Contributors program/December 12, 2008

Time : 1400-1415 EST / 1800-1815 UTC

Agenda

• laptops out to date / this week
• requests : current >5, follow up
  • Personal Health Record
  • AASDO: K12 in Ethiopia
  • VAVAN: Ag sustainability
  • Ed of Homeless children : no details...

• new local pools
  • France x20 - new pool, for lending and PR. No URL yet, watch olpcfrance.org .
  • Australia is setting up their own. No URL, but see "friends of OLPC".
• follow up on old pools
  • Philippines x15 - what are they doing?
  • Jamaica x10 - just got theirs 2 wks ago; what took so long?

Notes

Current requests:

• Furillo U / Seth York req for 1,000,000 to distribute -- one should set up an olpcnews forum for these, they may lead to interesting conversation.
• Education of Homeless children : Deltonia Shropshire, a 1,000-student schools-on-wheels program, no further details. Interesting? but hard to fathom.

Personal Health Record

20, software/health team

We have a website that is written in a variety of languages (http://www.symtrend.com) for Palm OS PDAs.

Our plan is for adult patients to be trained on the machine pre-operatively and then they will take the machine home with them. They will be guided to do exercises by messages sent to them from their physical therapists (PTs). PTs can access our website to see data entered on the XO (exercise frequency, pain rating scales etc.) and can adjust the exercise protocol remotely. Both the PTs\\\' and patients\\\' data can be transmitted through the web to the orthopedic surgeon at a medical center. This application is easily retooled to other health conditions for both pediatric and adult populations.

AASDO: K12 in Ethiopia

31, work w/former PC Volunteers. Abebe K, Physics Assoc Prof of 18 years

I have conducted several workshop involving teachers and teacher-student teams in Technology Tools for Teaching and Learning in North Carolina. I have a great deal of experience in simulations, virtual experiments and development of online resources, online teaching and general outreach programs. I am familiar with educational standards in North Carolina that are adaptable to situations in Africa.

The AASDO project is a component of a generalized Ethiopian School Development Organization, which is intern a component of the Africa-K12 communities. Initially we plan to target Ras Darge Preparatory School (currently known as Chilalo Terrara), and based on our experience we plan to extend it to other schools in Ethiopia, and beyond. The AASDO approach would become a model for any K12 outreach activity in Africa, because we depend heavily on the talent and resources of major universities in the US and elsewhere. The webistes for AASDO are located at http://sirius-c.ncat.edu/asn

Closing the digital divide and Technology Tools for Teaching and Learning

We plan to develop Multimedia telecenter incorporating state-of-the-art media technology located at Chilalo Terara Preparatory School. This telecenter will become a training facility for administrators, teachers, students and the community to help them become full members of the global village. This training facility will be a magnet for young people and particularly girls interested in science mathematics. Special attributes of the telecenter will include the following components:

Digital image studio Electronic design, page layout, and color editing workstations Digital animation/video and authoring Internet connectivity and digital distribution Scientific Simulations Virtual Laboratories Logger Pro Interface for Real time laboratories Electronic Books Science and Technology Content Radio Jove Experiments Sun-Earth Connection Teaching and Learning Materials Astronomy and space science resources Powerpoint lectures: such as MIT openware

A fully loaded computer will be dedicated to serve as data storage, particularly science and math content, animations of physical, biological and chemical concepts, history of science featuring the men and women who made significant contributions to the quality of life of people in the world. Content in regards to girls in science and featuring US women in science will emphasize math. The content will provide foundation that enables students to continue their education in science, mathematics and engineering both formally and informally. They address the development of critical thinking and problem solving skill to address real world-problems. The success of students in these courses is detrimental on the development of their locals as well as their nation. Also we have access to adequate, well-ventilated space inside the current library. US volunteer trainers will be recruited for this work. However we will plan to use local IT professionals and star teachers from local colleges to help in the design, installation and Training the Trainers.

Training the trainers has a cascading effect where the trainees train their own family members, the community including those in rural areas. For the rural areas market information, and exchange of traditional and contemporary knowledge of agriculture will lead to participatory democracy and sustainable growth. We envision a protracted development of the telecenter with a clear mission based on need, and well researched and impactful training with measurable outcomes.

VAVAN: Ag sustainability

85 for Cameroon. As part of the 'computer training' of a long-term 300-person program for farmers in the area. Not xo specific.

This project worn a place in Stockholm Challenge 2008 competition (May 17th – 22nd 2008), under the agricultural category. References; website; http://www.stockholmchallenge. email; Ulla Skiden ulla.skiden@stockholmchallenge.se, and presently its on first position on The CTA/ATPS/AGRA/FARA/RUFORUM on going young professionals in science competition Ref; Ruth Wanjala email; rwanjala@atpsnet.org and Catherine Adeya Waya email; info@atpsnet.org. The project started with the first phase which was practical (hands on the ground) education/training on organic mix-farming and intensive/extensive market gardening for rural/urban ‘poor’ subsistence farmers; here 95 % of the farmers now practice organic farming. The second phase was training on mobile phone manipulation and assisting farmers to buy and use ‘dump’ phone here 65 % of farmers have cell phones and 98 % of their children know how to manipulate them, also we are operating 20 phone booths in villages and communities around Buea successfully. The third phase of computer and internet fundamentals education/training is going on, but slowly amongst farmers but fast with their children as 45 % of them can manipulate computers and browse the internet, while 75% have email addresses and visit them at list once in two weeks due to costs and distance. So we believe that it’s a project needing support for its completion, sustainability and continuity since the youths, women, villagers and community individuals are progressively embracing computer education and training and are benefiting from its services like e-marketing, daily market prizes, goods on high demand, weather conditions and pest control are communicated to them through their cell phones and kiosks from PICTEC. These have made them very willing to foster ahead and support the project in its entirety. So if the project is completed with computer/internet education/training and with a cyber café, it shall be vary sustainable since the populace knows how to manipulate computers/internet and its importance in their daily life activities.

This group needs computers somehow, and are distributing useful ag knowledge. They should be encouraged to use G1 or GM. Perhaps we can have a subset of CP requests that get sent 1 to see how it works, and are encouraged to use other channels to get more. In this case, I wonder who is doing sw/interface design for them. --Sj talk

Furillo U

We are ready to move forward in this time of balancing of our perceptions and the light of truth. Understanding of reality comes from that balance. We at Unified Worldwide wish to give these tools of understanding to our children to prepare themselves for their future. If we can not provide them with XO laptops; we must find another tool to supply them with. We are determined to bring about needed changes in this world we live in and bounty that will enrich us all.  



I am a computer science major with two semesters left to graduate. I live in my home town of Monroe, Louisiana and attend ULM. Furillo is a street in the impoverished south-side that I came to know and cherish working as delivery driver. I am going to write stories introducing Furillo as my home town where life systematically taught me Magic using scientific method and mathematical proof. 

My company, Unified Worldwide 4631 Jonesboro Rd. West Monroe, La. 71292, is authorized by the state of Louisiana to do resell goods via a physical store or through the Internet. I have another company that is exploring ways to generate energy by manipulating the physical properties of water and light; but that is a story that I must be paid for telling. 

followups =

Follow up on old requests:

• • LXDE - 20

We have tested LXDE on one OLPC that we could get. It already works, although we had to strip down some functions. We are developing a fully functional desktop replacement for GNOME and KDE and involve about 30 developers from Asia and Europe on a continuous basis at the moment with different experiences. Our core developers have experience dating back to 1998 when they ported Linux to Chinese. Many are active in the debian development or have free software related jobs.

• • Skidmore - 20

We will work closely with the Paraguay team (Raúl Gutiérrez) the University of Wisconsin (Silas Bernardoni) and look to expand our collaboration with other universities. The formation of the organization is advancing at a rapid pace, and we need the laptops to proceed further. Based on the number of interested students attending the meetings, I would say that 20 laptops would suit our needs, at least initially.

• • Multi-robot workshop -- 5, skadge
  • OLPC for Health -- 10, amarcelo
  • Visual Language -- 4, anupambasu
  • Shining Star Academy update? (Trinitow couldn't get laptops in time in DE. does he have an address that can receive 4?)

• Uni projects
  • College of Charleston OLPC Project -- 2+, semmy.purewal - how is this coming?

• projectdb development: open sourcing, pia, dogi
  • community feedback : project forms, bimonthly updates?
  • email and other spam
  • google map updating
  • new django db via dogi? source available now from aaron k.

Participants

• Sj
• dogi
• M. Adgnot

Other requests and ideas

...