The Classroom of the Future
Karl Jeacle
Proceedings of the 1997 USELINUX Conference, Anaheim, CA.
January 1997

Abstract

While developments in Information Technology (IT) are having a major influence on how we work and, increasingly, how we spend our time at home, IT has yet to have a similar impact in the classroom. As part of a project entitled "The Classroom of the Future", we have been studying the impact of introducing IT into schools with limited financial resources.

Lack of funding is a major concern for schools today. IT hardware and software is becoming more powerful and more widely available. Despite recent cost reductions, however, schools are still unable to afford the same level of equipment that we take for granted at work and at home. Introducing IT into the classroom must be cost-effective.

This paper describes how the Linux operating system has been used as the basis for a low cost computing solution connecting primary and secondary schools in Ireland to the Internet. A pilot network has been set up between six schools in the Dublin area, three of which have been interconnected using the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN). Each of the schools have used Linux to provide services such as Email, Usenet, IRC and the World Wide Web to both students and staff.

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