Grassroots bootcamp/Results/tuesday transcript
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Jonathan Austin on Birmingham, AL grassroots
**** BEGIN LOGGING AT Tue Jun 10 10:09:21 2008 Jun 10 10:09:21 * Now talking on #olpc-groups Jun 10 10:09:21 * Topic for #olpc-groups is: The global channel for all local communities | Mailing List: http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/grassroots Jun 10 10:09:21 * Topic for #olpc-groups set by crazy-chris at Tue Jan 1 19:24:10 2008 Jun 10 10:09:38 <_sj_> we should remind people coming to nyc this weekend about the jam Jun 10 10:09:48 <_sj_> teachingmatters, unicef hardware hackers Jun 10 10:09:53 <_sj_> openplans fans Jun 10 10:10:03 <cjb> mchua: heading in now, be there a little after 11 I think Jun 10 10:10:32 <mchua> cjb: hurrah! we've got a flexible schedule so anytime before noon is good Jun 10 10:10:35 <mchua> _sj_: agreed Jun 10 10:10:48 <cjb> great. Jun 10 10:10:53 <_sj_> pip pip Jun 10 10:11:01 <_sj_> food eaters Jun 10 10:11:01 <kikka> heya Jun 10 10:19:25 * dirakx has quit (Remote closed the connection) Jun 10 10:19:52 * dirakx (n=dirakx@190.24.129.6) has joined #olpc-groups Jun 10 10:21:52 * andreatl (n=alai@wireless-19-138.media.mit.edu) has joined #olpc-groups Jun 10 10:24:52 * mchua requests someone take notes here Jun 10 10:27:51 * avoine (n=avoine@pdpc/supporter/active/avoine) has joined #olpc-groups Jun 10 10:31:11 * nlee (i=nlee@wireless-107.media.mit.edu) has joined #olpc-groups Jun 10 10:31:31 * bjordan (n=bjordan@wireless-237.media.mit.edu) has joined #olpc-groups Jun 10 10:31:35 * nlee is going to try and transcribe for the sake of mchuas hands Jun 10 10:32:00 <nlee> talking about community outreach Jun 10 10:32:04 * ccarrick (i=ccarrick@wireless-116.media.mit.edu) has joined #olpc-groups Jun 10 10:32:12 <nlee> churches, schools, foundations, good allies for a nonprofi Jun 10 10:32:14 <nlee> t Jun 10 10:32:40 <nlee> have to ID target audience [for us, underserved] Jun 10 10:32:56 <nlee> what center for urban missions did: IDed person responsible for communication Jun 10 10:33:07 <nlee> set up focus groups around birmingham, similar to now Jun 10 10:33:37 <nlee> talked about problems, engaged adults [organizers] and children [beneficieries] Jun 10 10:33:56 <nlee> got neighborhood presidents, schools, outreach to corporate community Jun 10 10:34:19 <nlee> as well as pastors, and 'just regular people' Jun 10 10:34:34 <nlee> discussed issues, find out - what do communities want? need? Jun 10 10:34:54 <nlee> involved ~70 comms., all with their own issues Jun 10 10:35:17 <nlee> ex. 1 comm. had transportation problem Jun 10 10:35:27 <nlee> looked at these issues and based deployment on it Jun 10 10:35:45 <nlee> dialogue helped to better suit the needs of each community Jun 10 10:36:08 <nlee> have to look at current infra. - some might not have wireless, etc. Jun 10 10:36:16 <_sj_> http://www.mindmeister.com/maps/show/4219206 Jun 10 10:36:32 <nlee> schools need money, brought in outside help to ID resources Jun 10 10:36:33 <_sj_> bjordan, ^^^ Jun 10 10:36:42 <bjordan> need acct? Jun 10 10:36:44 <nlee> find sources of outside support for schools Jun 10 10:36:50 * akeybl (n=akeybl@wireless-110.media.mit.edu) has joined #olpc-groups Jun 10 10:36:50 <_sj_> accts are free Jun 10 10:36:53 <_sj_> morning ak Jun 10 10:36:54 <bjordan> k Jun 10 10:37:17 <nlee> generated publicity by going to local media, engaged them Jun 10 10:37:43 <nlee> [press releases, talk about when deployment is planned for, increasing awareness of project in birmingham Jun 10 10:38:23 <nlee> one of the things thats very important: birmingham is unique, since mayor is already committed, infra. already exists Jun 10 10:38:40 <nlee> with any type of deployment, esp. tech, school systems are usually wary of outsiders Jun 10 10:39:10 <nlee> birmingham has done a good job, bringing in outsiders to help with learning about XOs etc. Jun 10 10:39:32 <bjordan> _sj_: their openID server connection is broken so I cant make acct Jun 10 10:39:56 <bjordan> wait may have found it Jun 10 10:40:13 <nlee> tie XOs into math and science camp context, bring into classroom context Jun 10 10:40:23 <nlee> starting in mid-june, going for 8 weeks Jun 10 10:40:38 <nlee> give teachers and students prep time for 15k laptop deployment Jun 10 10:40:47 <nlee> will have experienced teachers /and/ students Jun 10 10:40:54 <nlee> who will be able to deal with issues that may arise Jun 10 10:41:27 <nlee> working to build infra. that will operate with little support [support-gang] Jun 10 10:42:06 <nlee> one other thing learned: when running outreach campaigns, you do have to be intentional, let people know what laptops are for, ID benefits of the tech Jun 10 10:42:30 <nlee> consider perceived value of laptops Jun 10 10:42:49 <bjordan> brarg login is not catching Jun 10 10:42:51 <nlee> you have to do a good job communicating how it will help/impact students' learning Jun 10 10:42:57 <nlee> bjordan: :( Jun 10 10:43:17 <nlee> this summer we want to a really good job demo-ing benefits of the XOs Jun 10 10:43:38 <nlee> they have camera, internet - but what else is enticing about them? how will they encourage students to be exciting about learning? Jun 10 10:43:43 <nlee> important things to consider Jun 10 10:43:53 <nlee> sj: so we discussed yesterday what motivates people Jun 10 10:44:10 <nlee> motivations to get involved usually not stats, specs, from demos Jun 10 10:44:19 <nlee> what motivates people is different from that Jun 10 10:44:47 <nlee> people start trying to articulate it, and end up talking about features of achieving goal, and not the actual goal Jun 10 10:45:05 <nlee> jonathan: agreed Jun 10 10:45:20 <nlee> may have single parent household, 5-6 kids Jun 10 10:45:40 <nlee> really want to get _whole family_ involved, our mission is to involve whole person, whole family, whole body for positive change Jun 10 10:46:19 <nlee> you have to get a good core group of people, volunteers [downside - only reliable up to a certain point, may lose interest, not getting paid, hard to keep engaged] Jun 10 10:46:46 <nlee> always having to reteach a new set of volunteers, important to have a core group of stakeholders Jun 10 10:46:49 <bjordan> _sj_: invite me to the map brian@laptop.org Jun 10 10:46:58 <nlee> people who are benefitting from the tech and learning process Jun 10 10:47:17 <nlee> from volunteer perspective, most involved going to be families, principals, school officials Jun 10 10:47:28 <nlee> they want the project to succeed, will go the distance and see it through Jun 10 10:47:54 <nlee> mel: sounds like 2 strategies Jun 10 10:48:03 <bjordan> _sj_: "Share Map..." at bottom Jun 10 10:48:07 <nlee> 1. high volunteer turnover - try to minimize and get long term volunteers Jun 10 10:48:23 <nlee> 2. keep core group and having volunteers trained all the time Jun 10 10:48:30 <nlee> what mix have you been using, what is good? Jun 10 10:48:49 <nlee> jonathan: we get ~90% of volunteers through public awareness Jun 10 10:48:54 <bjordan> _sj_: or I can invite you to mine Jun 10 10:49:10 <nlee> but best strategy for us is to ID key stakeholders, people, foundations, businesses Jun 10 10:49:17 <nlee> who will send their own people Jun 10 10:49:39 <nlee> can always get a fresh group from them every 3 mos. or so, but the problem is having to retrain them Jun 10 10:49:47 <nlee> so we made sure we had a good training program Jun 10 10:50:05 <nlee> not side by side mentors, but structured training on core deliverables Jun 10 10:50:18 <nlee> what is important to deliver - teaching them that Jun 10 10:50:22 <bjordan> _sj_: found it, link is: http://www.mindmeister.com/maps/show_public/4219206 Jun 10 10:50:32 * mchua notes that this is a good argument for coming up with meta-curricula and workshops for olpc-related skills Jun 10 10:50:33 <nlee> make sure to have a volunteer training program led by stakeholders Jun 10 10:50:37 <mchua> (as everyone here probably knows already ;) Jun 10 10:50:39 <nlee> in birmingham, led by me Jun 10 10:50:59 <nlee> someone who will be there throughout, and then on top good volunteer training Jun 10 10:51:12 <nlee> ours is diff., streamlined to focus on deliverables Jun 10 10:51:17 <nlee> minimizes impact of turnover Jun 10 10:51:19 <bjordan> mindmap is now at: http://www.mindmeister.com/maps/show_public/7305724 Jun 10 10:51:39 <nlee> if youre so heavily weighted on volunteer participation, if they leave it has a huge impact Jun 10 10:51:55 <nlee> so you want to minimize dependency on volunteers, keep them focused on very specific things Jun 10 10:52:07 <nlee> mel: do you have mul. programs for diff. kinds of volunteers? Jun 10 10:52:12 <nlee> jonathan: yes and no Jun 10 10:52:23 <nlee> we have 1 program and train them on 4 deliverables Jun 10 10:52:28 <nlee> 1. understanding computers Jun 10 10:52:34 <nlee> 2. understand structure Jun 10 10:52:49 <nlee> basic computer skills and training, understand RAM, screen, hard drive Jun 10 10:52:52 <nlee> file structure Jun 10 10:53:00 <nlee> [generally universal] Jun 10 10:53:17 <nlee> know how to browse the internet, internet safety, using google, etc. Jun 10 10:53:23 <nlee> MS office suite Jun 10 10:53:29 <nlee> how to design web pages Jun 10 10:53:41 <nlee> let them use powerpoint, simple things for kids Jun 10 10:53:46 <nlee> convert .ppt -> .html Jun 10 10:53:56 <nlee> 4 deliverables for volunteers Jun 10 10:54:11 <nlee> structured program for summer - morning teachers come in, focus on academics Jun 10 10:54:22 <nlee> math, reading, science, social skills Jun 10 10:54:27 <nlee> afternoon more art and tech. Jun 10 10:54:49 <nlee> work in labs, design newsletters, let kids use computers and have volunteers [and some teachers] to learn how to do those things Jun 10 10:55:08 <nlee> kids learned to produce music CDs, magazines - end of project goals Jun 10 10:55:24 <nlee> in being able to do this, they were able to demonstrate working knowledge of the 4 deliverables Jun 10 10:55:36 <bjordan> _sj_: invited meta.sj@gmail.com to mindmap Jun 10 10:55:40 <bjordan> http://www.mindmeister.com/maps/show_public/7305724 Jun 10 10:55:41 <nlee> could use comp., internet, office suit, etc. Jun 10 10:56:01 <nlee> able to demonstrate things expected of volunteers by end of summer Jun 10 10:56:39 <nlee> had volunteers come in throughout summer, some already very skilled, program structured so that every day kids worked on componenets, never had to start from scratch Jun 10 10:56:55 <nlee> so sort of structured volunteer program Jun 10 10:56:59 * mchua notes they *had* an outreach person Jun 10 10:57:11 <nlee> people in charge of outreach constantly looking for new volunteers Jun 10 10:57:43 <mchua> like hr, but for nonemployees Jun 10 10:57:50 <nlee> main difference between this and OLPC is that the Center, in sponsoring position, /had/ a person who was there who did outreach, kept up with communities, taught them how to form communities Jun 10 10:58:04 <nlee> how a grassroots org. should be formed, supported them Jun 10 10:58:08 <nlee> mchua: ... Jun 10 10:58:52 <nlee> groups were similar, as extensions of main organization, all equipped with tools and materials to do their own recruitment, training, etc. Jun 10 10:59:14 <nlee> at the top of the center we had a structured program, and person running it, that could set up successful ind. groups Jun 10 10:59:39 <nlee> what kind of training was involved? Jun 10 10:59:53 <nlee> jonathan: we used an approach similar to a nonprofit Jun 10 11:00:21 <nlee> there needs to be a clearly defined leader, roles of individuals defined Jun 10 11:00:45 <nlee> could be 3 people, could be 30, but need someone who is leader, in charge, cant have everyone doing their own thing Jun 10 11:01:01 <nlee> so, one clearly defined leader and roles delegated to others by leader Jun 10 11:01:29 <nlee> leader would either be chief outreach person, like neighborhood president in one case, who had VP and they worked together, played off each other Jun 10 11:01:40 <nlee> depended on situation and group involved Jun 10 11:02:01 <nlee> even stakeholders not always the same as leaders, like in this case Jun 10 11:02:25 <nlee> where leader was not tech-savvy, but didnt need to be - needed to know about the program and have people could do it Jun 10 11:02:48 <nlee> had scheduled meetings once a month with comm. leaders, talk about issues and problems, address them as a group Jun 10 11:02:55 <nlee> helped with cohesion between different sites Jun 10 11:03:06 <nlee> main thing we trained them on: how to structure group Jun 10 11:03:17 <nlee> created a program replicable in nearly every environ. Jun 10 11:03:44 <nlee> 4 deliverables, so anywhere we had a lab, group, we gave them descriptions [NOT job descriptions] Jun 10 11:04:00 <nlee> format: couple pages, saying 'these are the things you need in this situation' Jun 10 11:04:59 <nlee> structure was just needed a person in charge, other people with responsibilities Jun 10 11:04:59 <nlee> helped have a constant flow of volunteers to help at Center Jun 10 11:04:59 <nlee> people would work in their own space but also come to main org. to help out Jun 10 11:04:59 <nlee> started reaching critical mass of volunteers Jun 10 11:05:38 <nlee> [question - didnt catch] Jun 10 11:05:38 <nlee> people had funds set aside for things like internet, general maintenance Jun 10 11:05:52 <nlee> for those who didnt have that, we had general director focus on tech. related grants Jun 10 11:06:37 <nlee> once you get comm. buy-in, see the benefit of the program, you see a flow of resources - human, financial, computers, whatever Jun 10 11:06:51 <nlee> people saw the value of our programs, not just the people recieving, but comm. at large Jun 10 11:07:12 <nlee> orgs. too, began to support different grassroots groups, got money to start hiring people part-time Jun 10 11:07:33 <nlee> energize people, keep them motivated, they work hard and stick with it Jun 10 11:07:42 <nlee> initial grant was $1.1M matching grant Jun 10 11:08:04 <nlee> so we had to raise a lot of money, which we did through grants, and comm. private and public Jun 10 11:08:18 <nlee> but money is always an issue, especially with a large scale deployment with lots of unknowns Jun 10 11:08:29 <nlee> and were talking about these 15k laptops, thats a large deployment Jun 10 11:08:37 <nlee> need to have infra. already in place to support Jun 10 11:08:54 <nlee> sj: so a number of people here this week are thinking about starting groups, can you talk about resources for that? Jun 10 11:09:01 <nlee> jonathan: so, fundraising... is fun Jun 10 11:09:08 <nlee> *laughter* Jun 10 11:09:23 <nlee> its not the easiest thing to do, but its very rewarding Jun 10 11:09:57 <nlee> depending on how the org. is structured, if its a nonprofit, you can always get money directly, or you can get a sponsoring org. [a nonprofit you can be a program for] Jun 10 11:10:41 <nlee> like we had these 'labs', all were ind. groups, some were churches, some were just comm. groups without any special status, so the Cente was the supervising agency and wrote grants for the labs Jun 10 11:11:26 <nlee> allocated resources and had stakeholders give info. and put it in form of proposals for them and submitted them Jun 10 11:11:37 <nlee> to places that had money or other resources Jun 10 11:11:50 * RabiKarma (n=RabiKarm@wireless-68.media.mit.edu) has joined #olpc-groups Jun 10 11:11:55 <nlee> sought funding from lots of places, lots of contrib. from churches, fed. gov., local gov. Jun 10 11:12:15 <nlee> sometimes didnt need to be nonprofit, lots of times did, so sponsorship helped with that Jun 10 11:12:25 <nlee> city also had special projects funding that helped Jun 10 11:12:32 <nlee> really have to look at available resources Jun 10 11:12:50 <nlee> advice: go to comms. and look at nonprofit resources, local resources Jun 10 11:13:04 <nlee> if you dont have status, partner with nonprofit group that does Jun 10 11:13:21 <nlee> theres a lot of opportunity for funding, theres a large pool of money for tech. initiatives Jun 10 11:13:43 <nlee> anybody in here, im sure, could write a grant, should also seek out support of local churches Jun 10 11:13:54 <nlee> one of the most untapped resources, they put money into their own communities Jun 10 11:14:10 <nlee> also schools and businesses, even if they dont have money they can provide other resources Jun 10 11:14:33 <nlee> of course money is the biggest, were going into these comms. becauase of this but resources are big too Jun 10 11:15:03 <nlee> i believe that a lack of money in comms. is one of the main reasons why theyre in the shape theyre in, lack of financial resources is why we have digital gap in our comms. Jun 10 11:15:36 <nlee> people know the issues exists, comms. know about this and will be receptive to programs when you have a good exampel of whats going on adn what youre trying to solve Jun 10 11:15:57 <nlee> money is a project in itself and want someone to do that, not just fundraisers, but people raisers Jun 10 11:16:20 <nlee> money is one of main goals, but recruiting people too, people have resourcse, connections, networks, that can bring in more Jun 10 11:16:31 <nlee> but people have to know what your need is Jun 10 11:16:49 <nlee> peope dont feel good asking for money, you have to demonstrate need and show them why you need money Jun 10 11:17:08 <nlee> sj: you dont have to look at it as fundraising, lots of orgs. want to do what youre doing on the ground Jun 10 11:17:23 <nlee> there are lots of diff. types, if youre clear about, people will want to help you Jun 10 11:17:39 <nlee> people have to see what youre working on, how far youve come, and will want to back you, help out Jun 10 11:17:42 <nlee> and then youre good Jun 10 11:17:54 <nlee> christoph: but its much different between US adn europe Jun 10 11:18:14 <nlee> weve talked to some people, been in the media a lot, and weve only gotten few k euros Jun 10 11:18:26 <nlee> sj: do you have budgets and projects listed? Jun 10 11:18:40 <nlee> cristoph: no budgets, but projects listed Jun 10 11:18:46 <nlee> sj: so thats more like pitching for money Jun 10 11:19:02 <nlee> even in countries where people dont donate you can get people behind you Jun 10 11:19:18 <nlee> christoph: but we have no budget because we are doing it for $0, but this is not ideal Jun 10 11:19:31 <nlee> someone: people are valuabe to Jun 10 11:19:33 <nlee> *too Jun 10 11:19:59 <nlee> jonathan: you are providing a service, and regardless it is a quantifiable service, you can put a $ figure to it Jun 10 11:20:29 <nlee> in an ideal situation how much would it cost to have this run? it may be hard to get funded over there, but can also look to US orgs. that fund specifically outside the US Jun 10 11:20:42 * isforinsects (n=isforins@unaffiliated/isforinsects) has joined #olpc-groups Jun 10 11:20:45 <nlee> weve done projects where weve gotten funding for projects outside US Jun 10 11:20:51 <nlee> like running things in africa Jun 10 11:21:10 <nlee> christoph: but everyone wants to donate to africa, south america, but we are ~8th richest nation Jun 10 11:21:16 <isforinsects> cd: everyone wants to donate to affrica, its harder to get money Jun 10 11:21:37 <nlee> francesca: and jonathan is talking about things that enrich comm., people have a vested interest in their own comm. Jun 10 11:21:42 <isforinsects> fem: schools parents teachers churches, volunteers, easier to get them to volunteer when they have a vested interest Jun 10 11:21:54 <nlee> isforinsects: want to take over? Jun 10 11:22:08 <isforinsects> nope! Jun 10 11:22:29 <nlee> francesca: if you think about things less like 'were in austria' and more like 'were helping people in places like africa' Jun 10 11:22:48 <isforinsects> cd: activity handbook, how do you quantify it's value Jun 10 11:22:57 <isforinsects> officially a society for research and development Jun 10 11:23:05 <nlee> ak: do you have nonprofit status? Jun 10 11:23:15 <isforinsects> when it comes to grants, when you're applying, 2 months of paperwork with a lawyer, Jun 10 11:23:32 <isforinsects> tried to apply for funding from veniena Jun 10 11:23:37 <isforinsects> they hit it back into our court Jun 10 11:23:41 <mchua> cjb has arrived! Jun 10 11:23:52 * nlee passes the ball Jun 10 11:24:02 <nlee> isforinsects: [youre going faster than me anyway] Jun 10 11:24:37 <nlee> ...: if you can get local rotary in austria or nepal? Jun 10 11:24:45 <isforinsects> rabi: they are very strict about how you can spend the money Jun 10 11:24:57 <isforinsects> more funding that can go elsewhere. Jun 10 11:25:18 <cjb> 'lo all Jun 10 11:25:22 * cjl (n=chatzill@12.44.50.248) has joined #olpc-groups Jun 10 11:25:22 <isforinsects> this is something that OLPC should look for/at, to find these grants and then work with grassroots to satisfty Jun 10 11:25:31 <isforinsects> hello cjb and cjl! Jun 10 11:25:46 <isforinsects> rabi: very difficult to get that initial funding Jun 10 11:25:51 <isforinsects> the first $10k Jun 10 11:26:39 <isforinsects> Rotary intl: given very many contacts and fundraising opportunities, recently had meeting with Duke U's president, but because it was piggybacked with a rotary-member's meeting they were able to squeeze in. Jun 10 11:26:41 * morgs (n=morgs@ubuntu/member/morgs) has left #olpc-groups ("Leaving") Jun 10 11:26:46 <isforinsects> via members and connections Jun 10 11:26:57 <isforinsects> a lot more pitching to get someone to pay for people's time Jun 10 11:27:12 <isforinsects> but if you can convince someone that what you're doing is good, they're going to give you money Jun 10 11:27:21 <isforinsects> cd: there is just geinerally more money in the US than around the rest of the world Jun 10 11:27:34 <isforinsects> cd: I just think that it's a very different environment. Jun 10 11:27:59 <isforinsects> birmingham: we were the agentsy that inniated the whole project, took it upon ourselves Jun 10 11:28:03 <mchua> cjb: you're on as soon as this discussion is over Jun 10 11:28:13 <isforinsects> to start these labs ourselves, and then try to get funding Jun 10 11:28:21 <isforinsects> fund someone's time, fund the group, etc Jun 10 11:28:30 <mchua> (thanks for coming to teach us The Way of The Pippy) Jun 10 11:28:30 <isforinsects> acted as the group raising the money once the labs were in place Jun 10 11:28:39 <isforinsects> (seth +1^) Jun 10 11:28:40 <cjb> mchua: sure, no rush, I don't have that much to say Jun 10 11:28:48 <cjb> mchua: will it be okay to co-opt the projector? Jun 10 11:28:55 <isforinsects> it's about how olpc wants to interact with these grassroots groups around the world Jun 10 11:29:10 <mchua> cjb: you'll have to armwrestle bjordan for it ;) should be fine Jun 10 11:29:17 <isforinsects> there is a lot of pr around the world, olpc could really easily the person to secure funding for an individual group Jun 10 11:29:23 <bjordan> you got it Jun 10 11:29:24 <isforinsects> sj there isn't a sturucture for this now Jun 10 11:29:27 <cjb> hm, he looks sort of buff Jun 10 11:29:36 <cjb> I nominate SJ to arm wrestle for me Jun 10 11:29:40 <isforinsects> sj: bit of a break, introductions Jun 10 11:29:43 <isforinsects> cjb is here Jun 10 11:30:19 <isforinsects> Sj: for groups that want to be sustaining, ... a group can write out some notes from Austria Jun 10 11:30:52 <isforinsects> Sj: there are lots of group that give money to anyone in the world, if we can arrange some way to handle these funds (Funder > grassroots), because that's not something that OLPC wants to do Jun 10 11:31:04 <isforinsects> SJ: it's about working on relationships over time Jun 10 11:31:24 * avoine has quit ("Ex-Chat") Jun 10 11:32:03 <isforinsects> Birmingham: all of it boils down to relationships, even with funding agensys, once you get the ear of the people you're seeking, you start to dev relationships which bring other relationships to the table. Jun 10 11:32:39 <isforinsects> Break for donuts... Jun 10 11:33:00 <cjl> mmmmmm, donuts. . .
Chris Ball on Pippy
Jun 10 11:46:24 <mchua> it is now pippy time! Jun 10 11:46:28 <mchua> who is taking notes? Jun 10 11:46:43 <isforinsects> cjb: teaching python by example Jun 10 11:46:47 <isforinsects> mchua, I will Jun 10 11:47:04 <mchua> isforinsects: thanks! Jun 10 11:47:08 <isforinsects> How to teach people how to use python, because python=ftw Jun 10 11:47:25 <isforinsects> Learning 'raw_input' Jun 10 11:47:36 <isforinsects> code screen has color coding, examples on the lft Jun 10 11:47:40 <isforinsects> output on the bottom Jun 10 11:47:57 <isforinsects> Tried to show examples of basic programming constructs Jun 10 11:48:02 <isforinsects> Show off the IF statement Jun 10 11:48:35 <isforinsects> fem: it's all in english!? Jun 10 11:48:58 <isforinsects> cjb: homunq working on localize the text of the python Jun 10 11:49:11 <isforinsects> not always needed to translate if, else, print() Jun 10 11:49:16 <isforinsects> you get the hang of it Jun 10 11:49:33 <isforinsects> There's nothing stopping me from making my examples in another language Jun 10 11:49:46 <isforinsects> Not all of it is critical Jun 10 11:50:07 <isforinsects> cjb: exp exp exp Jun 10 11:50:19 <isforinsects> Folding? Iterating? Jun 10 11:50:25 <isforinsects> Getting something to do something multiple times Jun 10 11:54:11 <mchua> fem: why are they ordered this way? Jun 10 11:54:20 <mchua> chris: alphabetical order... we didn't have a better way back then Jun 10 11:54:29 <mchua> seth: can you make a way to install/uninstall different modules/libraries of code? Jun 10 11:54:31 <mchua> chris: ooo Jun 10 11:54:36 <mchua> chris: that's a neat idea Jun 10 11:55:23 <mchua> isforinsects: transcribey? Jun 10 11:56:00 <isforinsects> mchua, ...I can't talk and type at the same time... Jun 10 11:58:17 <mchua> isforinsects: you're not talking now ;) Jun 10 11:59:35 <isforinsects> pippy can save bundles or pippy files Jun 10 11:59:46 <isforinsects> pippy is a snake that ate a kitten Jun 10 11:59:52 <isforinsects> kittens are fluffy Jun 10 12:01:07 <mchua> isforinsects: what was it that chris said "if anyone wants to help me with X, that'd be great"? Jun 10 12:01:49 <isforinsects> sorry, missed it Jun 10 12:02:11 <mchua> chris: the activity saving is useful - maybe you want a program that updates all your school's XOs,but you can save that script as an activity Jun 10 12:03:48 <mchua> alex: is this efficient code, to write your scripts in pippy? Jun 10 12:03:52 <mchua> chris: it's efficient of your time. Jun 10 12:04:20 <mchua> isforinsects: this /is/ important to transcribe, b/c we don't have intro to pippy materials written anywhere Jun 10 12:05:11 <mchua> chris: view source key in pippy works - fn + space Jun 10 12:05:18 <isforinsects> activies created in pippy have view source working ! Jun 10 12:05:20 <isforinsects> w00t! Jun 10 12:05:34 <isforinsects> and now pippy works with the view source key... viewing in pippy~ Jun 10 12:06:49 <mchua> FOOD HERE Jun 10 12:23:41 <bjordan> mmmm Jun 10 12:46:20 * bertf has quit ("Leaving.") Jun 10 12:48:20 * dirakx has quit (Remote closed the connection) Jun 10 12:49:03 * dirakx (n=dirakx@190.24.129.6) has joined #olpc-groups Jun 10 12:50:23 * GoatCheezWork has quit (Client Quit) Jun 10 12:50:56 * GoatCheezWork (n=Miranda@rrcs-97-76-61-66.se.biz.rr.com) has joined #olpc-groups
Cliff Schimdt on Literacy
Jun 10 13:07:21 <mchua> akeybl: can you trascribe cliff's talk instead, since kim couldn't join us? Jun 10 13:07:27 <akeybl> yup Jun 10 13:07:31 <mchua> akeybl: thanks! Jun 10 13:07:40 <akeybl> Cliff Schmidt is here to talk about "Using Audio Technology to Reduce Global Illiteracy, Poverty, and Disease" Jun 10 13:07:44 >nlee< can you email them back that we got it and they're awesome and thank you? :) Jun 10 13:08:28 <akeybl> Org: Literacy Bridge - Talking Book Projet Jun 10 13:08:51 <akeybl> How does a person get knowledge - literacy is the key Jun 10 13:09:38 <akeybl> knowledge should be gotten even before literacy is taught Jun 10 13:09:43 <akeybl> that's where audio comes in Jun 10 13:10:18 <akeybl> working in Ghana w/ local organizations Jun 10 13:10:47 <akeybl> talking book device (small electronic device) Jun 10 13:10:52 <akeybl> and an authoring tool Jun 10 13:11:07 <akeybl> both have been created to facilitate the movement of knowledge from gov (etc.) to the people Jun 10 13:12:03 <akeybl> 5 continents working on the project with a pilot in the north-western region of ghana Jun 10 13:13:58 <akeybl> places of illiteracy many times have no electricity Jun 10 13:15:07 <akeybl> blindness also makes the audio devices make sense Jun 10 13:15:33 * isforinsects has quit (Read error: 104 (Connection reset by peer)) Jun 10 13:16:44 <akeybl> Adult literacy is very important - "before, we used to be cheated, and we depended on others to read to us" (quote from adult who was newly literate) Jun 10 13:17:23 <akeybl> currently, you try and get as many people together in a group to educate them about malaria, AIDS, farming, etc Jun 10 13:17:41 <akeybl> but of course, people many times can't get away from their work Jun 10 13:18:17 <akeybl> reading doesn't need to be a prerequisite for the spread of knowledge Jun 10 13:18:50 <akeybl> $5 hopeful price point - down to $10 for a large number of units Jun 10 13:19:09 <akeybl> 100,000 units more specifically Jun 10 13:21:28 <akeybl> shipping: currently whole units, hopefully will just send parts in the future to create a market around the building of units Jun 10 13:22:08 * is4 (n=isforins@wireless-152.media.mit.edu) has joined #olpc-groups Jun 10 13:22:37 <akeybl> uses D batteries, as they are used in current radios Jun 10 13:22:53 * isforinsects (n=isforins@unaffiliated/isforinsects) has joined #olpc-groups Jun 10 13:23:02 * is4 has quit (Client Quit) Jun 10 13:23:58 <akeybl> already piloted the units a little to see how people take to them, and whether kids can handle them Jun 10 13:25:33 <akeybl> every device can copy content to another device over USB Jun 10 13:27:14 <akeybl> units are colored blue, orange, and green based upon feedback Jun 10 13:28:23 <akeybl> 10MB/hour of content Jun 10 13:30:11 <akeybl> audio menus, voice tagged content help find the correct audio file Jun 10 13:31:24 <akeybl> speech recognition is a possible feature in the future Jun 10 13:32:22 <akeybl> branch libraries (where the kiosks reside) are major distribution points, but can also send audio files between each other Jun 10 13:32:42 <akeybl> sneakernet style (usb sticks through ground transportation) Jun 10 13:36:06 <akeybl> the controls changes depending upon the content Jun 10 13:36:16 <akeybl> for text, can go wordxword or linexline Jun 10 13:38:05 <akeybl> most of the time though, goes forward 1 minute, back 15 seconds Jun 10 13:43:55 <akeybl> help button can be used for direction at any time Jun 10 13:44:25 <akeybl> http://literacybridge.org/ Jun 10 13:46:42 <mchua> looking for andreas - supposed to call in Jun 10 13:51:53 * bjordan has quit () Jun 10 13:53:42 * nlee has quit ("poof")
Classroom roleplay
Jun 10 13:56:04 <mchua> classtime Jun 10 13:56:06 * mchua sets mode -e mchua Jun 10 13:56:06 * You are now known as mchua|away Jun 10 13:56:07 * services. sets mode +e mchua|away Jun 10 13:56:27 * akeybl has quit () Jun 10 13:56:36 <cjb> huh, what kind of class? Jun 10 14:02:01 * dirakx has quit (Remote closed the connection) Jun 10 14:14:04 * dirakx (n=dirakx@190.24.129.6) has joined #olpc-groups Jun 10 14:15:37 * isforinsects has quit (Read error: 110 (Connection timed out)) Jun 10 14:33:53 * isforinsects (n=isforins@unaffiliated/isforinsects) has joined #olpc-groups Jun 10 15:15:42 * akeybl_ (n=akeybl@wireless-110.media.mit.edu) has joined #olpc-groups Jun 10 15:39:30 * ccarrick (i=ccarrick@wireless-116.media.mit.edu) has left #olpc-groups Jun 10 15:47:07 * cjl (n=chatzill@12.44.50.248) has left #olpc-groups Jun 10 15:50:57 * mchua|away sets mode -e mchua|away Jun 10 15:50:57 * You are now known as mchua Jun 10 15:50:57 * services. sets mode +e mchua Jun 10 15:51:06 <mchua> cjb: we were pretending to be 8 year olds in a classroom learning scratch Jun 10 15:52:22 <cjb> mchua: oh ;)