Developer
- Linux Magazine
- [Linux Format | http://www.linuxformat.com/]
- UK LUGs - HantsLUG by TonyWhitmore
- info-gnu if we're willing to keep the terminology clean
- Brave GNU World, similarly
- Education Computing and Technology (Your editorial contact is Emma Waltham on 020 7958 5094 or emma.waltham@hobsons.co.uk. Article on case studies of Linux in schools by Jack Kenny should be out in May.)
- DesktopLinux.com (I have a contact- ChrisPuttick)
- LEAS and council ICT staff- SOCITM - brian.westcott at socitm.gov.uk
- Computing - mike_gubbins at vnu.co.uk
- NAACE - robin at naace.org
- Arwain - via http://www.arwain.net/php/submit.php?menu=7
- CCO - via http://www.curriculumonline.gov.uk/Curriculum+OnLine/FAQs/queryform.htm
- Education Ministers - dfes.ministers@dfes.gsi.gov.uk, education.comm@wales.gsi.gov.uk and ceu@scotland.gov.uk
- NASUWT - awaiting contact FROM their magazine editor - no contact, used nasuwt@mail.nasuwt.org.uk
- NUT - given up trying to find contact details - appalling website!
- SHA - angela at sha.org.uk
- GTC - press@gtce.org.uk
- Teachernet (Teachers magazine) - paul.sanderson at redwoodgroup.net
- BBC News Education - educationnews at bbc.co.uk
- Channel 4 news - news at channel4.com
- ITN News - editor at itn.co.uk
- IMIS - Journal editor - deirdre.pointer at imis.org.uk
here is some school mags etc that promised
- Junior Education, Child Education, Senior Education - enquiries@scholastic.co.uk
--russell
