New Zealand Schools OER Portal/NZ OERs/GNU/Linux In The New Zealand Curriculum



=GNU/Linux and the New Zealand Curriculum= Kia ora and welcome - Open Source, GNU/Linux and Creative Commons, think Fair Trade, worm farms, buy New Zealand Made; for the digital age.

Nature of Science
Students will:
 * Understanding about science
 * Appreciate that scientists ask questions about our world that lead to investigations and that open-mindedness is important because there may be more than one explanation - discussing different computer operating systems at home and at school and beginning to understand that open-source can be freely shared.
 * Investigating in science
 * Extend their experiences and personal explanations of the natural world through exploration, play, asking questions, and discussing simple models - exploring via Hole in the Wall philosophy and discovering through their own learning potential the scope of Ubuntu, Edubuntu, Kubuntu...and comparing to experiences with other systems they are exposed to outside of school.
 * Communicating in science
 * Build their language and develop their understandings of the many ways the natural world can be represented - learning the jargon of open-source and discussing differences they have come across.
 * Participating and contributing
 * Explore and act on issues and questions that link their science learning to their daily living - discussing impacts that 'open-source computers into the community' have had on people they may know.

Living World
Students will: Exploring the advantages of keeping old computers going for longer and keeping them out of landfills.
 * Ecology
 * Recognise that living things are suited to their particular habitat -

Planet Earth and Beyond
Students will: Describing what computers are made of and that these components have come from the earth.
 * Earth systems
 * Explore and describe natural features and resources -

Physical World
Students will: Understanding that computers use electricity (seeing the power plugs), generate heat (feel the warmth), use light, sound, magnetism... with a growing awareness that energy is being transformed from electrical to light, sound, kinetic (movement), heat... and what's making those things move on the screen?
 * Physical inquiry and physics concepts
 * Explore everyday examples of physical phenomena, such as movement, forces, electricity and magnetism, light, sound, waves, and heat.
 * Seek and describe simple patterns in physical phenomena

Material World
Students will: Explore what computers are made of and useful properties of hard plastic, see-through glass, metal strength...
 * Properties and changes of matter
 * Observe, describe, and compare physical and chemical properties of common materials and changes that occur when materials are mixed, heated, or cooled.
 * Chemistry and society
 * Find out about the uses of common materials and relate these to their observed properties.

Nature of Science
Students will:
 * Understanding about science
 * Appreciate that science is a way of explaining the world and that science knowledge changes over time - open source and proprietary software.
 * Identify ways in which scientists work together and provide evidence to support their ideas -Richard Stallman/Linus Torvalds and GNU/Linux
 * Investigating in science
 * Build on prior experiences, working together to share and examine their own and others’ knowledge - Debian transformed into Ubuntu into Edubuntu into......
 * Ask questions, find evidence, explore simple models, and carry out appropriate investigations to develop simple explanations - the rise of Wikipedia and then wikis
 * Communicating in science
 * Begin to use a range of scientific symbols, conventions, and vocabulary - applications, synaptic, Ubuntu philosophy
 * Engage with a range of science texts and begin to question the purposes for which these texts are constructed - Free Software Foundation
 * Participating and contributing
 * Use their growing science knowledge when considering issues of concern to them - knowledge sharing through open licensing of music at Jamendo
 * Explore various aspects of an issue and make decisions about possible actions - copyright or creative commons

Living World
Environmental impact of decommissioning computers - human, leachate, less paper
 * Ecology
 * Explain how living things are suited to their particular habitat and how they respond to environmental changes, both natural and human-induced.

Planet Earth and Beyond
Environmental impact of creating computers - heavy metals, mining, crystals
 * Earth systems
 * Develop an understanding that water, air, rocks and soil, and life forms make up our planet and recognise that these are also Earth’s resources.

Physical World
KTurtle - using electricity, human electrons and computer code to control an on screen turtle
 * Physical inquiry and physics concepts
 * Explore, describe, and represent patterns and trends for everyday examples of physical phenomena, such as movement, forces, electricity and magnetism, light, sound, waves, and heat.
 * Identify and describe the effect of forces (contact and non-contact) on the motion of objects as in an on screen turtle and energy transformations.

Material World
Using Source code driven by magnetism to run a computer Open source software allows you to see and modify its code Kalzium computer periodic table
 * Properties and changes of matter
 * Group materials in different ways, based on the observations and measurements of the characteristic chemical and physical properties of a range of different materials
 * Compare chemical and physical changes
 * The structure of matter
 * Begin to develop an understanding of the particle nature of matter and use this to explain observed changes -
 * Chemistry and society
 * Relate the observed, characteristic chemical and physical properties of a range of different materials to technological uses and natural processes

Possible learning objectives and activities:
Students will gain knowledge, skills, and experience to:

Social Science Level 1

 * Understand how people have different roles and responsibilities as part of their participation in groups.
 * That a Gnu/Linux user is part of a group that shares their ideas freely with others.

Social Science Level 2

 * Understand how people make choices to meet their needs and wants.
 * Choosing Gnu/Linux is free to use and can be shared with others.
 * In Africa where many people can't afford software it is provided by Freedom Toasters.
 * Understand how time and change affect peoples’ lives.
 * In the past pen and paper were used to communicate, then fax machines, now Gnu/Linux and Open software.
 * Understand how people make significant contributions to New Zealand’s society.
 * Gnu/Linux developers are people who share their ideas with others.
 * Software Freedom day where Gnu/Linux computers and software are given away for free.

Social Science Level 3

 * Understand how groups make and implement rules and laws.
 * Developers of Gnu/Linux software have freedom to release ideas for the common good of society with Creative Commons, GPL and Copyleft licenses.
 * Users of Gnu/Linux are bound by the same rules of freedom.
 * Understand how people make decisions about access to and use of resources.
 * Access to computer software should not be available all – including disabled and poor.
 * Local distributions of Gnu/Linux can reflect a particular societies needs.
 * By using Gnu/Linux software allows its users freedom.

Social Science Level 4

 * Understand how the ways in which leadership of groups is acquired and exercised have consequences for communities and societies.
 * Studies of notary Gnu/Linux players - Richard Stallman, Linus Torvald, Mark Shuttleworth and Ubuntu Women.
 * Understand how exploration and innovation create opportunities and challenges for people, places, and environments.
 * Collaborative approaches, Open Licenses lead to world wide distributions of free software.
 * Compare monopolies, corporates and the rise of capitalism with the Free Software movement
 * Understand how producers and consumers exercise their rights and meet their responsibilities.
 * Government passes laws that protect consumer - Consumer affairs
 * Consumers have a greater choice when there is competition in the market place - Competition_law.
 * User of Gnu/Linux can recycle computers that were destined for the dump.
 * Understand how formal and informal groups make decisions that impact on communities.
 * Gnu/Linux user groups are used to promote free software with consumers and government agencies.
 * Shuttleworth and Hewlett Foundations' support for Open Software and Education.

Software Freedom Concepts
“It's Free Software and it gives you freedom!”
 * The freedom to run the program, for any purpose
 * The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs
 * The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbour
 * The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits
 * Free software can save money
 * Free software is easy to use
 * Free software is environmental friendly - it supports both new and older computers
 * Ri-li an on line wooden train computer game that asks human rights questions between levels



Visual Arts Levels 1-4
Level 1/2

Understanding the Arts in Context
GNU/Tux images, Debian/Ubuntu/Edubuntu logos
 * Share ideas about how and why their own and others’ works are made and their purpose, value, and context.

Developing Practical Knowledge
Digital art using Tux Paintor Kolour Paint
 * Explore a variety of materials and tools and discover elements and selected principles.

Developing Ideas
Creating own logos based on GNU/Tux using Open principles of reuse, redistribute, revise, remix
 * Investigate visual ideas in response to a variety of motivations, observation, and imagination.
 * Investigate and develop visual ideas in response to a variety of motivations, observation, and imagination. L2

Communicating and Interpreting
Publish/share images on class computers,school wiki and print and display
 * Share the ideas, feelings, and stories communicated by their own and others’ objects and images.

Level 3/4

Understanding the Arts in Context
View Open Source images
 * Investigate the purpose of objects and images from past and present cultures and identify the contexts in which they were or are made, viewed, and valued.

Developing Practical Knowledge
Digital art using Gimp, Open Office Drawing, Scribus
 * Explore some art-making conventions, applying knowledge of elements and selected principles through the use of materials and processes.
 * Explore and use art-making conventions applying knowledge of elements and selected principles through the use of materials and processes.L4

Developing Ideas
Reuse, redistribute, revise, remix Open Source creative commons images
 * Develop and revisit visual ideas, in response to a variety of motivations, observation, and imagination, supported by the study of artists’ works.

Communicating and Interpreting
Publish and discuss images on class computers and school wiki
 * Describe the ideas their own and others’ objects and images communicate.
 * Explore and describe ways in which meanings can be communicated and interpreted in their own and others’ work. L4

Technology Levels 3/4
Technology Level 3

Technological Practice

 * Planning for practice
 * Undertake planning to identify the key stages and resources required to develop an outcome - collaboration of many hackers to create a GNU/Linux distribution
 * Revisit planning to include reviews of progress and identify implications for subsequent decision making - reporting Bugs and writing reports
 * Brief development
 * Describe the nature of an intended outcome, explaining how it addresses the need or opportunity - Linux is another system that uses no proprietary software
 * Describe the key attributes that enable development and evaluation of an outcome.
 * Outcome development and evaluation
 * Investigate a context to develop ideas for potential outcomes - Ubuntu governance
 * Trial and evaluate these against key attributes to select and develop an outcome to address the need or opportunity.
 * Evaluate this outcome against the key attributes and how it addresses the need or opportunity.

Technological Knowledge

 * Technological modeling
 * Understand that different forms of functional modeling are used to inform decision making in the development of technological possibilities and that prototypes can be used to evaluate the fitness of technological outcomes for further development.
 * Technological products
 * Understand the relationship between the materials used and their performance properties in technological products.
 * Technological systems
 * Understand that technological systems are represented by symbolic language tools and understand the role played by the “black box” in technological systems.

Nature of Technology
 Technology Level 4
 * Characteristics of technology
 * Understand how society and environments impact on and are influenced by technology in historical and contemporary contexts and that technological knowledge is validated by successful function.
 * Characteristics of technological outcomes
 * Understand that technological outcomes are recognisable as fit for purpose by the relationship between their physical and functional natures.

Technological Practice

 * Planning for practice
 * Undertake planning that includes reviewing the effectiveness of past actions and resourcing, exploring implications for future actions and accessing of resources, and consideration of stakeholder feedback, to enable the development of an outcome.
 * Brief development
 * Justify the nature of an intended outcome in relation to the need or opportunity. Describe the key attributes identified in stakeholder feedback, which will inform the development of an outcome and its evaluation.
 * Outcome development and evaluation
 * Investigate a context to develop ideas for feasible outcomes. Undertake functional modeling that takes account of stakeholder feedback in order to select and develop the outcome that best addresses the key attributes. Incorporating stakeholder feedback, evaluate the outcome’s fitness for purpose in terms of how well it addresses the need or opportunity.

Technological Knowledge

 * Technological modeling
 * Understand how different forms of functional modeling are used to explore possibilities and to justify decision making and how prototyping can be used to justify refinement of technological outcomes.
 * Technological products
 * Understand that materials can be formed, manipulated, and/or transformed to enhance the fitness for purpose of a technological product.
 * Technological systems
 * Understand how technological systems employ control to allow for the transformation of inputs to outputs.

Nature of Technology

 * Characteristics of technology
 * Understand how technological development expands human possibilities and how technology draws on knowledge from a wide range of disciplines.
 * Characteristics of technological outcomes
 * Understand that technological outcomes can be interpreted in terms of how they might be used and by whom and that each has a proper function as well as possible alternative functions.



Empowered Students
Empowering students means enabling them to participate in a genuine way, from their own perspective. Including children in making decisions and action, empowers them to be active environmental citizens and enriches the development of the whole school.

Students will:
 * Experience that they can make a difference as part of a community by active participation in directing and managing the GNU/Linux community project.
 * Understand the implications for their own lives and their future decisions regarding computer use and purchase.
 * Work in partnership with adults in a climate of trust, gaining confidence and competence in GNU/Linux operations, in teaching others, and in their ability to give beneficially to the community.

Sustainable Communities
Sustainable communities act in ways that nurture people and nature, now and in the future.

Students will:
 * Understand the need to respect and care for each other and share resources so that everyone can develop to their potential, while respecting environmental life-supporting systems: by sharing computers and computer knowledge into homes and schools of those that need them, with open source software and pro-longing the lifespan of old computers.
 * Develop interconnectedness, sharing and working together with the community, effecting long-term and significant change.
 * help create sustainable communities by being role models of sustainable computer practices; by being teachers amongst peers, other teachers and community members; and by creating future leaders who understand sustainable decision-making.

Learning for Sustainability
Also known as Environmental Education or Education for Sustainability is an action-focused approach to learning that engages us in the physical, social, cultural and political aspects of our local and global environment. The aspects of IN, FOR and ABOUT the environment are addressed.

Students will:
 * Carry out an action FOR the environment by decreasing the number of computers that enter the 'landfill'.
 * Learn ABOUT the environment through understanding the impact of computer waste on our world.
 * Develop an understanding and knowledge of how human systems - political, economic, cultural and social - can be integrated to enhance the well-being of our communities.
 * Develop skills and competencies to be able to plan and create sustainable systems and communities.
 * Develop attitudes and values of care for their community.
 * Have the opportunity to participate and take action for a sustainable future by being active with IN their community.

Maori Perspectives
Maori perspectives enrich the learning process and honours the status of indigenous people in New Zealand.

Students will:
 * experience one of the important aspects of Maori culture, namely caring for the people and community. In particular, reaching out to people who otherwise may not have the means or access to computers, by making them freely accessible without prejudice.

Respect for the diversity of people and cultures
Achieving a sustainable environment that is fair, peaceful and co-operative and makes the most of our rich cultural traditions.

Students will:
 * Recognise and work with everyone's diverse perspectives and values, whilst sharing their knowledge and computer skills with others in the community.
 * Interact with respect, sensitivity and awareness throughout the whole process, from sharing knowledge to giving away computers.
 * Provide for different learning styles and abilities with the people that become involved in the BBOSI project.

Place
Physical surroundings

Students will:
 * realise how the school itself demonstrates how a community system works.

Practices
Operational practices

Students will:
 * recognise that the school operates solely with open-source software, utilising old computers and saving resources doing so.
 * be aware that all staff at Warrington school use Ubuntu and share resources as a sustainability practice.

Programmes
Living curriculum

Students will:
 * take action on a real issue in the wider community and do so as part of an integrated and progressive curriculum programme with learning inside and outside the classroom.

People and Participation
Organisational management

Students will:
 * Make decisions with the involvement of staff and other members of the community.
 * work together with peoples involved in BBOSI to develop plans, monitor and reflect on progress.
 * know the sense of belonging and ownership.

Identify the Current Situation
Guiding Questions:
 * Where have we come from and what do we now know?
 * What can we observe?
 * What do others think and feel?
 * How can we influence things?
 * What can we measure?

Explore Alternatives
Guiding Questions:
 * How else could it be?
 * What have others done?
 * What are the actions we could take?
 * What are our priorities for change?
 * How will we decide?

Take Action
Guiding Questions:
 * Who else do we need to involve?
 * What do we need to take action?
 * Who will do what and when?
 * What actions will bring about the changes that we want?
 * Are there other actions required as a result?

Reflect on Change
Guiding Questions:
 * How can we monitor and record the changes?
 * What changes and benefits have come about because of our actions?
 * What went well?
 * What didn't go so well?
 * What would we have done differently?
 * How will we celebrate our achievements?
 * Where to from here?



Next Steps
GNU/Linux, Open Source, Creative Commons, Ubuntu,
 * Maori
 * Pacific Island
 * Secondary
 * English - vocabulary
 * Maths
 * Social Literacy