[Year 12 Its] Re: [Yr11 Information Technology]ProgrammingAwards2006: PD Registrations

[Kevork Krozian]

Hi Con,

   The three obvious question are:

    1. Are you aware of any efforts to initiate other programming competitions through DET that have been blocked ? if not , why not offer to promote and initiate a broader programming competition for schools rather than call it non-Morosoft ? 

    2. What efforts have been made to offer other, non Microsoft software to DET and where have these efforts led ?

    3. What industry and tertiary education uptake is there for Microsoft and non Microsoft software ? If 95% of industry uses Microsoft products, schools and DET would be negligent in not exposing students to this community mainstream would they not ?


   Over to you

Best Wishes


Kevork Krozian
IT Manager , Forest Hill College
k.krozian at fhc.vic.edu.au
http://www.fhc.vic.edu.au
Mobile: 0419 356 034

>>> conz at cyber.com.au 06/06/06 11:17am >>>
On Tue, Jun 06, 2006 at 11:02:44AM +1000, Adrian Janson wrote:
> Hi everyone!
> 
> I think we should be applauding any initiative in which we deliver
> technology to students or give them learning opportunities.   Please do not
> post negative comments - we are all working to promote IT and career
> pathways, not criticize others for doing so.  

Don't like dissent or debate, huh Adrian? 

Sorry, I don't do 'lying down' very well. :-)

It's not enought that the Victorian Department of Education does 
single-sourcing deals with Microsoft, excluding other suppliers, for 
most of the software that students are trained in. 

It also only pushes Microsoft-only programming competitions, reducing the 
likelihood that students can comfortably learn other languages/platforms. 

If you don't think this establishes a monopolist mindset amongst your 
students, and that this monopolist mindset has a substantially 
negative pedagogical impact, then I can see I have some education of my 
own to do here.

Cheers,

Con Zymaris

- CEO, Cybersource Pty. Ltd.
- Director, Open Source Industry Australia, Limited.
- Convenor, Open Source Victoria (A Government-funded industry cluster.)

 -- 
___________________________________________________________________________
Con Zymaris <conz at cyber.com.au> Level 4, 10 Queen St, Melbourne, Australia 
Cybersource: Australia's Leading Linux and Open Source Solutions Company 
Web: http://www.cyber.com.au/  Phone: 03 9621 2377   Fax: 03 9621 2477


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