hi Donna and other Aussies, Do you know the folks at Cybersource?  <a href="http://www.cyber.com.au/press/government_laptop_best_value_solution.html">http://www.cyber.com.au/press/government_laptop_best_value_solution.html</a> Here is a good article on it: <a href="http://www.itwire.com/content/view/22209/53/">http://www.itwire.com/content/view/22209/53/</a> It looks like they are working on the idea I was calling School Key when we met in Indianapolis.  They may also be interested in looking at Sugar on a Stick to provide better pedagogy for the younger grades and as a way to get in without the direct linux-windows conflict the comments on this article suggest they are facing. I already sent an email to their info address but an introduction is always nice. Thanks, Caroline <div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Dec 9, 2008 at 6:41 PM, Donna Benjamin <<a href="mailto:donna@cc.com.au">donna@cc.com.au</a>> wrote: <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">Hi all, I've long been a passionate advocate of the OLPC project, and followed with interest the development and creation of sugarlabs. As conference director for <a href="http://linux.conf.au" target="_blank">linux.conf.au</a> in Melbourne earlier this year I oversaw the distribution of 100 XOs to delegates at the conference, and have recently tried to follow up with them to see how they're doing. Am also intending to continue working with XO owners, developers, teachers and learning researchers on community development, and project awareness in 2009. I'm particularly interested in cross-pollination between education and learning experts and developers to further the development of sugar as a platform for learning. I'm also keen to understand the cross- cultural issues encountered during deployments so we can adapt as necessary. I introduced the idea of building communities of practice to some people in the Aussie OLPC community, getting local groups of XO owners gathering with teachers and children to work together on testing, learning, discovering and documenting their experience.  Have already had a few informal gatherings with some of the developers who got an XO at LCA - intending on doing more of that too.  It would be brilliant to tap into the broader community to get a TODO list of tasks to accomplish and hack on. I think a handful of you already on the list will recognise me, as I've been drawn in on the odd conversation, so thought it was time to step aboard and say Hi Everyone! cheers Donna -- Donna Benjamin - Executive Director Creative Contingencies - <a href="http://cc.com.au" target="_blank">http://cc.com.au</a> ph +61 3 9326 9985 - mob +61 418 310 414 open source - facilitation - web services _______________________________________________ IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) <a href="mailto:IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org">IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org</a> <a href="http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep" target="_blank">http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep</a> </blockquote></div> -- Caroline Meeks Solution Grove Caroline@SolutionGrove.com 617-500-3488 - Office 505-213-3268 - Fax