The Largest Non-iPad Rollout You've Never Heard Of

BACK TO THE BASICS: Depending on who you ask, Ubuntu either stands for "human kindness" or a popular Linux-based operating system. For the students of Penn Manor School District, however, the term is both technical and thoughtful. Linux.com's Libby Clark reports that Penn Manor High School recently rolled out 1700 Ubuntu-powered Acer laptops for its 1:1 program. The rollout concludes a 3-year implementation that saw Windows and Mac machines in Penn Manor elementary and middle schools replaced with Linux boxes as well.

District IT director, Charlie Reisinger, provides Clark with a strong rationale for passing on the iPad/Chromebook bandwagon:

“It concerns me that we tend to chase the new silver tech bullet without thinking philosophically about what we want our students doing, or the freedom we want to give them with the device... My fear is we're losing the art of computing. Then we lose a generation of engineers."

But the thoughtful Mr. Reisinger doesn't stop there. Here's a complete rationale for their decision to go open source. Apparently, it's not just about the dollars and cents!