From the point of Google, what's the point of collecting students data?
Final Decision on Chromebook Case in Denmark
101–110 of 173 posts
Re: Final Decision on Chromebook Case in Denmark
#102Re: Final Decision on Chromebook Case in Denmark
#103This article advocates for Linux (Chromebook is already Linux) on refurbished hardware (a random mix of old laptops in a large-scale deployment lol) and a laundry list of other "technology solutions" which would be, obviously, impossible for a school system to smoothly maintain or even deploy.
I'm not sure privacydad has ever deployed or maintained an IT department. A school system is very complex.
For what they offer - Chromebooks are actually very good. My kids' school computers are probably better than most of the corporate-issue windows laptops I've ever had. Google docs/classroom are also very good compared to grab-bag of apps my kids have to use.
--- (general computers-in-school rant) ---
The clear answer is to get computers out of schools as much as possible! I know they won't so if you happen to work on this kind of software - PLEASE advocate for shipping better software!
My kids aren't even taught how to type but are expected to put together slide shows and things every other week.
The testing and assignments done on the computer are full of UX issues like missing scroll bars and confusing + inconsistent s - Some tests allow you to go back and read the material, some don't, some lose your answers in-between, etc.
Every year there is massive churn of "apps" the school district was corrupted into buying to replace last year's crop of junk.
Re: Final Decision on Chromebook Case in Denmark
#104Schools+laptops is absolutely crazy. The amount of incompetence is beyond reason. My daughter(12)'s keyboard got broken, now she is afraid she wont be able to take her exam with an external keyboard because there is a spyware extension they use called 'safe exam browser' that might block her computer when she plugs the keyboard. Most of the kids are just using it to snapchat during class. I will honestly prefer to ju…
>I will honestly prefer to just ban all tech from schools.
Woah what a reactionary! No ballpoint pens, right?
>2028 the effects of the tech ban were apparent, in mere years, the productivity of this countries students had dropped well below global levels. Graduates the year before were becoming first class citizens as inequality became based on the year you were born.
Re: Final Decision on Chromebook Case in Denmark
#105> It would be good to see checks on Google's dominance in schools, currently achieved via attractively priced hardware and free proprietary platforms built for this purpose.
Is this an excuse to use Windows on schools? I mean... if you use expensive hardware on closed and paid proprietary platforms, then that problem goes away.
Re: Final Decision on Chromebook Case in Denmark
#106Earlier quoted context omitted.
Computers can and are being used to poison the mind. You can get distracted, you can play games, you can go on sites like chat roulette which are popular with the kids etc Knives are used in everyday life and can't explode or poison you either, yet we don't let our kids run around with knives for example. So saying if something can or can't explode is not a useful metric. Teaching them how to use a computer under gui…
"yet we don't let our kids run around with knives for example." Actually some do. Boy scouts traditionally for example do not think, that kids are generally to be treated as idiots. So yes, you do not give a knive to someone who cannot handle it. There are 20 year olds who should not be given anything sharper than a plastic knive. But a ordinary child usually can handle dangerous stuff - you lead them there, step by…
Sounds like we agree. Given the right instructions and environment, tools are useful.
Handing out knives/computers/chemistry sets without training and unsupervised does not help.
Re: Final Decision on Chromebook Case in Denmark
#107This article advocates for Linux (Chromebook is already Linux) on refurbished hardware (a random mix of old laptops in a large-scale deployment lol) and a laundry list of other "technology solutions" which would be, obviously, impossible for a school system to smoothly maintain or even deploy. I'm not sure privacydad has ever deployed or maintained an IT department. A school system is very complex. For what they offe…
>This article advocates for Linux (Chromebook is already Linux)
Because Chromebook is Linux kernel + Google proprietary ecosystem & spyware.
When advocates say Linux they just mean the FOSS distros of Linux + FOSS software.
Re: Final Decision on Chromebook Case in Denmark
#108Maybe Framework has a opportunity here. With his ethical ethos it can fit.
Re: Final Decision on Chromebook Case in Denmark
#109That's not what the article nor the judgement say though...
What did you think it said?
It says that there's no legal ground for troubleshooting/measuring data to be shared with Google:
> The conclusion of the Danish Data Protection Authority's decision is that there is authority to pass on the students' information for the purpose of providing the services, improving the security and reliability of the services, communication with e.g. the municipalities and compliance with legal obligations.
> At the same time, however, the assessment is that the Folkeskole Act does not sufficiently clearly authorize the municipalities to pass on the students' information for the maintenance and improvement of the Google Workspace for Education service, ChromeOS and the Chrome browser, or for measuring the performance and development of new functions and services in ChromeOS and the Chrome browser.
That's very different than the DPA outright saying Chromebooks "will no longer be allowed", period. Google could introduce a toggle to separate the two in order not to lose the entire market, schools could dual-boot a Linux distro on them, and so on.
Like everything GDPR-related, it's far more nuanced than what random HN commenters want to believe.
Re: Final Decision on Chromebook Case in Denmark
#110Public sector IT in Denmark has been in a weird tug of war between those eager to sell out our data to American companies and those who naively think Ubuntu and LibreOffice can realistically replace the public sector's dependency on Microsoft. We need to keep our data in Denmark and become less dependent on American companies (and especially Microsoft/Google). But the change needs to be led by IT professionals who ca…
Ubuntu? No way. Nothing on the DE works on Debian branch, basically avoid for consumer use.
Fedora? Yes please.
LibreOffice is downright terrible, please do not lump it into a problem of OS replacements. I'm 100% convinced there is some M$ plant that deliberately makes the GUI bad. I still use it, and I use Google's.