[IAEP] [Sugar-devel] Sugar Digest 2012-09-18

[Walter Bender]

On Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 9:05 AM, Dr. Gerald Ardito
<gerald.ardito at gmail.com> wrote:
> Daniel and others,
>
> This thread has really inspired me. I am going to work with my
> students to develop Sugar activities.
> I have James' book. Are there other resources I need?

I'd recommend using the Duplicate function in View Source. Have them
make some changes to a favorite existing Sugar activity.

regards.

-walter

>
> Thanks.
> Gerald
>
> On Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 4:16 AM, Kevin Mark <kevin.mark at verizon.net> wrote:
>>
>>
>> --- On Wed, 9/19/12, S. Daniel Francis <francis at sugarlabs.org> wrote:
>>
>>> From: S. Daniel Francis <francis at sugarlabs.org>
>>> Subject: Re: [IAEP] [Sugar-devel] Sugar Digest 2012-09-18
>>> To: "Kevin Mark" <kevin.mark at verizon.net>
>>> Cc: "James Simmons" <nicestep at gmail.com>, "iaep" <iaep at lists.sugarlabs.org>, "Sugar-dev Devel" <sugar-devel at lists.sugarlabs.org>, community-news at lists.sugarlabs.org
>>> Date: Wednesday, September 19, 2012, 11:27 PM
>>> Hi Kevin,
>>>
>>> 2012/9/19 Kevin Mark <kevin.mark at verizon.net>:
>>> > Hearing from the kids who are making Sugar activities
>>> and more contributions, I'm really wanting to
>>> > know what teaching environment made this possible?
>>>
>>> Summing my case all the cases I listened about, we usually
>>> learn by our self.
>>> Thinking about why Sugar, well, we could make desktop
>>> applications,
>>> but a free and decent way to share a program is difficult to
>>> find and
>>> there's not always a community where we can share what we
>>> make.
>>
>> While I can't speak for Sugar Labs, this sound like a very good problems to address. "Scratch" has a website to 'upload' its programs. I would really love to see a way to help young sugar activity hacker have a place for them to 'hack' on their games/activities. Maybe Activities.sugarlabs.org or some website in .uy? And maybe a forum? (I'm not someone to do this sadly but would think that the very capable people around the sugar community would find this idea motivating)
>>
>>>  Also I
>>> think Sugar needs activities, unlike desktops, where
>>> practically all
>>> is already made.
>>>
>>> Just Edward suggested us to tell our stories, but at the
>>> moment I'll
>>> not get into many details and only answer your questions.
>>>
>>> > Are there activity hacking classes?
>>> In Uruguay there is only one activity hacking teacher:
>>> Flavio Danesse.
>>
>> OH wow. I have recently started to 'hack' on JAMedia and JAMediaTube. So I know his work. I wonder if making videos of his lecture would be something he could do and the kids could watch?
>>
>>> He is an IT teacher, and every year he organizes a workshop
>>> where he
>>> teaches volunteer students to program in Python. The group
>>> "Python
>>> Joven", in English "Young Python"..
>>
>> If you and others can make 'clubs' in your area, that would be great, maybe they can setup a web 'forum' for everyone to exchange ideas.
>>
>>
>>>
>>> Currently, his students contributing here are Agustin
>>> Zubiaga and
>>> Cristhofer Travieso, they told me about another student who
>>> develops
>>> applications for Android.
>>>
>>> > Is this kind of experimentation part of a turtleart
>>> class?
>>> For my part I can say "yes and no"... When I received my XO
>>> with Sugar
>>> I liked very much TurtleArt, but the teachers don't teach it
>>> very
>>> often, I had to look for documentation.
>>
>> Oh, that is sad, I'm surprised to read that.
>>
>>
>>>
>>> >Have kids 'goggled' about programming on their own time
>>> and wanted to know about programming?
>>> Now you are right, I learn practically all 'googling'.
>>> Flavio's
>>> students told me they also learn(ed) a big part of what they
>>> know
>>> searching and investigating by them self.
>>> I think it's better because we can learn what we are
>>> interested in,
>>> also if it's not related with Sugar.
>>
>> yes that is true. learning what you want (being an auto-didact) is powerful.
>>
>>>
>>> > Are there computer programming classes and teachers
>>> that have assignments that ask the kids to explore?
>>>
>>> Programming is not often a subject at the school.
>>> I know about optional workshops, like Flavio's. My parents
>>> are
>>> teachers, and about three-four years ago, when I was ten
>>> years old, I
>>> used to go to the highschool where my parents worked and I
>>> listened to
>>> a workshop about web design (basic HTML development) and
>>> graphic
>>> design (with GIMP). That workshop was not a way to get
>>> young
>>> programmers, but it removed me the fear of seeing a source
>>> code as
>>> something strange or made for be understood by non-human
>>> people.
>>
>> Yes, many people have a fear of this 'scary' stuff. It something everyone who wants to learn about programming has to face. Turtleart and Scratch was suppose to help.
>>
>>>
>>> Cheers.
>>> ~danielf
>>>
>>> P.S: Sorry, I don't speak English very well.
>>
>> Thanks you very much for your answers. I think you write English very well!
>> -Kevin aka kevix
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-- 
Walter Bender
Sugar Labs
http://www.sugarlabs.org