Talk: Catch them early - Free Software in education

Free Software in Politics
Day
Saturday 12th of November, 2011
Start
16:15
End
17:00
Duration
0:45:00
Room
1

by Guido Arnold

All too often, schools turn computer class into a mere product training. Rather than learning about general functions and principles, they only teach students where to change the font size in a specific program. As a result, students end up seeing computers as magic black boxes, not as tools they can use for their own purposes.

Free Software offers a radically different approach: Look under the hood and understand how computers work. This way, kids can learn to truly control the computers they use.

But knowing alternatives and understanding the concepts of software is not enough. If kids don't learn about Free Software and its relevance for society, they will not value the freedoms that come with it.

Guido will talk about the importance of Free Software in education, the purpose of FSFE's edu-team and what it has been doing to achieve its goals so far.

He will outline some possible routes for the future and ask for feed back and suggestions on how to use the scarce resources most effectively. Active participation is welcome!

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