Re: Introducing My (Future) High School into Free Software

[Kaio Duarte Costa <kaiod@riseup.net>]

Em 2022-05-15 13:57, andrew via libreplanet-discuss escreveu:
> I have been recently accepted into a good high school in Shanghai.
> They're one of the best international schools in my opinion, and are
> generally welcoming to new ideas.  I would like to take this oppurtunity
> to spread the ideas of the free software movement (and free computing in
> general.)
> 
> Currently they have a sad situation of requiring students to have a
> 2018-or-later MacBook "with macOS, not Windows" for compatibility
> concerns.  My family indeed has a 2018-or-later-macOS-MacBook which I
> could bring there, and from most sources I've heard that there is no
> problem whatsoever in bringing a "secondary" laptop with no such
> requirements.
> 
> I want to emphasize the importance of free software and free computing
> to them.  I am working on an article to submit to them, and I wold love
> some ideas on this topic.
> 
> --
> Sincerely,
> Andrew Yu
> https://www.andrewyu.org/
> 
> My recent articles <https://rfd.andrewyu.org/>
> Free Computing Movement <https://fcm.andrewyu.org/>
> Host Things Yourself <https://host.andrewyu.org/>
> 
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Hey Andrew Yu,

First, I would like to say that I am very happy to see another high
school student, caring about spreading the free software philosophy.
Because I am also, and have been through it, I will suggest based on
this.

1. In the article, make clear the importance of free software in
education; If they are a very reputable school, they possibly care about
fulfilling the main educational and social values, and free software
fulfills all of them. You can learn more about this at:
https://www.gnu.org/education/edu-why.en.html and
https://www.gnu.org/education/edu-schools.en.html

2. Collect opinions and comments about the current proprietary software
already used by other students in this institution; If other students,
have complaints about the proprietary software already in use, collect
them, and present them when handing in the article to the person
responsible for this (principal, supervisor or teacher). You can use
them as a basis for your paper as well, or mention them.

3. In the article, cite example software that meets the school's demands
and point them out as replacements for proprietary software; it will be
easier to replace the current proprietary software if there is free
software compatible with everyone's demands, without losing any function
in it. For example, you can present LibreOffice Writer as a replacement
for Microsoft Word or Tux Paint as an alternative to Paintbrush.

4. If available, cite success stories from your region in your article;
often, educational institutions rely on the example of others before
making any sudden changes to something. You can cite cases from
companies, schools (preferably), government agencies, and others in your
article. This shows that these changes have already been made somewhere,
and they worked!

5. Be careful how you approach the subject in your article; not everyone
knows the free software philosophy, so any "aggressive writing" can make
them misunderstand you. Instead of writing "You must change this", "Stop
taking away our freedom" or any means to impose or pressure a change
abruptly, it needs to be replaced with a more calm and friendly way of
approaching free software, so you can do this process in a more calm and
friendly way.

I hope that I've helped a little with this, and I hope that you can do
this. If you have any questions or other suggestions, you can contact me
about that too!

Kindly,

-- 
Kaio Duarte Costa (Kaiod)

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