User:Andreatl/prereqs

Meeting prereqs for Grassroots Bootcamp June 7

Vital Stats

Name: Andrea Lai
Email: andrea.lai at students.olin.edu

Favorite Accomplishments

Tell us about the OLPC-relevant accomplishment you are most proud of. This does not have to explicitly be an OLPC-related activity, but should be something that would be valuable for other participants at the bootcamp to hear about and learn from.

I'm most proud of producing (with Nikki and Chris) simple repair manuals. In termms of something worth hearing/learning about, it falls pretty well into the context of developing an effective means of communication. We were looking to create something easy to follow and less dependent on language (hence, the visuals). On a similar note, I've had to go through the same discussion to determine the ideal means of getting ideas across to a potentially not-entirely-proficient audience in writing the Faraday Cage Activity (shown below under 'Educational Content') which sought to introduce electromagnetism to younger students.

If your answer to the above was not an OLPC-related activity, list a few OLPC-related activities you have been involved with.

• Involved in the Olin chapter, focused mainly on the repair center work. Some minor work with the Wiki.

Bootcamp Motivations

Why do you want to come to the bootcamp?

I'm curious how communities are built - what draws people in, what keeps them coming back, and how a functional structure is put into place. (My mind has a rather sociological bent, at times). If anything, it just sounds fun! My hope is that any lessons I pick up on effective grassroots practices can be applied to my work this summer (see below) and my school's OLPC chapter.

What can you contribute to the bootcamp?

I'm still very much a beginner - however, I come with an open mind, I promise! Nonetheless, I can help demonstrate basic disassembly and repairs, and I'd be happy to take up some documentation duties when they appear.

How will you support grassroots initiatives after the bootcamp? (A short proposal would be good here.)

I'll be working with ILXO this summer - the lessons I can take away from the bootcamp are directly relevant to the project. Our aim for the summer is to work with local groups in the Chicago area so that we can foster/strengthen the links between all of them. Having some working knowledge before kicking things off in Chicago will certainly make progress more efficient, not to mention effective. Our office is hoping to act as a valuable grassroots consultant group for the summer (fancy that - right in line with bootcamp objectives!).

(Optional) Will you need aid (housing, food, transportation, etc.) to attend?

Food would be nice, but it's not essential.

Prerequisites

Bundle creation

File:Dinosaurs.xol

Translation

user: andreatl

Translated strings from English to French in Scratch [Test]

Testing

User: andreatl
Two bugs found in TamTam Suite

• 7126
• 7124

Community Support

XO repair manuals -

• Replacing the touchpad
• Replacing the Wireless antenna
• Swapping XO Man Colors

Educational Theory

Worked on a Faraday Cage classroom demo/activity targeted at 8th grade students with Sandra Lam and Rachita Navara.

attached (pdf)