Path: news.media.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news.kei.com!eff!news.umbc.edu!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!uunet!munnari.oz.au!yoyo.aarnet.edu.au!ntx.City.UniSA.edu.au!magill.magill.unisa.edu.au!kerrb
From: kerrb@magill.unisa.edu.au
Newsgroups: comp.lang.logo
Subject: Re: Fidonet logo discussion
Message-ID: <1994Jan22.140637.102@magill.unisa.edu.au>
Date: 22 Jan 94 14:06:37 +1030
References: <1994Jan18.150828.99@magill.unisa.edu.au> <2hg3j6$o03@agate.berkeley.edu>
Organization: University of South Australia - Magill
Lines: 49

In article <2hg3j6$o03@agate.berkeley.edu>, bh@anarres.CS.Berkeley.EDU (Brian Harvey) writes:
> kerrb@magill.unisa.edu.au writes:
>>A logo discussion thread is becoming established on the fidonet conference
>>K12.comp.lit. This is accessible through some internet hosts. I think the
>>newsgroup would be called k12.comp.lit.
> 
> It's k12.ed.comp.literacy

thanks for the correction ... not available on my internet host so I go through
a local fido node.

              
> 
> Logo-using teachers might also be interested in other groups in the k12.ed
> hierarchy; there are ones for several different subjects.  I subscribe to
> k12.ed.math and k12.ed.tag (talented and gifted) in addition to the
> computer one.


In general fidonet is a useful, low-cost, grassroots educational resource. We
have setup a fidonet node at Paralowie and do all our international mail for
the cost of one phone call a day! Moreover since we have hooked it into a
Novell network each work station has been turned into a communications station
so that communications is as accessible to students as word processing.

Fidonet is *grassroots* -- more than 20,000 bbs's worldwide all of which are
connected together in a store and forward fashion. There is (probably) a
fidonet node near you! In terms of access and cost it is the best way for many
schools to go (although internet is clearly the best if you can get it and
afford it). 

As well as the various k12 echoes in all curriculum areas there are fidonet
project channels that feature such things as --
 ** mathmagic collaborative maths problem solving for K-12
 ** global village news 
 etc. etc.

Probably the main disadvantage of fido is the slow rate of communication (eg.
it takes us about 1 week for a turnaround with the USA) due to the store and
forward nature of the technology.

I am hopeful that a viable logo discussion can be maintained within fido thus
making logo more accessible to a whole new range of teachers and students. 

Bill Kerr
 Paralowie R12 School
 South Australia.