New Zealand Schools OER Portal/Curriculum/Gne/Linux in the Social Science Curriculum Levels 1-4

How using Gnu/Linux software fits into the NZ Social Sciences curriculum

Why people use Gnu/Linux?

Level 1 Social Studies

Students will gain knowledge, skills, and experience to:

• 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.

Level 2 Social Studies

Students will gain knowledge, skills, and experience to:

• Understand how people make choices to meet their needs and wants.
  • In NZ we can afford to pay for software but in Africa software is provided by Freedom Toasters
• Understand how time and change affect peoples’ lives.
  • In the past we used pen and paper, now we can use computers than run Gnu/Linux software
• Understand how people make significant contributions to New Zealand’s society.
  • Gnu/Linux developers are people who share their ideas with others.

Level 3 Social Studies

Students will gain knowledge, skills, and experience to:

• Understand how groups make and implement rules and laws.
  • The freedom to release ideas for the common good of society with Creative Commons, GPL and Copyleft licenses.
• 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.

Level 4 Social Studies

Students will gain knowledge, skills, and experience to:

• 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
• 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
• Understand how producers and consumers exercise their rights and meet their responsibilities.
  • Government passes laws that protect consumer. Consumers have a greater choice when there is competition in the market place.
• 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.