[IAEP] Sugar minimum set

[mokurai at earthtreasury.org]

On Wed, June 29, 2011 2:29 pm, Valerie Taylor wrote:
> Is there a minimum set of Sugar teacher/tutor training, hardware and
> software that could be implemented by a community supported remedial
> program that works with kids outside regular elementary school? Is
> this something that could be considered and/or suggested?

That is a whole set of questions bundled up into one. XOs and their Sugar
distributions are the minimum standard set. The maximum is whatever is
currently on Activities.sugarlabs.org.

You can buy individual used XOs on eBay for about $150 each. If some NGO
would be willing to buy 10,000 units and make them available in smaller
quantities to other NGOs, we could talk about all sorts of programs.
Prices would likely be in the $200-$250 range. The initial investment
would be about $2 million up front, with delivery date to be determined
later. Nobody has so far been willing to operate on those terms.

> A local program provides small group time as their primary learning
> activities and has some computers that they use already. Most of the
> software is the usual proprietary kids educational products. Their
> regular program would lend itself to including basic Sugar Labs
> Activities.

Sugar on a Stick

> Are there guidelines for when Sugar Labs Activities can be beneficial
> even if it isn't possible or practical to provide the all-inclusive
> OLPC environment?

Always. ^_^

> In this case, the computers could probably loaded with Linux and
> Sugar, and would be stand-alone (without a classroom or school
> server). I don't know if the machines are networked so that groups and
> neighborhoods could be available.

Any of the above.

> Is anyone doing this now? Does Sugar Labs encourage this? What is a
> minimum setup that could be considered? What are the "gotcha's" for
> doing something like this?

Various NGOs have various programs around XOs and Sugar in other forms.

Sugar Labs encourages this.

Sugar on a Stick

There are some technical issues. SoaS is not easy enough to create. It
does not work on every computer. Therefore preplanning and testing is
necessary. Mostly, the issue is that prospective teachers do not have
enough guidance on how to use Sugar effectively. That is one of the
targets for the Replacing Textbooks program. Of course, you can buy
pre-recorded SoaS USB units, although I don't know which versions of SoaS
are available.

> To replace textbooks, is there a strategy for moving to wider use of
> Sugar as part of the process?

Of course. The idea is to integrate Sugar into every topic where it is
practical in every subject. That is the equivalent of more than 100
textbooks, with more than 10,000 topics.

> Thanks
> ..Valerie
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-- 
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://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Replacing_Textbooks