Hi Folks, Version of the following have been kicking around on the man-lug and linux-users mailing lasts (up in Manchester) for the last day or two. The following version is clear and helpful, so I'm forwarding it to you all for your consideration!

It originated from the UKUUG, I understand.

Best wishes to all, Ted.

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Date: Thu, 23 Nov 2006 08:19:31 +0000 Sender: linux-users-admin@lists.manchester.ac.uk From: Iain iain@cairnlin.co.uk Subject: Re: [linux-users] Software in schools Cc: linux-users@lists.man.ac.uk

Dave Love wrote:

Perhaps you could get Fletcher to provide info on where to read what this motion says -- I assume it's online somewhere. I don't see how you can ask an MP to sign something when you don't know its contents.

Here's the rest of the email that Leslie sent out (don't know why only the first para made it onto the list).

An Early Day Motion is a marker, giving MPs the opportunity to sign it. This one only appeared yesterday and most MPs won't sign unless lobbied to do so, so three sigs is good. If we can get to 30-40 sigs over the next few weeks we'll be very happy.

Iain.

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Dear LUG member,

John Pugh MP has tabled an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons entitled Software in Education, number 179. Please write to, or email, your MP within the next week with a request that (s)he add his/her name to this motion.

I would be grateful if you could keep me informed about the letters you send and replies you receive.

You can find more information below and at www.openschoolsalliance.org.

Yours sincerely

Leslie Fletcher

+++++++++++++BACKGROUND INFORMATION++++++++++++++++++++

The text of the motion is :

That this House congratulates the Open University and other schools, colleges and universities for utilising free and open source software to deliver cost-effective educational benefit not just for their own institutions but also the wider community; and expresses concern that Becta and the Department for Education and Skills, through the use of outdated purchasing frameworks, are effectively denying schools the option of benefiting from both free and open source and the value and experience small and medium ICT companies could bring to the schools market.

http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=31752&SESSION=885

CONTACTING YOUR MP

An easy way to contact your MP is by email using the step-by-step guide at:

http://www.writetothem.com/

The Open Rights Group (ORG) have sensible and practical information on how to write to, or email, MPs:

http://www.openrightsgroup.org/orgwiki/index.php/Letter_writing

If you decide to follow up your letter with a visit to your MP's constituency surgery, please look at ORG's advice:

http://www.openrightsgroup.org/orgwiki/index.php/MP%27s_surgery

POINTS TO COVER IN A LETTER

You may wish to cover some of the following points

* Schools receive questionable advice on IT procurement from BECTA, the government agency responsible for the use of IT in education. * BECTA's framework agreements look only at the long-term financial performance of suppliers, seriously hampering the involvement of SMEs and ignoring the risk that schools could become locked into expensive and restrictive contractual arrangements. * Lists of approved suppliers are very limited both in number and variety - only only fifteen suppliers for non-curriculum software for example, none of which has any commitment to open source software. * BECTA's own case studies found considerable savings in cost for schools using open source software. * Government policy claims to promote a level playing field for open source software. This is not happening in schools because BECTA's advice is partial and inconsistent.

If you have some connection with an SME (proprietor, partner, employee, ... ) please make this clear in your letter as the impact on SMEs in their constituency is something MPs can relate to.

If you are involved with a school, on the staff, a governor, parent, ... , mention that also. Again the wellbeing of schools in their constituency is something MPs are keen to be seen promoting.

MAKE SURE YOU FINISH OFF WITH A SENTENCE LIKE THIS BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT YOUR MP TO DO! : "John Pugh MP has tabled Early Day Motion number 179, entitled Software in Education expressing concern about this and I urge you to add your name to it."

SOFTWARE, PARTICULARLY MOODLE, BEING USED BY THE OU AND OTHERS

You can read about the OU's innovative use of FLOSS and about the lukewarm support from the DfES here:

http://www.ukuug.org/mediawatch/?p=789

There is a Wikipedia entry for Moodle:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moodle

BECTA AND ITS FRAMEWORKS

There is a Wikipedia entry on this topic;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becta

This ZDNet article, referred to in the Wikipedia entry sets out the issues for FLOSS very clearly:

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39256053,00.htm

EARLY DAY MOTION

An Early Day Motion is a parliamentary device to introduce an issue to MPs and to gauge support; you can find out more from the Wikipedia entry about EDMs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_day_motion

HOW WE GOT HERE

This EDM is the first parliamentary result of the Open Source Consortium's work to raise the political profile of free and open source software. Several other groups are involved, particularly UKUUG, SchoolForge UK and FFII-UK; you can find more information on the website of the Open Schools Alliance, a newly-formed pressure group:

www.openschoolsalliance.org

http://lists.manchester.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/linux-users

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