OLPC NYC
OLPC New York
Local metro-area grassroots group
Come Join Us
- Teachers, Technologists, and Twitterers -- Please do join us for an afternoon of serious structured brainstorming -- examining how all of us can now directly impact education worldwide.
- Everyone Can Help: Learning innovators, Software carpenters, Community Marketing geniuses, Usability experts, Local teachers, Grassroots organizers, Artists, Quality assurance/Support gurus, all Most welcome...
- Meetup signup here!
- Consider also joining our general NYC mailing list: OLPC-NYC@laptop.org
Agenda Here:
- Would you like to plan something? Add it here!
- Projects
- Women in Need (WIN)... Are we coming back? or turn this as one of our pn-going project?
- XO Technical guide - Book sprint? Floss manual?
- Harlem mini deployment
- Event
- Deployment talk - from Teaching matters
- Regular meet-up schedule. Revive the meet-up page?
- Launching XO Photos by George Hunt Refer to Mike Lee's XO photo tour activity.
- Join http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OlpcMAP
Meeting Minutes
Upcoming Events
August 15 6 - 9 PM: Strategies for Using XO Technology Teaching HIV/AIDs
- Where: 648 Broadway St. Suite 770 A. NYC 6:00- 9:00 PM
- What:Share strategies and Field Experience with XO/Sugar and HIV/AIDS Education
- Workshop: Representatives with experience designing curriculum and work in the field share their strategies, lessons learned and identify how to improve our impact on students!!
Event Posting http://bit.ly/qCGf9C Or Confirm to email sandra@smallsolutionsbigideas.org 'Sign up here:'
Previous Activities
Wikipedia 10th Anniverery/WikimediaNYC Mini-Conference
- When: January 15
- Why: A member will update, inform and energize wikimedians from around the world about the OLPC mission and get some more folks for OLPC NYC
- Where: NYU ITP on Broadway
OLPC-NYC - Team Meeting Schedule (Nov. 21 2010)
- When: Nov. 21, 2010
- Time: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
- Where: (21st and 9th ave) NYC
Women in Need (WIN) - Operation XO reflash
- Time and place:
The proposal is to get together on
- When September 12 Sunday at 10:00 am
- Where Women in Need(WIN)1738 East NY Avenue Brooklyn NY 11212
- Phone: (646) 483 5387.
- Directios: On the map it looks like the Atlantic station of the L line is closest, although the Broadway stop of the AC is just a block or two farther away. Transfer from AC to L at Broadway station if you want.
- Confirmed Team:
- George Hunt
- Hannah Stern
- Marife Mago
- Kevin Mark
- Michael Haris
Planned Activities: What to expect: If we really do have 200 XOs to process/reflash, and can do 8 in parallel, It could take 4 hours -- done by 2pm. With lunch breaks (anyone willing to bring sandwiches, drinks -- I'll chip in), and snafu's, we might be done by 3-4.
If you can bring the following, that would be great!
- USB's
- XO Batteries
- Extention power cord
- snacks...:)
Notes from the WIN event:
1. Re-flashed around 55 XO's out of the 200 XO's from Women in Need org. 2. It was interesting to know, it was easy as it seems, but when we started re-flashing some issues comes up...USB compatibility, software should be properly downloaded to the USB. System date should be updated. 3. We also tried the NAND blaster ...not just cool but it works! More pictures here!
Dinner Meet/Greet with Christoph Derndorfer - @ NYC with OLPC_NYC Folks.
- When: Aug. 30, 2010
- Time: 7:30pm
Confirmed:
- George Hunt
- Jessica Curtis
- Hannah Stern
- Kevin Mark
- Christoph Derndorfer
- Ryan Letada
- Andrew Pompa - cancelled
- Marife Mago
OLPC-NYC Event - XO / Sugar for Dummies (August 21st, 2010)
Notes from the event:
1. John S and Kevin gave Hannah a quick demo of etoys and XO activities and George's demo of his Xophoto.
2. George open up with the group about the 200 XO's from Women in need and discussed the opportunity for volunteerism.
3. Some action plan discussed: Operation XO reflash. Help them reflash the 200 XO's. Target date Sept. and target volunteers needed for this out reach activity 5 - 10 people.
3. On going plan:
a. Talk to as many people with deployment experienced.
b. Help them with Sugar lessons
c. See if we can get 50 XO's from them and use it as an NYC lending library.
d. Find out other NYC XO deployments and see how they're doing and plan out
an activity based on the status of existing NYC deployment.
e. Plan on how to run the lending library.
4. Hannah's class deferred. we'll wait what will be the turn out of this out reach activity, meanwhile Hannah loaned by Kevin with 1 XO 1.5 and she'll see how she can extend this on her own in her class.
5. Action Item:
a. George will finalize dinner with Christoph Aug. 30. b. Hannah & Andrew will find a place for dinner c. George will check with Women in Need, schedule for the next month(Sept.) activity: Women in Need 200 XO's Operation XO reflash.
6. Sincak family willing to donate poster board/marketing materials for OLPC_NYC, asking for the content and design.
Thank you all for sharing your precious time!
Time:1:00pm - 4:00pm
How do I get more involved in my community?
What’s an XO?
You mean Sugar isn’t just an ingredient in cookies?
If you have ever found yourself asking any of these questions, the XO / Sugar for Dummies event is for you!
The event will offer training for volunteers interested in furthering OLPC New York’s mission to increase awareness in the community as well as further the mission of helping people learn through technology. Following the training, you will meet up with your fellow trainees in September to train a computer literacy class at the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation, a community center dedicated to helping low-income adults in the community learn job skills and become more tech-savvy.
Plan activity:
1. Explore XO/activities
2. Turtle art, Etoys 101, Squeak and other sugar activity round up
3. SoaS presentation and demo (Carolyn Meeks - if she smoothly moved :))
5. Free XO try out! Have fun and learn...
You have an idea for an activity? Please add here!
End of day activity Dinner?...and plan for the next meet -up.
Pre-Planning for Summer (August,2010): XO in the City - Done See Above updates
Phone meetup 8/2 6 p.m.
Objective: Create greater awareness. -
Outreach at The Next HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth) Conference
When: July 16,17,18
Why: A member will update, inform and energize hackers from around the world about the OLPC mission and get some more folks for OLPC NYC
Where: The Next Hope@NYC, The Hotel Pennsylvania (by NYC's Penn Station)
25 Bronx Brunch: East/West Africa Deployment Discussion
Join us!
When: 12 NOON Sunday July 25th
Why: OLPC/Sugar community volunteers working in East Africa (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, etc) updating each/others working in West Africa (Ghana, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, etc) & not only E/W Africa but also the Philippines on their progress.
Where: Fouta Food Corp Restaurant
1762 Westchester Ave (Subway #6, Uptown Bronx, St. Lawrence Ave station)
Between Commonwealth & St Lawrence Aves.
Bronx NY 10472
*** RSVP to holt @ laptop.org, thx! ***
Suggestion's
- After the brunch, do the second round talk (Meet up kick-off) A walk to a nearby park/cafe/oceanfront etc. -- Soundview Park is just a few min to the South
- Plan the activities for each month
- List here your activity
- Plan the activities for each month
- Pictures from Saturday's figment event. A funky XO exploration!
Figment Artfest in New York by: Hannah Stern
XO is on a picnic mode @ Figment[1] Event Governor's Island, NYC!
Spend your day/family day on this artsy learning event.
Bring your XO's, picnic mats, chairs and kites!
- WHEN: Saturday, June 12 — 10am – 6pm
- WHERE: Governors Island, NYC
- Directions: a free,short ferry-ride from lower Manhattan![2]
- Activities
1. Explore XO activities
- Volunteers assist kids and families with XO and sugar activities.
2. Scheduled Turtle art and Etoys 101
- 10:00 am - 10:30 am - (Any volunteers?)
- 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm - (Any volunteers?)
or at your preferred activity and time slot.
3. Deployment stories ( Share the learning experience of your own deployment to kids and family around!)
4. SoaS presentation and demo (Carolyn Meeks - if she smoothly moved :))
5. All day event - Free XO try out! Have fun and learn...
You have an idea for an activity? Please add here!
Volunteers are welcome to take any of the activities!
End of day activity Dinner...and plan for the next meet -up.
- Are you coming?
Please sign here:
1. http://wiki.laptop.org/go/ekindling Ryan Letada 2. Adam Holt 3. Carolyn Meeks (tentative) 4. Marife Mago 5. George Hunt 6. Kevin Mark 7. Hannah Stern 8. Laura Bell
- Join OLPC/Sugar visionaries from DC, NY, Boston (and San Francisco!) converging on NY City for a Community Summit:
- Saturday November 21; 1 - 4PM
The Church of St Mary the Virgin
- Where: 3rd Floor Meeting Room, Mission House 133 West 46th Street(btn 6th and 7th Avenues)
- Map:' Google Map View
- Church Web Site
The 1PM formal presentation will include:
- OLPC's brand new XO 1.5 B2 Laptop
- Summary account of the 1 Million XO Laptops now shipped around the world
- Previews of upcoming Sugar Learning software
- Some directly personal explanations of our movement's strongly maturing "volunteer ladder".
- Come see some actual books written by our Community!
- - Participate and strategize around OLPC and Sugar's unheralded successes
- - Local Projects, and long-term forward path.
- Presenters and Facilitators
- 12:30PM - early birds organize room (133 West 46th St, 3rd Flr)
- 1PM - Mike Lee - 30min - OLPC/Sugar backgrounder, DC experience & 2010 opportunities (arrive on time for our special guest!)
- Sameer Verma - 5min - San Francisco's similarly path-breaking approach
- Caroline Meeks - 10min - Learning Goals, how Sugar supports them, Teacher Training
- Adam Holt - 5min - Community Innovation for All (perspectives from my current 6-country OLPC/Sugar Learning journey)
- 2PM - Everyone introduces themselves, their perspective/questions on where we are after 2 years and will be asked to vote for 1 NYC community idea they feel will have traction over the coming 2 years.
- 2:40 - Three brainstorming sessions, separately around {tech, teaching, twitteriffic etc}
- How can NYC spur local projects(s) with structured sustainability?
- Can NYC use its place in the world to help build worldwide action?
- Where can you connect with Specific Overseas Community? (EG. our hosts at Church of St Mary the Virgin have strong Honduras ties, as do several OLPC volunteers who will be in attendance!)
- 3:20 - Everyone re-congregate, explaining "on-whiteboard" your team's Conclusions / Strategies
- 4PM - Clean up - depart for drinks/dinner nearby!
- OLPC News Story: http://www.olpcnews.com/countries/usa/olpc_nyc_community_summit.html
Several OLPCorps team members who deployed XO laptops across Africa this summer are eager to join us in NY City, eg. talking about their individual school experience in Sierra Leone, Ghana, Kenya, etc:
Story Jam New York - March 28-30, 2008. At UNICEF.
About
The New York Interest Group is a way for people in the New York metro area and surrounding locations to talk about and work together on OLPC. We aren't necessarily interested just in trying to bring OLPC into classrooms in New York (although we generally think it's a wonderful idea) we're also interested in volunteering/contributing to the project.
OLPC New York IS
- a nucleation point for exchange between local groups, towards the OLPC Boston office and back, and with other groups worldwide
- helping in organizing XOs for the local groups
- supporting and cherishing the autonomy of local groups
- focusing on rough consensus, grassroots involvement, and working projects
OLPC New York IS NOT
- going to do a local pilot in your school (although we'll encourage and support you if you want to do one yourself)
- going to tell you what you are and aren't allowed to do (although we're always up for idea-bouncing and brainstorms)
Contact and chapters
Mailing list
If there's enough demand, we'll set up a mailing list. If you'd like to have an NYC-OLPC mailing list, post a link to your contact info (wiki userpages work) below - the minimum number for starting a list is 10 recent requests.
Chapters
If you know of any New-York area schools, organizations, or groups of interested people who have organized or want to organize a Grassroots group or an University chapter, please ask them to add a link below.
Existing projects
- Teaching Matters is running a pilot in the city - see their blog here.
Short URL set up for this wiki page
Project ideas
If you're in New York and want to work on a project with someone local, post ideas here.
- I would love to set up a fundraiser event that brings awareness to this amazing initiative as well as collecting funds to buy and provide even more of these laptops to kids around the world. I'm relatively new to the NY area and to fundraising, so anyone else who's interested, please post here! (Post your ideas if you have them!)
- This would be a great project for children: the New York Linux Users Group runs a Hack Workshop at the New York Public Library Hudson Park branch every other Tuesday evening. The coordinators (of which I'm one) would like to run a program to teach children how to start doing simple computer programming with environments like Scratch and Etoys, and other languages like Python and Ruby. The XO laptops provide all of the needed tools and environments necessary to get this started, and its neighborhood and collaborative-centric method of design means that a handful of XO laptops shared amongst 2 to 3 kids apiece will allow the little teams to work on a project of their own, and everyone together can work on one big project if so desired. User:LambdaCalculus379
- Hope to brainstorm this idea on this event: (School Service Learning Program with Universities and Colleges)
- Plz see details of the program here: User:Mafe
- I find this to be a fascinating project. I wanted to know the opportunities of collaborating in a short time frame. A nomadic public arts organization transforms empty and unusual spaces into public art exhibitions across New York City. Our next exhibition is called "This Side of Paradise" happening in April in the Bronx. Here's a link. http://www.nolongerempty.org/nc/home/what-we-do/exhibitions/exhibition/this-side-of-paradise/ Having laptops on site for the local children to use would be a creative way of bringing them into the art space. Is this something you would be interested in? Email info@nolongerempty.org to continue the conversation!