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Geek Culture / I got in trouble for bashing IE

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tha_rami
18
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Joined: 25th Mar 2006
Location: Netherlands
Posted: 10th Mar 2008 13:19
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You're not anti-social? Jeez, I have a social foot bench!

j/k


A mod has been erased by your signature because it was larger than 600x120
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Zappo
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20
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Joined: 27th Oct 2004
Location: In the post
Posted: 10th Mar 2008 14:25
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Quote: "My friend once got banned from the school network for using firefox.
Schools are somewhat obsessed with Microsoft. I haven't ever known anyone who goes to a school where they don't use IE."
There are three main reasons why schools tend to use Internet Explorer.
- The first is that its what the majority of people use at home and work. If you go and buy a new PC you get IE on it so its what the majority want to know how to use (at least at first).
- Secondly, it can be controlled and standardized much easier using Group Policy under Active Directory. You can ensure everyone in the organisation has the same homepage, connection settings, zones etc. which makes both teaching and learning easier. Its much easier for newbies to computers if they can sit at any machine and see the same looking software with exactly the same layout of controls. It prevents users from changing them too, or puts the settings back if they are altered. This makes life easier for the teachers as well so they can say things like 'click on the Favourites icon, forth one across which looks like a star'. Sadly, most none-MS products don't tend to allow such control through Group Policy.
- Thirdly, the teachers should know about the software you are asked to use. I know this is isn't always the case, but can you imagine how much worse it would be if they were expected to know how to use and support ALL browsers just in case a student wants to do an assignment with that particular product? As an example, off the top of your head (without looking) can you remember which fields are available when editing a bookmark in IE, Firefox, Opera, Mozilla, Lynx and Safari? I couldn't without looking at each one. They ask you to a use particular software package because they stand a better chance of knowing what you say is right or wrong without having to go and learn the package and try it out themselves. Its not easy marking 30 assignments if they all decide to use something different.


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Manic
22
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Joined: 27th Aug 2002
Location: Completely off my face...
Posted: 10th Mar 2008 15:31
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My ICT teacher had to ask me the syntax for an If statement during my A Level, so he could help another student.

My grades suffered on the basis that it's not what you know on an ICT course, its how well you format your report at the end.

I don't have a sig, live with it.
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David R
21
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Joined: 9th Sep 2003
Location: 3.14
Posted: 10th Mar 2008 16:11
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Quote: "My grades suffered on the basis that it's not what you know on an ICT course, its how well you format your report at the end."


That's also what I think is stupid. In my assignment, the actual app only accounts for 20% of the mark - and it doesn't even need to exist for those marks to be attained, because the examiner never actually sees it .

Now, excuse me if I'm incorrect, but surely a prospective client would be more impressed with the final application being finished rather than its write up? Obviously the write up is important, but if you don't have the app itself, there's no point


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Mr Z
17
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Joined: 27th Oct 2007
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Posted: 10th Mar 2008 16:51
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Quote: "There are three main reasons why schools tend to use Internet Explorer.
- The first is that its what the majority of people use at home and work. If you go and buy a new PC you get IE on it so its what the majority want to know how to use (at least at first).
- Secondly, it can be controlled and standardized much easier using Group Policy under Active Directory. You can ensure everyone in the organisation has the same homepage, connection settings, zones etc. which makes both teaching and learning easier. Its much easier for newbies to computers if they can sit at any machine and see the same looking software with exactly the same layout of controls. It prevents users from changing them too, or puts the settings back if they are altered. This makes life easier for the teachers as well so they can say things like 'click on the Favourites icon, forth one across which looks like a star'. Sadly, most none-MS products don't tend to allow such control through Group Policy.
- Thirdly, the teachers should know about the software you are asked to use. I know this is isn't always the case, but can you imagine how much worse it would be if they were expected to know how to use and support ALL browsers just in case a student wants to do an assignment with that particular product? As an example, off the top of your head (without looking) can you remember which fields are available when editing a bookmark in IE, Firefox, Opera, Mozilla, Lynx and Safari? I couldn't without looking at each one. They ask you to a use particular software package because they stand a better chance of knowing what you say is right or wrong without having to go and learn the package and try it out themselves. Its not easy marking 30 assignments if they all decide to use something different."


So they banned the guy?

Darkness, you haunt me. If I give in, I would be an monster beyond imagining. Light, you guide me. Thanks to you, I see past the nothingness. Life, I choose to live in the light.
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Keo C
17
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Joined: 3rd Aug 2007
Location: Somewhere between here and there.
Posted: 10th Mar 2008 17:40
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Quote: "There are three main reasons why schools tend to use Internet Explorer.
- The first is that its what the majority of people use at home and work. If you go and buy a new PC you get IE on it so its what the majority want to know how to use (at least at first).
- Secondly, it can be controlled and standardized much easier using Group Policy under Active Directory. You can ensure everyone in the organisation has the same homepage, connection settings, zones etc. which makes both teaching and learning easier. Its much easier for newbies to computers if they can sit at any machine and see the same looking software with exactly the same layout of controls. It prevents users from changing them too, or puts the settings back if they are altered. This makes life easier for the teachers as well so they can say things like 'click on the Favourites icon, forth one across which looks like a star'. Sadly, most none-MS products don't tend to allow such control through Group Policy.
- Thirdly, the teachers should know about the software you are asked to use. I know this is isn't always the case, but can you imagine how much worse it would be if they were expected to know how to use and support ALL browsers just in case a student wants to do an assignment with that particular product? As an example, off the top of your head (without looking) can you remember which fields are available when editing a bookmark in IE, Firefox, Opera, Mozilla, Lynx and Safari? I couldn't without looking at each one. They ask you to a use particular software package because they stand a better chance of knowing what you say is right or wrong without having to go and learn the package and try it out themselves. Its not easy marking 30 assignments if they all decide to use something different.
"

I think the problem here is that the current version of IE doesn't support open standards set by W3C. When IE8 comes out it *should* support all of the standards.


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Jeku
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21
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Joined: 4th Jul 2003
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Posted: 10th Mar 2008 21:23
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Quote: "Now, excuse me if I'm incorrect, but surely a prospective client would be more impressed with the final application being finished rather than its write up?"


You'd be surprised how much documentation, reports, code designs, etc. need to be done in Word and Excel before the work gets done in the software dev industry. I hate it


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Zappo
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Posted: 10th Mar 2008 23:10
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Its the whole six P's rule. They need to see that you can properly plan your projects. Its a good habit to get into because if you move on to big things you definitely can't get away with knocking it up on the fly and then documenting it later.


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David R
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Joined: 9th Sep 2003
Location: 3.14
Posted: 10th Mar 2008 23:53
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Quote: "because if you move on to big things you definitely can't get away with knocking it up on the fly and then documenting it later."


I know, and I'm aware that I need to write docs; what I mean, is that, as it is, so far this coursework just teaches us that paperwork is everything, and that the app is essentially pointless. Which is kind of... contrary to what I would expect. I hope there aren't too many corps spending 100% of their time writing docs for non-existent applications


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NeX the Fairly Fast Ferret
19
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Joined: 10th Apr 2005
Location: The Fifth Plane of Oblivion
Posted: 10th Mar 2008 23:59
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Unfortunately, they are. I've got quite a few business-y relatives, and they go to work at half 7, be in meetings that go nowhere until half 6 or sometimes 8 before coming home. Just get on with it, people! I cannot stand time wasters like that.


I fail at life. No, really.
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gamebird
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Joined: 13th Jun 2007
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Posted: 11th Mar 2008 00:06
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My school uses Apple for everything- Apple macbooks for the teachers, apple computers for the computer lab, Apple Macbooks for the mobile lab, etc. Apple gives our school a major discount on their stuff apparently.
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Green Gandalf
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Joined: 3rd Jan 2005
Playing: Malevolence:Sword of Ahkranox, Skyrim, Civ6.
Posted: 11th Mar 2008 00:21
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Zappo is right - in both posts.

There's a world of difference between expecting a student to answer the question as given - and refusing to acknowledge an error pointed out by a student.

The example cited in an earlier post of a "teacher" getting uptight because a student corrected him or her on a basic, easily checked fact, is truly shocking. The teacher should be thoroughly ashamed and disciplined. We all make mistakes from time to time, or have gaps in our knowledge, and any real teacher would be delighted that a student knew or understood enough to correct the teacher.

The sensible thing to do, if you know a better way than the teacher, is to answer the question as given (to convince any sceptical teacher that you really DO know the answer) but also, if the urge to do so is desperate enough, suggest and show that there is a better or alternative way of doing it. That way you should get full marks - and earn some respect at the same time.

When one of my students suggests a solution I hadn't thought of then if the suggestion is important enough I usually inform the whole class and acknowledge the source. Then everybody learns.
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