Enviroschools - GNU/Linux Journey
Contents
Enviroschools Five Guiding Principles
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.
Enviroschools Four Key Areas of a Whole School Approach
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.
ACTION LEARNING CYCLE with BBOSI GNU/Linux Project
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?
