Ubermix Linux in the classroom

For the last couple of years I have been using Ubermix Linux for all students computers (120 computers grades 6-8).  I highly recommend it.

Features:

• It is designed for classroom use
• easy to install
• one master image for all computers*
• the student can mange his/her laptop
• if the student messes up the computer it can be reset easily and quickly
• good selection of up to date software
• runs well on older equipment

*  The only driver issue I had was with some older wifi cards.  I had to install the driver and add it to my master install key.

What it does well:

• Web browsing
• Google Docs
• libraoffice
• photo editing, audio editing, video editing

What it does not do:

• iTunes
• silverlight
• some websites that use older technology like Shockwave

What about Chromebooks?

Ubermix is great for giving new life to laptops but Chromebooks have two major advantages in the classroom.  The biggest game changer with Chromebooks is their speed.  When a device goes from power button to usable in 10-15 seconds, it changes the way teachers use them in the classroom.  They are no longer an addon, or activity but an ever-present tool that students use.  The other big advantage is the cost.  Schools can turn over their Chromebooks much more often without a higher budget.

Update on speech recognition with Google Docs

You can now have speech recognition in Google Docs directly by installing Read & Write Google.  The free version will read to you.  The paid version has speech recognition, word prediction, etc.

If this is not in your budget, try dictation.io.  This is an online voice dictation website.  You can dictate to the website and then copy/paste to a Google Doc, save to Google Drive, save to dropbox, or email the text.  I have had good luck with this one.  Remember, this website will not learn your speech patterns like Dragon Dictate so may not work for everyone.