After reading this article, it made me think about what our school spends annually for software. My question is could I teach my students how to use open-source software? Could my students pass the very important computer skills test required by North Carolina if they only used open-source software? Would it save schools that much? Schools would have to consider one main cost- professional development. In order to teach students, teachers have to be trained to use open-source software also. My school has a class set of texts, specifically written for learning disabled students. These texts were provided at no cost to our system through a grant. If we switched to open-source software to replace our Microsoft products, it would cost more money. Our school has a very competitive pricing of Office. I was surprised how cheap the license costs compared to single user retail prices. So, as a classroom teacher, I would rather keep Microsoft products. I once heard an administrator say: " the only person that likes change is a baby, and they have a wet diaper."
Teaching Ideas & Resources - TES - The Times Educational Supplement 2
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