I've just spent the last two days at the Education Expo, volunteering at the Linux Australia stand. Much unlike CeBit or Linux World, where most people have at least heard of Linux, almost none of the attendees that I spoke to at the Education Expo had ever heard of Linux. It certainly was outreaching to the masses of Australians who needed it most.
It was a long and rewarding weekend for the Linux Australia team, all of whom worked tirelessly and energetically, with special mention for Sara's excellent "Parent's and Teacher's Guide for Educational Outcomes" using Edubuntu. This document, combined with the excellent Edubuntu distribution, knocked the socks of both parents, teachers and kids who got their hands on the system. Many kids had to be practically dragged away by their parents, with all of them making sure that they had their copy of Edubuntu firmly in their grasp.
Showing the ease of switching languages (I had pre-installed Chinese and Arabic language packs) along with anecdotes that the demonstration machines were not only my kids machines but they (as 8 and 6 year olds) had actually installed it themselves also went a long way towards impressing people.
My favourite quote from Saturday:
You have changed my life, thank you! thank you!
My favourite quote from Sunday
Thank you for your enthusiam and your passion. This stand was the best thing about the entire Education Expo
The demonstrations we made and the time we took to outreach and communicate with the people we were giving Edubuntu packs to has made lasting impressions on everyone the team talked to. Everyone who worked on the Linux Australia stand should be proud of the excellent work they did.
Great work everyone!