[Sugar-devel] Should we care about non readers and kids with motor skill issues? was - Re: RFC: Kill the delayed menus for good

[DancesWithCars]

as someone who grew up dyslexic
before computers, I have to say,
XOs should be for EveryOne,
readers, people with difficulty
reading, those young and not
reading, and dyslexics,
plus those with motor issues.

you could check the prevalance
numbers, but with deployments
of 300k or so, you are going to get
a large segment of people,
i.e. high numbers (thousands,
to tens of thousands?) who need
to be included...

and that is without autism,
and other physical issues like
muscular dystrophy, deafness, blind,
etc...

emotional and cognitive issues
probably abound as well,
and a computer is sometimes a
good way to go, even special
ed might agree with that...


as a kid, and some continuing,
my handwritting is really bad,
and was able to use a typewritter
in class. in today's classrooms,
having a computer, that has built
in keyboard + memory and
ability on screen to change fonts,
character sizes, etc, may make
reading a possiblity, not to mention
some interactivity options
and more patience than your
average teacher, student teacher,
class assistant, and parent probably
possess...

plus dysgraphia, like dyslexia but
graphics, (think picasa on a bad
day), and stick figures would be
the best to be expected,
whereas programming something
to draw for one might not be an issue,
turtle art, programming graphics, etc.


On Fri, Oct 16, 2009 at 10:02 AM, Tomeu Vizoso <tomeu at sugarlabs.org> wrote:
> On Fri, Oct 16, 2009 at 03:28, Caroline Meeks <solutiongrove at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> > Perhaps. What would you define as the ailment, yourself? The primary
>>> > intent was to encourage use of a direct interaction model, in which
>>> > palettes we're supposed to play a big role. When it turned out that
>>> > young kids, who didn't read, and who didn't have motor skills for
>>> > selecting form the palettes, we aimed to reduce accidental invocation
>>> > of them without entirely eliminating discovery by increasing the
>>> > delay.
>>>
>>> Many kids have motor skills, and the ones that don't initially are
>>> remarkably good (being kids) at developing motor skills that they don't yet
>>> have. Many kids also read. In fact, let's cut into some real deep philosophy
>>> stuff here...
>>
>> True. But all kids matter. Including the nonreaders, the ones going to
>> schools that are not taught in their native language, the ones for whom
>> reading is a struggle, the dyslectics.
>>
>> Also I really disagree about the developing motor skills.  I think
>> developing motor skills is a developmental thing that goes at different
>> paces. I see kids that can get the concepts of Sugar but who struggle with
>> clicking the blocks together in Turtle Art.  I think they are perfectly
>> normal kids who will eventually have perfectly adequate motor skills for
>> normal computing.  Providing them with a system that is as easy as possible
>> for them while those motor skills are developing should be one of our
>> missions.
>>>
>>> The idea that the XO laptop is mainly for kids who can't read is
>>> completely bogus. Now, maybe you're thinking of other children when you say
>>> this, but I prefer to first consider the main existing userbase. Laptops
>>> which have Sugar installed on them are primarily located in schools and are
>>> used for education. It is kind of ridiculous to say "Well, you don't
>>> actually need to know how to read to use the laptops, so we should make the
>>> interface not require reading." when the truth is that, for most activities
>>> that have any educational merit, you DO need to read and you need to read
>>> things significantly more complicated than activity names. Most of the
>>> people who use Sugar for most of the time WILL know how to read.
>>>
>> I disagree on this too. I think there a host of activities that nonreaders
>> could use in Sugar. Paint, Colors, Jingsaw, Flipsticks, Write (writing a
>> great way to learn to read), speak, many GCompris Games, Calculate, books
>> that are read to you, Browse if you share a favorited website.  In fact if
>> you share a started activity then you further expand the number of things a
>> nonreader could do.
>
> I agree with this, that's what I think of when I hear "low floor, no ceiling".
>
> Regards,
>
> Tomeu
>
> --
> «Sugar Labs is anyone who participates in improving and using Sugar.
> What Sugar Labs does is determined by the participants.» - David
> Farning
> _______________________________________________
> Sugar-devel mailing list
> Sugar-devel at lists.sugarlabs.org
> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/sugar-devel
>



-- 
DancesWithCars
leave the wolves behind ;-)