Sam Varghese
Wednesday, 10 December 2008 13:35
Opinion and Analysis
Page 2 of 3
He said the students would store all their data on the USB key and sync it with a central server. "They can access this data through a web interface, ie, the school Intranet or Learning Management System eg,
Moodle or
LAMS , both if which are free software."
The existing wireless systems at the schools would be used for connectivity and existing power sockets would be used to recharge the netbooks. This would ensure no additional money was spent on cabling or power resources.
"If anything goes wrong with the operating system or applications, the student's USB key can be re-imaged with a fresh OS/apps copy, and their data is fetched from the central intranet server," Zymaris said.
And if the student forgets to bring the USB key to class, "they can be issued a temporary one, and their 'data' is always available via the school's file-store intranet."
He said there was no lack of free and open source applications which could be used for mathematics, science subjects, geography, music theory, multimedia and languages.
"No Linux or additional systems expertise is needed, as the technology to create (ie, image) new USB drives with a Linux distribution exists and is very easy to use," Zymaris said. "Therefore, there would be no issues with current IT staff not having the knowledge needed to deploy and support these new netbooks.
"Our expectation is that this programme can be established for a cost of $A500 per unit (ie, for 2 students sharing), or $A1000 per 4 students. This includes all hardware and software costs. All that remains is the effort of having designated teaching staff image the USB keys, which is a trivial, one-click exercise."
