Excellent initiative from the UK, a children's (student? :-)) version of Wikipedia! :-) (You can even download it and install it on your home computer, etc.!) Also note: South Africa has adopted .ODF as official government file format standard...meanwhile, back in Canada...

Congratulations to Uruguay, which has ordered 100,000 XO OLPC linux computers for their children! And they are also planning to have a computer for EVERY student in the entire country by 2009! Meanwhile, back in corrupt Canada...

Interesting comments by Richard Stallman, while receiving an honourary doctorate. And mentions how we should be teaching the Four Freedoms in schools.

So, is Microsoft dictating what is used in YOUR schools? Note the following quote:

"While there is no technical issue, the school board will not allow non-Microsoft software to be installed. Like many school boards, they are underfunded, and Microsoft donates a lot of the computer equipment on the sole condition that non-Microsoft software be barred from these machines.

Is MS dictating what is used/taught in your schools? How much in licensing fees, upgrade fees, maintenance fees, etc. are being paid to MS for this 'donated' equipment? Funny, any board/politician I have contacted doesn't know how many millions of dollars have been sent (via fees, contracts, etc.) to M$ for these 'donations'( I'd called them trojans...;-). MS is PREVENTING your children from learning about alternatives, putting your children at a disadvantage. And appallingly, with the consent of board officials, politicians, etc. Software banning, the new form of 'book banning', brought to you courtesy of MS and your local school board bureaucrats. Please contact your officials today.

And here is an additional indication of the corruption, incompetence and waste of taxpayers money in education: Microsoft requires you to pay a license fee, even if you are not using Microsoft software!? How many millions have been wasted on this by bungling politicians/bureaucrats?

Interesting new blog about education, apparently in Maine, U.S.

Very interesting article about using settlement funds to get much needed FOSS computers into the hands of school children! Why isn't the Ontario government attempting to recover the millions upon millions of taxpayer dollars squandered by sending it to one of the world's richest people?

If you really want to understand what is going on in the world, in terms of linux, economics, business, etc., then I can think of no better way than to read the following book: "Wikinomics" by University of Toronto professor Don Tapscott and London School of Economics grad Anthony Williams. It's an easy 314 page read, and is filled with examples of mass collaboration, such as linux, wikipedia, google, flickr, amazon, GoldCorp, Proctor and Gamble, etc. and how they are changing the world. And I think it should be recommended, no, make that compulsory reading for all politicians, school administrators, PHBs, etc.

Note recent article about schools in Japan switching to linux (perhaps as many as 400,000!), as well as the amazing list of links regarding schools around the world switching to linux as well! :-)
As well, fascinating story of a university art professor switching from Mac OS X to Ubuntu software.

Japan is moving to linux in many areas. You might already be using linux in your Japanese made electronics! :-) Even the Tokyo stock exchange is moving to linux.

Well, yet another government and school system has seen the light! Canary Islands are moving ALL school computers to linux! (more than 1,100 schools, already completed on over 8,000 computers! :-)) And the largest university as well, etc.