Re: [libreoffice-users] Any thoughts on Tutor.com's policy of "MS Word only"?

On 04/18/2014 05:35 AM, Tom Davies wrote:
> Hi :)
> The courses seem to be entirely about MS products and their own languages
> and stuff like silverlight.  They even seem to expect you to use Internet
> Explorer.
>
> There are Open Source and other alternatives to almost everything they want
> to teach you.  Do you really need to engage with those people and go back
> into the MS lock-in?
> Regards from
> Tom :)

This is the ongoing struggle that we have in teaching computer 
technology. I teach a technology class for paralegal students. My 
students want and need to learn the technology that they will actually 
use in their careers. In my professional and geographic areas, that 
unfortunately remains MSO, so, that's what I teach them in my class. It 
would do my students no good to teach them how to use LO when no legal 
office I'm aware of uses it for their work.

I focus a lot of my office suite teaching to the teaching of styles. I 
teach from MSO, but since all decent word processors use styles, I allow 
my students to use any program they want for their work, as long as it 
supports styles.

I do teach my students that there are alternatives. Although my textbook 
doesn't mention open source software, I have a small section on it. I 
also have them do a project comparing and contrasting the relative 
virtues of Windows, Mac OS, and Ubuntu Linux. I figure I'll at least 
expose them to the "free as in freedom" world even if they never use it 
at work.

All that said, I do allow my students to use any OS or office suite they 
like. I have had Mac users, and LO and AOO users.

Virgil

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