[IAEP] The last Sugar XO

[Edward Cherlin]

They won't have to get going completely on their own. There are more
of us who barge in everywhere and offer help. I have been wanting to
have many conversations with teachers for some time now. You can let
teachers know that some of us are willing to help create Sugar-based
lesson plans and software for any topic in any subject they teach, or
to answer any question about teaching or learning with XOs and Sugar.
We have several good Wiki pages for people starting out, depending on
their interests and needs.

On Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 19:49, Yama Ploskonka <yamaplos at gmail.com> wrote:
> Your question was to Claudia, but one of the many ways that endear people to
> me is how quickly I barge in others' conversations :-)
>
> One suggestion:  if they want to connect, don't stop them! let them connect,
> please!
>
> There's a few semi-defunct email lists in English, for example Educators
> http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/educators
> which were meant to have this kind of exchanges.  If any of them speak
> Spanish, please invite them to Sur, their presence would be very welcome
> http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/olpc-sur
>
> They may have to get going by themselves at first, as we get to encourage
> other teachers to come in.  They can feel pioneers that way, and that is
> good, for my experience with lists is that it can take quite a while to get
> the dynamics of communication to become self-sustaining.  I guess the people
> from Quebec could also be in this, and those from Birmingham, and maybe even
> some almost lost tribes in San Antonio and elsewhere, that might just need
> something like this to start moving.
>
> And of course they may come into IAEP itself.
>
> Good initiative, please don't give up!
>
> BTW, thanks for your comment, Claudia.  It seems that the situation I was
> concerned about might just hold long enough that it is no longer a problem.
> 6 more days!
>
> On Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 8:34 PM, Gerald Ardito <gerald.ardito at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>>
>> Claudia,
>>
>> I have been thinking about trying to write a grant to host a conference
>> for teachers. The goals would be similar to the programming blitzes earlier
>> on, where the teachers come together and create best practices, lesson
>> plans, tips and techniques, etc.
>>
>> I think the social piece is critical. We expect the students using
>> Sugar/XOs to be social; the same is true, in my experience, of the teachers.
>> At least the ones I am working with are really looking forward to connecting
>> with other teachers.
>>
>> What do you think?
>>
>> Gerald
>>
>> On Tue, Oct 20, 2009 at 12:05 AM, Claudia Urrea <callaurrea at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> I do believe that Ceibal presents a great opportunity to do great things.
>>> It is a great opportunity... I believe we all want to be given the
>>> opportunity to contribute.
>>>
>>> The best way to get people to appropriate technology is to have them use
>>> it in powerful ways. Yes, more documents are needed, but focusing only in XO
>>> and Sugar, and expect students and children to get comfortable as a strategy
>>> to get them to do the good things is not going to happen.
>>>
>>> Teachers more than students need to good examples.. some have to do with
>>> specific activities, and others with concepts that can be understood and
>>> learned by using different activities. Creating examples that are always
>>> part of a practical experience is good... even when introducing a particular
>>> feature of the XO, or an activity.
>>>
>>> Yama.. i like your article in olpcnews!
>>>
>>> Claudia
>>>
>>> On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 9:35 PM, Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 10:41, Yamandu Ploskonka <yamaplos at gmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>> > Yesterday I spent way too much time trying to figure out the different
>>>> > press
>>>> > articles and opinion pieces in the internet around the delivery of the
>>>> > "ceibalita" # 396.727, the "last" in Uruguay
>>>> >
>>>> > the main thing: Congratulations!
>>>>
>>>> Indeed.
>>>>
>>>> > the main thing: it's not enough
>>>> >
>>>> > It is clear that the LATU team headed by Ing. Brechner has done an
>>>> > almost
>>>> > incredible job, and even though there are excellent teachers there
>>>> > "giving
>>>> > us lessons" internationally, even though there are highly dedicated
>>>> > volunteers, the use of these machines in the classroom is not a solved
>>>> > matter.
>>>> > Even if the most extreme opinions (both ends) are fruit of political
>>>> > interests, it is getting more and more clear that there is a lot of
>>>> > work to
>>>> > be done to make the XOs really a useful feature of the classroom
>>>> >
>>>> > I say we need to focus on what is easy, to gain buy in by the majority
>>>> > of
>>>> > teachers
>>>> >
>>>> > when using the XO in class is easier for the teacher than giving class
>>>> > without the XO, we will have won
>>>>
>>>> Then we know how to win. I am proposing a guide for teachers on how to
>>>> help students learn the XO, Sugar, and everything else with a minimum
>>>> of effort and a maximum of results. Then, as Brian Berry has pointed
>>>> out, we will need 10,000 topic modules with lesson plans, for every
>>>> school subject at every age, translated into more than 100 languages.
>>>> I have a plan for that, too, which I will tell you about later.
>>>>
>>>> Let's start with the XO and Sugar. When we can get teachers and
>>>> students comfortable with all of the features of the XO and Sugar in
>>>> general, and with certain essential activities, we will be able to
>>>> turn them loose on the Internet on any topic consisting primarily of
>>>> information. The harder topics are skills such as math, the arts, and
>>>> languages, where it is not enough to know. You must be able to _do_.
>>>> But put that aside, for the moment, along with the learning modules.
>>>> Let us think about what is required to get basic understanding and
>>>> competence on an XO with Sugar.
>>>>
>>>> I have been collecting the principal obstacles, which are listed at
>>>> http://wiki.sugarlabs.og/go/The_Undiscoverable. We need to think about
>>>> the order imposed by dependencies, and put together a sequence of
>>>> lessons covering all of these. I'm ready to get to it, and you are
>>>> welcome to join in.
>>>>
>>>> > I may be wrong, and opinions are welcome
>>>> >
>>>> > meanwhile, my article
>>>> >
>>>> > http://www.olpcnews.com/countries/uruguay/last_xo_laptop_olpc_uruguay.html
>>>>
>>>> Thanks. I've started reading it.
>>>> > _______________________________________________
>>>> > IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!)
>>>> > IAEP at lists.sugarlabs.org
>>>> > http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
>>>> >
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Edward Mokurai (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) Cherlin
>>>> Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation.
>>>> The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.
>>>> http://www.earthtreasury.org/
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!)
>>>> IAEP at lists.sugarlabs.org
>>>> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!)
>>> IAEP at lists.sugarlabs.org
>>> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
>>
>
>



-- 
Edward Mokurai (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) Cherlin
Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation.
The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.
http://www.earthtreasury.org/