[IAEP] Getting volunteers started (was Re: introduction - hi I'm Donna)

[Edward Cherlin]

On Mon, Dec 15, 2008 at 5:37 PM, Samuel Klein <sj at laptop.org> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Sat, Dec 13, 2008 at 1:16 AM, Donna Benjamin <donna at cc.com.au> wrote:
>>> I think there is a steadily
>>> growing number of people keen to _do_ something productive to contribute
>>> to the project. For some people that might just be buying a machine via
>>> G1G1 - but I'm more interested in working with those who want to
>>> contribute time and expertise. Whether this is by thinking through the
>
> That sounds great.  The OLPC support-gang could use more people to
> help review and reply to interested emails from people offering these
> things.  If you don't mind learning how to use our rt and trac tools,
> Adam or I could give you a quick run-down of what is involved.

It is a great way to learn about the entire project, and all of the
opportunities for other volunteers.

>> Indeed. Elsa Culler and Nikki Lee are interested in creating a
>> newsletter for people who want to become involved. I have provided
>
> A great idea.  Any initial sketches?  Even draft newsletters need URLs...

They wanted to wait until after exams and the holidays. We should be
ready to go about the time of XOCamp2.

>>> I guess my gut feel sees a Local Sugar Lab as primarily focussed on
>>> software development - bug testing & triage and development. I also
>>> think there's scope here for developers to better grok pedagogy - and
>>> teachers to better grok software development.  Perhaps some focus on
>>> teaching teachers programming could be part of Sugar Labs remit?
>>> (Squeak, eToys, Scratch, Alice, Python, Smalltalk etc...)
>>
>> Anything necessary that is out of scope for OLPC and Sugar Labs goes
>> to Earth Treasury. If you know of anything that isn't getting done,
>> please bring it to my attention.
>
> Both the OLPC and the Sugar Labs wiki & lists are flexible and open to
> new related programs or efforts that people want to pursue.
>
> Earth Treasury has a yahoo group + a page on the SL wiki, but as far
> as I know it lacks founding documents, a website, or public lists of
> members or active projects...  it would be easier to respond to bold
> claims about what ET does or does not do if those existed.

Note that I didn't say we had done all of those things yet. ^_^ My
standing offer to Walter and Nicholas, which I have sometimes
delivered on, is either to do what needs to be done myself, or to find
someone else to do it. Such as becoming localization administrator for
Haitian Creole and Cambodian Khmer when they had been forgotten in the
first G1G1. Now ET is in solid negotiations with a high-powered roster
of partners on how to create next-generation digital textbooks.

We are getting a server set up for our own Web site and repositories,
and have begun announcing projects outside our core membership.

>>> Questions:
>>> HOW do we facilitate sugar exploration by willing teachers?
>
> A good question.  Also : how do we facilitate mentorship between
> willing teachers with less/more experience?
>
>> come with Turtle Art. My favorite is flower.ta. Tile-based programming
>
> +1 for flower.ta  :-)

We will need a bunch of *.ta files for a tutorial I am planning. I can
incorporate a number of the existing examples, but I will need
examples of various programing and graphics techniques, and some
mathematical mapping concepts. Also how to use wait and print tiles to
understand and debug TA programs.

> Edward Cherlin writes:
>> Tell me more. Earth Treasury is getting ready to go into schools in
>> Ghana and Uganda, and will be delighted to help with any others.
>
> What does 'getting ready to go into schools' mean?

Sugar on a stick means that we can place diskless used computers in
schools and homes. We are discussing the specifics with partners there
and in other countries. When the computers, the electric power
generation and storage, and the broadband Internet are all aligned in
the calendar and funded, we go. The target schools are picked out, and
we can start some things ahead of time.

> SJ

-- 
Silent Thunder (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) is my name
And Children are my nation.
The Cosmos is my dwelling place, The Truth my destination.
http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/User:Mokurai