Contributors program/October 15, 2010

[ AGENDA ]

* XO-1.5 early production machines available but shipping temporarily delayed this month:
  http://blog.laptop.org/2010/02/25/xo-1-5-early-production-laptops-free-to-contributors-worldwide/

* New projects & libraries -- teaching them Community Outreach:
  http://wiki.laptop.org/go/XO_Laptop_Lending_Libraries

* Which projects might you enjoy Mentoring below?!
  http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects
  http://rt.laptop.org/Search/Results.html?Query=Queue=%27contributors%27

* Fast Review of the 3 latest (greatest!) HW/Project Proposals -- please
  join us advocating for, and/or reviewing shortcomings of these proposals:

 #1 Testing & Fixing Bugs in Sugar - Purley Surrey, London, England
 #2 XO laptops as assistive technology - Seattle, Washington
 #3 Calling San Cristobal Island Community - Galapagos, Ecuador


* ndoiron (~80edf708@olpc.osuosl.org) has joined #olpc-meeting
<CanoeBerry> Contributors Program meeting starting momentarily now!
<CanoeBerry> sandrat: did you have luck mentoring either of those 2 groups we met last week here?
<CanoeBerry> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Contributors_program/October_8,_2010
<CanoeBerry> Sorry shipments haven't issued yet, but I'm hoping these will all begin moving early next week.
<CanoeBerry> OK, agenda for this week: http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/iaep/2010-October/011804.html
<CanoeBerry> Shall we begin?
<CanoeBerry> Who's here to review 3 projects quick & vote?
<sandrat> I did well with one.  The other had trouble with contact info, but will follow up.  I will check in with both this afternooo  to see where thery are
<CanoeBerry> Alrighty, let us plow through approving/reviewing these 3 projects now.
* leftStanding  has joined #olpc-meeting
<CanoeBerry> Hi!
<leftStanding> Hi CanoeBerry! How are you?


[ PROJECT #1 - Testing & Fixing Bugs in Sugar - Purley Surrey, London, England ]

<CanoeBerry> Thank you everyone for please critiquing/mentoring/voting for Project #1 here:
<CanoeBerry> Testing & Fixing Bugs in Sugar - Purley Surrey, London, England
<CanoeBerry>     http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=68448
<CanoeBerry>     [SPECIFIC SITE NEEDS TO BE POSTED OFF 
<CanoeBerry> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects ]
<CanoeBerry>     Requests 1 XO over undetermined months
<CanoeBerry>     Project Background/Objectives:
<CanoeBerry>     I've join the sugar labs community and I want to help test current and
<CanoeBerry>     new releases of sugar labs. I asked the question on the sugar irc 
<CanoeBerry> channel
<CanoeBerry>     on freenode about obtaining an XO laptop to help with testing. And was
<CanoeBerry>     suggested I apply with the contributor programme, I also want to write
<CanoeBerry>     new activties for X-O platform to achieve this I need the use of XO 
<CanoeBerry> laptop.
<CanoeBerry> Shall we?
<CanoeBerry> leftStanding: what do you think?
<leftStanding> What's her track record with sugar?
<leftStanding> Has she fixed bugs before?
<CanoeBerry> My question exactly :)
<leftStanding> Is there that much difference between the sugar stack and an olpc xo?
<CanoeBerry>  How so?
<leftStanding> The wiki lists steps to create a sugar environment on a regular computer
<CanoeBerry> In any case, this project seems to require more prep.
<CanoeBerry> Yes, there are many ways to dabble with Sugar:
<CanoeBerry> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Sugar_on_a_Stick
<leftStanding> yep, that's pretty cool
<CanoeBerry> leftStanding: do you want to engage the above applicant, asking him for more details towards finalizing a more solid proposal?
<CanoeBerry> eBay.com is also a possibility.
* germanrs  has joined #olpc-meeting
<CanoeBerry> germanrs: welcome!
<leftStanding> sure CanoeBerry, where do i pick up the relevant info?
<CanoeBerry> I can give that to you if you agree to OLPC's Privacy Policy, respecting the applicant's private personal info.
<CanoeBerry> Email volunteer @ laptop.org including your resume ideally, and I'll get that right to you.
<CanoeBerry> Thanks.
<CanoeBerry> leftStanding: where are you based?
<leftStanding> welcome. i'm in charleston, sc
<leftStanding> part of the Summer pyGames project
<CanoeBerry> Right!  Are you "Liz B$"?
<leftStanding> ha no, i'm her good friend and main tech guy
<leftStanding> the olpc san fran summit sounds awesome
<CanoeBerry> :)
<CanoeBerry> Excellent, just zip an email over to volunteer@laptop.org and thanks so much for helping coach this London, UK applicant with me.


[ PROJECT #2 - XO laptops as assistive technology - Seattle, Washington ]

<CanoeBerry> OK, onto Project #2 now -- please all help critique/mentor/vote for:
<CanoeBerry> XO laptops as assistive technology - Seattle, Washington
<CanoeBerry>     http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=68467
<CanoeBerry>     http://adhdxo.wordpress.com
<CanoeBerry>     [SPECIFIC SITE NEEDS TO BE POSTED OFF 
<CanoeBerry> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects ]
<CanoeBerry>     Requests 7 XOs over 21 months
<CanoeBerry>     Project Objectives: (IN FULL @ http://adhdxo.wordpress.com)
<CanoeBerry>     Twenty percent of gifted students are estimated to be 
<CanoeBerry> "twice-exceptional."
<CanoeBerry>     http://education.families.com/blog/educating-twice-exceptional-students
<CanoeBerry>     School system tracking, which assigns high-scoring students to attend
<CanoeBerry>     certain classes at a certain school, results in a higher-than-average
<CanoeBerry>     concentration of 2E students in these classes. The 2E diagnosis is
<CanoeBerry>     used in education to describe people who are gifted academically, but
<CanoeBerry>     have learning disabilities. These people tend to fall through the
<CanoeBerry>     cracks in the school system--they are extremely intelligent but tend
<CanoeBerry>     to not show up on tests because of certain deficiencies in brain
<CanoeBerry>     development, learning style, behavior, etc. They are often diagnosed
<CanoeBerry>     with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Asperger's
<CanoeBerry>     syndrome, and other things along the autism spectrum. Significant
<CanoeBerry>     among their challenges are dysgraphia (physical problems that impede
<CanoeBerry>     handwriting), disorganization (including misplacing completed
<CanoeBerry>     assignments before they can turn them in, losing track of due dates,
<CanoeBerry>     misfiling their work), short-term memory issues (this most notably
<CanoeBerry>     shows up in math), and a host of other obstacles...
<CanoeBerry> The grades of 2E students trend toward a reverse Bell curve:
<CanoeBerry>     they get mostly A and F grades. The failing grades are primarily
<CanoeBerry>     because of things that individual laptops could address:
<CanoeBerry>     * daily planners are missing entries
<CanoeBerry>     * daily planners are not legible, and work isn't done
<CanoeBerry>     * work gets completed but not turned in
<CanoeBerry>     * work is illegible or misread as being incorrect
<CanoeBerry>     * homework assignments and/or materials get left at school
<CanoeBerry>     * attention drifts during class and key concepts are missed
<CanoeBerry> We propose to measure the effect on grades and outcomes of the
<CanoeBerry>     following:
<CanoeBerry>     * daily planners on computer
<CanoeBerry>     * teachers simply share out the assignment information instead
<CanoeBerry>       of relying on each student to write it down
<CanoeBerry>     * teachers can more easily check the planners for accuracy and
<CanoeBerry>       completeness
<CanoeBerry>     * parents have access to complete, current, legible planner
<CanoeBerry>     * alarms, reminders, etc. are in place so milestones don't
<CanoeBerry>       pass unnoticed
<CanoeBerry>     * the rate of completed work not getting turned in should near zero
<CanoeBerry> (almost done, last bit coming!)
<CanoeBerry>     * loose papers will not get misplaced if the work's not on paper
<CanoeBerry>     * even if it's misfiled on a computer, work can be found via search
<CanoeBerry>     * undesirable outcomes caused by legibility of handwriting
<CanoeBerry>       should be improved
<CanoeBerry>     * the OLPC camera can be used to photograph worksheets,
<CanoeBerry>       drawings, and other things that are not in electronic form, thus
<CanoeBerry>       keeping these things from being lost or misplaced
<CanoeBerry>     * quality of notes should improve since the computer can be
<CanoeBerry>       used to record vital lectures so they can be checked against the
<CanoeBerry>       notes, thus helping fill in gaps in notes caused by inattention
<CanoeBerry>       (grades from notes and grades from tests should improve)
<CanoeBerry> OK, sorry that was so long.  Full proposal (even longer!) here: 
<CanoeBerry> http://adhdxo.wordpress.com
<CanoeBerry> http://adhdxo.wordpress.com/about/
<leftStanding> what school is this for? public? private?
<CanoeBerry> "The school district's current policy outlaws electronic devices
<CanoeBerry> by default. If this technology could help this population of students,
<CanoeBerry> it must be not only demonstrated that grades can be improved but the
<CanoeBerry> devices must be deemed by the school administration to be
<CanoeBerry> unthreatening--meaning not causing more problems than they solve, due
<CanoeBerry> to distraction, improper use, theft, damage, viruses, etc.
<CanoeBerry> Full disclosure: My son is twice-exceptional, so I have a
<CanoeBerry> particularly vested interest in this set of challenges."
<CanoeBerry> leftStanding: Does that help?
<leftStanding> eek, i know in my area school faculty from at least 1 school treated them as virus ridden monsters and never distributed to the students
<CanoeBerry> Should we consider sending this applicant one of our "start kits" with 2 refurb'd XO-1s?
<ndoiron> is this for elementary level students?
<leftStanding> that's better, also get them to form a partnership with the school's tech people
<CanoeBerry> ndoiron: another great question -- this application is so long i can't yet find that key fact
<CanoeBerry> on the plus side, this applicant is sufficiently loquacious, they will certainly make a great blogger :)
* Teachersusan  has joined #olpc-meeting
<CanoeBerry> Teachersusan: welcome!!
<CanoeBerry> Teachersusan: what do you recommend for Project #2 here?
<CanoeBerry> http://adhdxo.wordpress.com/about/
<CanoeBerry> We're missing kids' ages and details, but will consider a "starter kit" of 2 refurb'd XO-1s if you/others think this has strong potential?
<CanoeBerry> Others votes please?
<CanoeBerry> Others' votes please?
<Teachersusan> I like the concept of using the XOs to help with more authentic assessment
<Teachersusan> Yes I think it has strong potential
<leftStanding> does the xo have planners/schedules like the project wants?
<CanoeBerry> leftStanding: please explain what you mean by that question exactly?
<Teachersusan> They could write them using the free spreadsheet program or import via usb
<leftStanding> the project objectives are daily planners, work gets completed but not turned in
<ndoiron> leftStanding: I would suggest if they can't go online, try using SocialCalc for spreadsheet, Journal for timeline
<leftStanding> ok cool
<CanoeBerry> Let's finalize, ok?
<CanoeBerry> Motion for 2 XOs shipped to this group.
<CanoeBerry> Please vote yes/no
<Teachersusan> yes
<CanoeBerry> +1 but want more details
<ndoiron> +1 yes
<leftStanding> +1
<CanoeBerry> Particularly if they deserve the full 7 XOs later.
<CanoeBerry> Others please vote now!
<CanoeBerry> Calling once..
<CanoeBerry> Calling twice..
<CanoeBerry> Calling thrice..
* bz_g  has joined #olpc-meeting
<CanoeBerry> APPROVED!  for starter kit of 2 semi-refurb'd XO-1s


[ PROJECT #3 - alling San Cristobal Island Community - Galapagos, Ecuador ]

<CanoeBerry> Onto Project #3 - plz all critique/mentor/vote for:
<CanoeBerry> Calling San Cristobal Island Community - Galapagos, Ecuador
<CanoeBerry> http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=68822
<CanoeBerry>     [SPECIFIC SITE NEEDS TO BE POSTED OFF 
<CanoeBerry> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects ]
<CanoeBerry>     Requests 100 XOs over 12 months
<CanoeBerry>     Project Objectives:
<CanoeBerry>     1. Developing kindergarten children´s use of computers, using existing
<CanoeBerry>        websites, e.g. BBC, British Council
<CanoeBerry>     2. Developing primary and secondary children´s ability to use internet,
<CanoeBerry>        research topics, prepare blogs, have e-pals and keep in touch 
<CanoeBerry> with world
<CanoeBerry>        outside the Galapagos. Raise knowledge of Galapagos fauna and 
<CanoeBerry> flora in
<CanoeBerry>        outside world by creating videos of animals on island, e.g. seals and
<CanoeBerry>        iguanas. Develop resources about history of island by interviewing
<CanoeBerry>        older people about life in islands in past.
<CanoeBerry> Sounds wonderful but premature.
<CanoeBerry> How shall we support this applicant?
<CanoeBerry> Or defer?
<Teachersusan> I really like their ideas.  Maybe they could try two to get started and send sample work back to the community
<leftStanding> they should name backers
<CanoeBerry> Here is their group: http://neweragalapagos.org
<leftStanding> like those providing Internet access
<CanoeBerry> Here is their group: http://newEraGalapagos.org
<CanoeBerry> Teachersusan: sounds good, have you read through their fuller proposal?
<Teachersusan> yes
<CanoeBerry> Great, sorry to everyone here I forgot to include their blogs -- my mistake:
<CanoeBerry> http://handsacrosstheoceans.edublogs.org
<CanoeBerry> http://neweragalapagos.blogspot.com
<CanoeBerry> http://090ielts.edublogs.org
<CanoeBerry> http://161ielts.edublogs.org
<Teachersusan> I know the XOs would do all they want them to do
<CanoeBerry> Teachersusan: could you provide N.E.G. basic mentoring?
<CanoeBerry> If we approve them for 2 XOs here today?
<CanoeBerry> (New Era Galapagos)
<Teachersusan> yes
<CanoeBerry> Great, let's call this to a vote all:
<Teachersusan> yes
<CanoeBerry> Please vote yes/no for a starter kit of 2 refurb'd XO-1s:
<CanoeBerry> +1 from me
<leftStanding> +1
<CanoeBerry> ndoiron: environmentalist votes needed ^^^
<CanoeBerry> others please vote now!
<ndoiron> galapagos sounds cool, hope they can get it working +1
<CanoeBerry> APPROVED! For 2 XO-1s, thanks to Teachersusan's *very* generous offer to guide them by email over the coming month of 


[ CLOSING REMARKS ]

<CanoeBerry> Thanks All! Meeting Adjourned! See you in SF in exactly 1 week, for OLPC/Sugar's biggest ever contributor/volunteer summit ever!!!
<CanoeBerry> http://olpcsSF.org/CommunitySummit2010
<Teachersusan> bye
<CanoeBerry> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_SanFranciscoBayArea/Community_Summit_2010
* Teachersusan  Quit (Quit: CGI:IRC (EOF))
<leftStanding> awww I wanna go haha
<CanoeBerry> leftStanding: not too late.. but your nick makes sense if you do miss out ;)
* ndoiron  Quit (Quit: CGI:IRC (EOF))
<leftStanding> ha of course