Microsoft Designs a School :(

[JamesBrown]

Sure windows Crashes.

If you want to blast Microsoft's ability to do things then why don't you find a copy of Vista and complain about that. This school is some thing quite different than any thing Microsoft (or to the best of my knowledge any other company) has done before. Microsoft is developing the curriculum for this school to help students develop in fields that they believe help people to be competitive in the world. If you want to try to tell me that Microsoft doesn't know anything about being successful in the technological and business worlds then I would love to hear your argument. This forum is for FIRST, Dean tells us every time he makes a speech that something needs to be done to make our generation more competitive at the international level. Well it seems to me that Microsoft feels the same way and is doing something about it.

I would venture to guess that if the Segway crashed when people used it in unusual ways you would not start to talk about how FIRST was a bad Idea. Just because Microsoft's software is not perfect there is no reason to assume that this school is a bad Idea.

[thegathering]

Originally Posted by JamesBrown

I would venture to guess that if the Segway crashed when people used it in unusual ways you would not start to talk about how FIRST was a bad Idea. Just because Microsoft's software is not perfect there is no reason to assume that this school is a bad Idea.

Well, I'd start talking about how FIRST was a bad idea if the Segway started crashing frequently even when it was being used normally, a requirement of FIRST was that you rode one whenever you were building the robot or at competition, and you were only allowed to ride the Segway with Segway approved accessories excluding accessories that improved the Segway's usage.

Putting the Microsoft monopoly aside, I still don't believe it is a good idea to have a school system ran by a private company. You can just imagine what kind of problems you'd have with product usage if you look at private Christian schools, many of which require teachers to attend the church to teach at the school. Imagine being forced to use the company's products as an example for the company to allow you to teach at the school.




However, I think a technology school on that scale would be wonderful. I would love to see a school DESIGNED with the technological planning and proposals from Microsoft (which we are already being forcefed their software) and leave the school management to the government under the public school system. Perhaps a project similiar to the jobs a government contractor would perform, having the school contracted to a private business for design and planning but leaving the management of the final school product to the government's usage.


Our technology school is similiar to what they are proposing. We use smart boards in every other classroom, have a total of 25 computer labs with an estimated 450 3.0GHZ 1GB ram computers at our disposal, and an entire IT corridor. Our classes use Microsoft Windows on almost all computers except for a MacLab upstairs and a couple more personal Linux conversion boxes. The courses we teach, though, allow an expansive amount of software that we can use. For example, in computer art classes, there is the option to use either Adobe Photoshop or The Gimp if you are comfortable with it. APCS can use multiple IDEs such as JCreator or BlueJ. Classes have the option to use different products if different products are available.

This allows for broader familiarity of software to prevent becoming reliant on on products or series of products. I fear that Microsoft will limit their students to using only Microsoft "kool-aid", limiting students to working with Microsoft in the future and continuing Microsoft's firm lead in the OS marketplace.

Personally, I feel that it is important for students to learn what options are available to them. Eating pizza every day would not allow you to experience a world of other flavors, not to mention it would not be very healthy for you. I feel that third party software and open source software provide these other flavors. They also may give a better learning environment by providing more dynamic features that would not be contained in the Microsoft product (look at Firefox vs IE 6).

Just my .02 and I'll let you guys discuss further.

[Greg Needel]

This is one of those threads that I really don't like to see, where people stick to their guns and beat an issue to death. When I first read this article I though "wow this is such a good idea" any company that committed to helping to build a better education system is great.

Now about Microsoft and the way they will be "forcing" students to use their software only. How is this different then any other company. Here are a few examples: Autodesk gives software to FIRST teams and as a result hundreds of people pick Inventor as their number 1 choice for CAD software. How about when any company gives a student discount...they are trying to get you to use their software; In fact many companies give tons of software away to colleges for this exact reason.

Basically what Microsoft is doing is not uncommon and is a very good business practice, not a monopoly. If you owned a business wouldn't you want to get the biggest market share that you can?

When it all comes down to it in the end the education system in the US is really in trouble and if people can see the bigger picture they will realize that if any organization, FIRST, Companies, or individuals throws a lifeline to a public school system it is a good thing.

[Cynette]

A school with no books? No rows and rows of shelves with glorious words written on paper?

While I think having the latest and greatest technology would be wonderful for today's student, I still bemoan the idea that all research should be done online and that the hard copy encyclopedia is obsolete. And I cannot imagine cuddling up with my laptop to read a good story!

[thegathering]

Originally Posted by mocat1530

While I think having the latest and greatest technology would be wonderful for today's student, I still bemoan the idea that all research should be done online and that the hard copy encyclopedia is obsolete. And I cannot imagine cuddling up with my laptop to read a good story!

I've tried that. It makes your eyes hurt after a few pages.

[JamesBrown]

Originally Posted by thegathering

Well, I'd start talking about how FIRST was a bad idea if the Segway started crashing frequently even when it was being used normally, a requirement of FIRST was that you rode one whenever you were building the robot or at competition, and you were only allowed to ride the Segway with Segway approved accessories excluding accessories that improved the Segway's usage.

What if these Segways were given to you for free and other companies developed software that worked on these Segways and didn't crash.

There is nothing stopping these kids from running Linux or any other operating system. Every thing that they are getting is free. I think that any one on here would like to get a laptop for free even if it was Windows based.

Bottom line Microsoft is giving these kids an amazing opportunity. Like Microsoft or not they are designing a program that will be very helpful to these kids. I believe that any one arguing needs to realize that you are judging a companies ability to develop leaders (essentially what Microsoft's curriculum is designed to do) based on their ability to develop software.

Microsoft has developed leaders. Bill Gates obviously being the most well known. Gates is a self made billionaire. No way to argue that point. Give the program a couple of years and I bet these kids who most likely wouldn't have gone to college will be getting accepted to top schools all over the country.

[artdutra04]

A High tech school is a playground for computer-able pranksters hackers whatever you want to call them.

I guess this would be the first school closed due to a BSOD...

That's the problem with computer geeks with no life, whose sole goal in life is hacking. (I'm sorry, that will probably offend some of you.) If they attended that school and did this, they wouldn't have appreciated what was given to them as a gift.

If I was the principal of the Microsoft-founded school, and some arrogant little kid bluescreened my network, I'd expel him or her out faster than they can type [Win]+[R]+cmd+[Enter]. They may think they are cool and all, crashing the school's computers, but they aren't that smart. If they cannot appreciate what was given to them, there are plenty of other students who can, and will take their place.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by artdutra04

That's the problem with computer geeks with no life, whose sole goal in life is hacking. (I'm sorry, that will probably offend some of you.) If they attended that school and did this, they wouldn't have appreciated what was given to them as a gift.

I like your lack of political correctness.

[Andy A.]

Microsoft has been a fantastic company when it comes to education. They'll throw free software at just about any educational institution that asks for it.

My only two concerns are,

1. A bookless library. Encyclopedias are still valid and a student should know how to use an index. If nothing else, they should have a collection of printed fiction. Magazines and Newspapers to.

2. If the 'system' Microsoft has come up with out does not work, what options are there for changing it? I'd say anything would be better then the way most schools are run today. I'm also suspicious of anything that labels a student as a 'learner'. Change is good, but some corporate practices, like slapping a new label on something and expecting it to some how change for the better, do not belong in schools.

I'd have loved to be a student there. A school like that is far more likely to appreciate technology and maybe even offer some classes around it. I hope they eventually field a FIRST team. It seems like a natural match.

-Local

[Morgan Gillespie]

At first to anyone who knows how to use a computer for more than games, email, instant messaging and myspace, they look at this and laugh. Yet I want to go beyond that and actually talk about the ways this would greatly help students who do in fact only use computers for those listed uses.
Honestly in my school 90% of the people who walked into my CAD / Inventor class said something like this and I quote, "Oh snap yo, we gettah use computers!" Sadly I am not making that up. Another example would be in Calhounian's class where a teacher asked students to write their favorite computer application and students would write, "The internets" or "Myspace." The fact of the matter is regardless of whether or not Microsoft is doing this to build a dependency on Windows in those students, those students still need help! Badly! While not everyone in my school is completely computer illiterate, very few even know where to go when the computer is missing drivers.
Most of these kids would never consider a job even involving computers, yet the fact is there are very few jobs that do not depend greatly on computers. Giving them a daily education in a tech oriented school could help them very greatly in the long run.
All jokes aside we should be greatly supporting this because I do not know how much longer I can keep my other thoughts from exploding when I explain to someone what a mouse is.

[Katie Reynolds]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

Corporate sponsored schooling.
I don't know if it's a good or bad thing.

Have you ever read the book "Jennifer Government" by Max Berry? If not, pick it up when you have some time. It's a quick read, but gets the point across.

Originally Posted by Publishers Weekly

The most unnerving thing about Max (formerly Maxx) Barry's new novel is that its hyperbolic vision of the not too distant future doesn't seem too far out there at all. The world is run by giant corporations who literally go to war with one another; Australia and the U.K. are annexes of the United States; the police are for sale to the highest bidder; and employees take the last name of their employers. Thus, the cast of characters includes John Nike, Georgia Saints Nike (she volunteers at the Church of Latter-Day Saints), Billy NRA, Buy Mitsui, Hayley McDonalds, and so forth. Jennifer Government, a former advertising executive turned government agent, is hot on the trail of the villainous John Nike for murder. As the mastermind of the latest Nike campaign, he planned the murder of 14 teenagers in order to build up the street reputation for Nike's new $2,500 sneaker, Mercurys. Frederick's reading of this wacked-out morality play is first-rate. His obvious enjoyment of the satire fuels his performance. Especially entertaining are his stereotypical foreign accents, which would seem out of place under most circumstances, but they fit the comic book-type characters waging chaos in this saga like an Aris glove.

In the book, all schools are sponsored by corporations, and the schools compete just like the corporations do. "Microsoft" schools and "McDonalds" schools are the two big ones mentioned in the novel. In fact, Hayley McDonalds wishes she were Hayley Microsoft because they get better computers at that school. It's an interesting read, and an interesting idea.

[Ashley Weed]

I actually attended a corporate funded college within Penn State. The college of IST is funded by numerous fortune 500 companies, and the principles that are taught within the college are to mold the perfect employee for the world that we live in today. I do not at all regret this action, as it was an amazing experience having everything available first-priority from all sponsoring companies. One additional attribute of such an environment is the companies automatically hiring the employee that was created for them by the program that they created.

[Jeremiah Johnson]

I personally don't like corporate funded higher education. Mostly because I don't believe they offer as good an education as one that's been set for 100+ years. There are 2 corporate funded schools here in the QCA. Hamilton Technical College and Kaplan University. Both of them offer the same things, mainly computers, CAD, CNA, and paralegal stuff. But at an expensive price. A friend of mine went to Hamilton to get his CAD degree and didn't think it was worth his time and money. He got his degree but they didn't help him find a job and they didn't teach him much of anything but CAD. That last part could be good but not in the general sense. Good for a quick education I guess.

It would be nice to go to that school. The students have an advantage with the technology at their fingertips. Especially since it's in a low-income area. Many of the students have indefinitely been given a second chance at education because Microsoft took on this endeavour. Now if only Microsoft would have paid for it.