Re: [K12OSN] A little bit less confused...

["David Trask" <dtrask vcs u52 k12 me us>]

k12osn redhat com writes:
>> >I have set up a generic student with specific features, namely:
>> >- specific desktop background
>> I let the kids change it...that way they know they're logged on as
>> them....give them some ownership 
>> >- started up and changed the theme for mozilla to IE, as well as the
>> >start homepage and removed some of the buttons from the menu area
>> 
>> Do your users get to do anything themselves?  You're making way too
>> much work for yourself
>
>My thinking is this - I perfer they don't have to deal with all the setup
>and 
>config options (especially the registration stuff in OO) because I felt
>it 
>would be more 'professional' and 'user-friendly'. This is an elementary
>school, 
>and we do not have a full-time computer staff member.  NONE of the
>teachers can 
>be called computer literate, even for Windows, let alone anything else.
>Many 
>are completely afraid of computers period.  The students themselves are
>not too 
>competent at computers, and that coupled with no-one around at times to
>guide 
>them was my incentive to create a smoothly-running system from the first 
>login.  

I too am in an elementary school  (K-8).  All I have them do is simply
cancel the OO stuff and it never comes up again.  No registration
necessary (M$ would never let you do that).  One thing that can help is
grab a "more computer literate" staff member or kid(s) and run them
through it so they can show others.  You describe a similar situation to
what I walked into in '99.  Do not continue to enable the "technophobia"
by doing too much hand holding.  Sometimes, as much as I hate to say it,
you need to drag them kicking and screaming into the world of computers. 
Don't worry about the kids....they'll get it pretty quickly.....worry
about the adults.  We are using K12LTSP almost exclusively with 600 staff
and kids all the way down to grade one.  It can be done.  
>
>
>Perhaps a question I want to ask is this - is there really no way they
>can 
>cause a problem with the server/server software even with all those menu 
>options and links available. I am coming from an Win NT world, where you
>have 
>to be careful with permissions, etc and the motto is 'lock the desktop
>down so 
>you don't regret it later'.  If I read what people are saying correctly,
>this 
>is not so much necessary in Linux due to the way permissions are handled,
>non?

True.  Linux rocks in this manner!  :-)

I've found IceWM is the better choice for us because it's so configurable
you can remove all of the things that you don't want them to know about
from the menu and only have what you do want them to see.  In fact, it's
easier for them since you can rename things in simpler language....(see my
screenshot here http://web.vcs.u52.k12.me.us/content/desktopscreen.jpg ) 
See at the top of my menu....instead of OpenOffice Writer it says "Word
Document".....easier for kids to understand.  Using icemc you can easily
edit the IceWM menu.  I still have Gnome and KDE menus on there, but you
can remove them if you wish.  I've had no problems with kids getting into
programs they shouldn't be....they stick to what's on the menu.  One last
note....IceWM loads about 8-10 seconds faster than Gnome...it's a lot less
"bloated".  I asked my kids....do you want a pretty race car or a fast
race car....guess which one won....
>
>
>> >- removal of the evolution email
>> icon in the taskbar at the bottom
>
>> This can be done globally...even easier if you use IceWM
>
>I was hoping to continue using Gnome since it looks (IMHO) nicer and I
>have the 
>network capacity and low user number to be able to use it.
>
>> >- removal of the 'start here' icon on the desktop
>> 
>> delete it from /etc/skel
>
>Check. Thanks.
>
>> This script doesn't actually set the homepage, but acutally allows you
>> to launch Mozilla or Galeon or whatever (substitute your browser in
>> the script) on a specific page.....
>
>Thank you for the script. 

You're welcome  :-)


David N. Trask
Technology Teacher/Coordinator
Vassalboro Community School
dtrask vcs u52 k12 me us
(207)923-3100