Proprietary software in education - I'm genuinely depressed.

[otherego]

I recently started a short evening course with the local college - nothing too complex, and it might helpfully slow my brain's deterioration ever so slightly.

It's a brilliant place. It's friendly, it's welcoming, it's reasonably organised (hey, I spent enough time in education years ago to know that this no small feat) and the course is fun.

But - the IT side there... It's all blimmin Microsoft. The computers run Windows 7. The internal e-mail system uses the MS e-mail client (Outlook, I think.) The interactive whiteboard runs proprietary software. I've had a fairly long search - there seems no free open source equivalent for organisations that might not be able to afford it. And apparently at least some of the software for the clever boards is subscription-based.

All the productivity stuff is MS Office. Students can even download MS Office for free - but only keep it for the duration of their courses. By which state, presumably, MS relies on their having become dependant on it, or frankly unaware of alternatives or reluctant to change.

As far as I can see, staff and students are all being conditioned to be good little MS consumers. These are intelligent people, uncritically accepting a status quo devised by and for the benefit of a huge corporation. (All IMHO, of course.)

For all that he can be a little overwhelming, I think, increasingly, that Richard Stallman is spot on. (A quick "for instance" -   http://www.gnu.org/education/edu-schools.html   ).

The college and its staff and students are probably trapped. It would take enormous and expensive efforts to change things.

And I'm honestly and seriously depressed.

(Wonder if it's too late in the evening for a restorative beer or two. I suppose so...)

[otherego]

Let's try that Stallman URL one more time, shall we?

http://www.gnu.org/education/edu-schools.html

[antipasta]

If you are genuinely depressed over this, you should get out more!

With probably over half the worlds computers using Windows 7 and over 80% using some version of Windows, it is arguably wise of your college to be using it.

There is not the traction or expertise to go the open source route, certainly not in the UK.

If anyone is or wants to become an open source tyro they can do so, whether it is worth their time and effort imay be another matter for most.

[*scyllabub*]

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@otherego wrote:

And I'm honestly and seriously depressed.

(Wonder if it's too late in the evening for a restorative beer or two. I suppose so...)

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Dear OE, I hate to see you depressed and I hope you had that restorative beer or two at an appropriate time the next day.

This is just an excuse to say "Hello, I hope you are well" - you look on form to me 😘

I am off with the birds as usual, and swamped with laptops in various states of disorder... as usual.

[otherego]

Scy - good to see you in these parts. It'd be great if you could find the time to visit from time to time. The poor old board really needs some support.

Hope the budgies are behaving, and I look forward to a couple of links...

I don't stay depressed for long. I just wish I had the moral courage (and energy) to kick up a bit of a fuss, though.

Hi, anti - yes, thanks for that - your points are well taken. I just fear that we're giving up too easily. The old chestnut, "But it's the industry standard" probably doesn't really excuse our apathy, sadly.

I'm not convinced that a huge amount of expertise or knowledge is necessary. I really am tired of people referring (in all innocence) to a "Word document" or "an Excel spreadsheet" when suggesting someone produce a document or spreadsheet, much as I understand the reasons.

It's nice to be an idealist, but in ethics vs Big Business, I fear we're far***g against thunder, as they say. Still, I really don't see why Apple/Microsoft/etc etc should be entitled to little chunks of our souls, and will continue to make the occasional indignant noise.

[colin5518]

Yes, IT is an area with a lot of software. These codes are just driving you crazy. I studied as a programmer and wanted to be active only in the core subjects, but no, the curriculum considered it different. There were also lessons on writing essays. But since I was good friends with the Internet, I found at one time a site https://phdessay.com/category/persuasive/   with a lot of persuasive essays, which were very helpful with additional study. Yes, that's what I needed. I was able to understand and learn a lot of programs that I'm working with now. I wanted to say something bad about studying, but I won't do it, because I've learned a lot. IT has never been an area where everything is easy. Everything is very monotonous, but what is the status of an employee in this area of work.

[edwarr_4445]

Very informative and easily explained. Thank you very much for the information.

[edwarr_4445]

Thanks for the very helpful information and advice on the technical side of organizing the educational process. I work in the field of education, namely in college and in quarantine, I have some problems organizing online classes while maintaining high levels of performance. I am very glad that nowadays, in the digital age, there are cool services for students to pay for to have a paper written for you, for example, I always advise papersowl.com to my students who have difficulty writing assignments.

[cefitzg-51]

Study, study and study again. Additional courses are always helpful. Students began to study worse in quarantine, to say nothing of additional courses beyond the program. Students even started buying papers from services ✏️ that provide help with homework writing, let alone take some additional courses.

[cattesi39]

thx you for this thread

[jesve-6467]

Evaluating the current situation with education, it can be stated that information technologies are firmly rooted in the educational process and contribute to its further improvement and optimization.

[cathje-90]

"Free education equals hope, providing equitable access and empowering individuals to transcend barriers and realize their potential, fostering optimism and societal advancement."

In this statement, the phrase "embodies hope" emphasizes how free education represents and embodies the concept of hope. "Equitable access" underscores the importance of providing equal opportunities to all. "Transcend barriers" highlights the idea of overcoming obstacles and limitations. These unique words contribute to a deeper understanding of how free education can be a catalyst for positive change and empowerment.