[IAEP] Introducing kids to Sugar

[Sean DALY]

Most kids in developed countries know that some computers perform
better than others, and use their favorite YouTube video as an
informal benchmark.

They are also exposed to the gadget culture of cellphones as MP3
players, videogame consoles, GPS car systems, and so on. An XO-1 faces
stiff competition.

My two older kids (12 and 10 at the time) immediately sussed out the
most interesting functions the XO-1 offers: the Record Activity, and
Chat over the mesh network. I deliberately kept them off the Internet
and was in the room, but not looking over their shoulders.

An XO-1 by itself lacks the collaboration aspect so central to the
Sugar experience... need at least a pair to show what it can do :-)

I showed SoaS to a friend recently, connected to his wireless network
and the Neighborhood View filled up with friends from the jabber
server. His eyes popped and he got really excited but then asked
questions about how that will scale if hundreds/thousands of
classrooms start using it ;-)

Sean



On Thu, Jun 4, 2009 at 6:07 PM, Bernie Innocenti <bernie at codewiz.org> wrote:
> On 06/04/09 17:05, Marten Vijn wrote:
>> 1. Outside a class a introduced XO's a group of 6 kids. I used a
>> freeform (no structure). Kids when to youtube and hyves and both sites
>> did not work. Kids got frustrated of the XO's slowness.
>>
>> 2. I an class with only one XO we told the teacher let kids play as a
>> bonus and ask afterward what they discovered. Here the kid like the XO a
>> lot.
>>
>>
>> My recommondation would are:
>>
>> guide form:
>> - no internet first time
>> - make groups with tasks
>> - let childeren tell their experiance
>> - Let the teacher not to be in charge off the class (take over control)
>> - short time (one hour max)
>> - make clear choise what to discover,
>> - have goals per session (measuring succes)
>>
>> or if use free form:
>> - no internet
>> - limited time
>> - no questions for teacher or guiders.
>> - no active interventions,
>> - no active observation, (do sometime else).
>> - afterwards let kids tell
>>   - what not worked
>>   - what worked
>
>
> Thanks, that's very valuable information.
>
> Did in either the kids require any initial training or assistance to get
> started?  How old were they?
>
> --
>   // Bernie Innocenti - http://codewiz.org/
>  \X/  Sugar Labs       - http://sugarlabs.org/
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