On Fri, Mar 18, 2011 at 11:23 PM, Michael FIG <<a href="mailto:michael@fig.org">michael@fig.org</a>> wrote: <div class="gmail_quote"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;"> Hi all, This is tangentially related to the broad ideas of computer and mathematics literacy that Alan has, and so I would like to ask the list for your opinions and advice. (If you have things to share that are not related to computing, please reply to me privately.) My wife, Susana, works at an agency that helps immigrant families from all over the world settle in Canada. They are currently looking for software or online resources to help improve literacy for youth (and possibly younger children), sometimes teaching EAL (English as an Additional Language) from square one. Susana and I saw some connection with VPRI, as at least some of the children have little past exposure to computers, and that literacy is not about a specific language, but about solidifying new knowledge with experimentation and creative expression. I've admired Kim's handbook that guides math learners through Squeak-based experiments. Is there an approach embracing this model (computer as an empty world for performing experiments, not as a multiple-choice quiz automator) with exercises involving language? To give some political context, the conventional advice currently on the table is to license Rosetta Stone for children. Do you see better alternatives? Does this belong in the scope of FONC? Thanks, -- Michael FIG <<a href="mailto:michael@fig.org">michael@fig.org</a>> //\ <a href="http://michael.fig.org/" target="_blank">http://michael.fig.org/</a> \// _______________________________________________ fonc mailing list <a href="mailto:fonc@vpri.org">fonc@vpri.org</a> <a href="http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc" target="_blank">http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc</a> </blockquote></div> Forwarding this to 'It's an Education Project', Sugar Labs general mailing list, as this topic naturally arises among this community. <a href="http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Welcome_to_the_Sugar_Labs_wiki">http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Welcome_to_the_Sugar_Labs_wiki</a> There are also some interesting links in the OLPC, One Laptop per Child, wiki, such as, <a href="http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Talk:Language_Learning">http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Talk:Language_Learning</a> --Fred