XO Teachers

This page has a more up-to-date location: Support FAQ

This is a page for questions and ideas about how to work with XOs or sugar emulators in a classroom. The letter at the bottom describes some further questions to answer.

Ideas for teachers

Ideas for classroom materials and support

What kinds of materials would be helpful for you to have in your classroom? Training manuals? Lesson plans? Examples of activities from other OLPC classrooms?

Sample activities/lesson plans

• The ability to change the programming language using Squeak should allow children to learn math and science concepts through play.

Draw

• Use the draw to be able to create and predict the way forces, tension, affect structures.
• The drawing program can be adapted to structural design creating virtual bridges and models that will lead to building models from the simple designs. Virtual play-->hands-on representation. A virtual house could be planned and then a model constructed of sticks, leaves, shells, and other natural materials

Support for Teachers

• Examples of interactive lessons posted on Teacher Tube—videos showing activities—for teachers not used to using technology, they will need to move beyond the Explore process. Internet Access will allow them to view video where language will not be a barrier.
• Extension Activities to use the laptops as springboards for more hands-on learning. Just as students played and programmed the Logo Turtle, the follow-up activities included the students themselves pretending to be the turtle and walking and turning through the commands.
• New wiki, started summer 2008: http://xoclassroom.com

Ideas for information about other pilot programs

What kind of information would you like to have about other pilot programs? Ideas for activities? News and reports? Photos and videos from other classrooms? Ways to ask questions and share advice?

• Profiles. Kids take self-portraits with their XO, and write about their favorite thing about their laptop.
• The XO map. Where are all the other users? Where are the developers?
• A syndicated blog of individual blogs like OLPC Ceibal

Ideas for collaboration between pilot programs

How would you like to be linked to classrooms around the world? Through a map? Through a blog? Through a wiki? Or not at all?

I would like to suggest that XO developers, if any have time and are so inclined, check out the interactive maps used by The Journey North project at www.learner.org/jnorth. This may be a good direction for XO classroom linking. My school district totally blocks all blogs and most wikis. But they do not block the interactive maps, which provide information about the schools that are participating in the Journey North project. My elementary school students get quite excited to see the different locations around the country (and world) that are participating. I suppose people could include e-mail addresses within the info they post about their school's profile. Then at least the teachers, if not the students, could communicate directly (student e-mail is also blocked in my district). If anyone out there reading this wants to communicate with me, I can be reached at home at lowellave@msn.com or at school at muellerdj@butte.k12.mt.us. Debbie Mueller Butte, Montana

Ideas for support

And in terms of support, what kind of resources would you like to see from the OLPC development team? A technical contact? A way to ask for help? Something else?

• Discussion/support forum of some sort -- or syndication of many individual fora (note the different mailing lists)
• OLPC-specific Education networks

==Letter to XO Teachers==

Hi, my name is Lauren, and I've just joined OLPC for the summer. == Carta a los Profesores XO ==

Hola, mi nombre es Lauren, me he sumado a OLPC para este verano. During the year, I teach at Queens College, part of the City University of New York. Me dedico a, enseñar en el Queens College, que forma parte de la Universidad de Nueva York. But for now, my big project is to work on ways to support you-- the teachers involved in OLPC pilot programs around the world. I'd like to begin by learning as much as I can about how you use the laptops in your classrooms, and how the project is going so far. En este momento, mi gran proyecto es trabajar sobre las formas de apoyo a los profesores que participan en el programa piloto de OLPC en todo el mundo. Me gustaría empezar por aprender tanto como pueda acerca de cómo usar las computadoras portátiles en sus aulas , Y la forma en que el proyecto va marchando hasta ahora. What's worked well? ¿Qué funcionó bien? What's been difficult? ¿Qué ha sido difícil? What activities and uses are you particularly proud of? ¿Cuáles son las actividades y usos que están especialmente orgullosos de? And is there anything that you're excited about for the future? Y es que hay algo que está emocionado acerca del futuro? I would love to hear from you! Best, Lauren PS: Eventually, I'd like to think about ways to share ideas for activities and lessons, and ways to share advice between teachers and with the OLPC development team. Me encantaría saber de usted! Best, Lauren PD: Finalmente, me gustaría pensar en maneras de compartir ideas para las actividades y las lecciones, y maneras de compartir consejos entre los maestros y con el OLPC equipo de desarrollo. I would also love to hear your thoughts on this. También quiero amor para escuchar su opinión sobre este tema. You can email me, or you can add your ideas directly to the OLPCWiki: XO_Teachers#Ideas_for_classroom_materials_and_support

Hi, I am an educator in the us and work with low income children. Puedes enviar un correo electrónico de mí, o puede agregar sus ideas directamente a la OLPCWiki: XO_Teachers # Ideas_for_classroom_materials_and_support </ blockquote> Hola, soy un educador en el nosotros y el trabajo con niños de bajos ingresos. Are there others out there that see the need to integrate this project domestically. ¿Hay otros ahí fuera que ven en la necesidad de integrar este proyecto a nivel nacional. I understand that the poverty I see is dwarfed by that in other areas but I still see the need here. Yo entiendo que la pobreza que veo es eclipsada por que en otras áreas, pero todavía ve la necesidad aquí. It is very exciting and wonderful to see so many smart and passionate people working on this. Hi, Lauren: Jane Krauss here, from Eugene, Oregon. Es muy emocionante y maravilloso ver a tantos inteligente y apasionado las personas que trabajan en este sentido. Hola, Lauren: Jane Krauss aquí, de Eugene, Oregon. I'm excited to participate in a community of practice around teaching with and teaching about the XO. Estoy emocionado de participar en una comunidad de práctica en torno a la enseñanza y la enseñanza sobre la XO. I am an education writer and curriculum and technology coach. Soy un escritor de la educación y el currículo y la tecnología entrenador. I am putting together an XO group in the NING professional network called Classroom 2.0 I hope we can contribute and learn in this wiki space as well. Estoy reuniendo un grupo de XO en el NING red profesional llamado Aula 2.0 Espero que podamos contribuir y aprender en este espacio wiki como así. Re: Your PS above, I am very interested in sharing ideas with the OLPC dev team. Re: Tu PS anteriormente, estoy muy interesada en el intercambio de ideas con el equipo de OLPC dev. I'd like to email you, can't see your address. Me gustaría enviarle un correo electrónico, no puede ver su dirección. jane.krauss@gmail.com Hi, I am a 6th Grade Math teacher in Trenton, NJ. jane.krauss @ gmail.com Hola, soy un 6 º Grado profesor de matemáticas en Trenton, NJ. I have just been offered a donation of 50 XO laptops for my children and I hope to receive them in January. Acabo ha ofrecido una donación de 50 computadoras portátiles XO para mis hijos y yo esperamos recibir en enero. I am very excited about using these computers in class but I am also very nervous. Estoy muy emocionado acerca del uso de estos equipos en la clase pero también estoy muy nervioso. If anyone is currently using these computers and is willing to let me know how its going, please send me an email. Si alguien está utilizando estos equipos y está dispuesta a dejar que me sabe cómo va su, por favor envíame un e-mail. Thanks! Gracias! Dan - mullar89@students.rowan.edu Hi, I am a parent co-oper teaching in the 4th grade of the Open Classroom (a public charter school in Salt Lake City, see www.ocslc.org) and just did a g1g1 to give my daughter an XO for Christmas, with the idea of getting some hands on experience myself and looking into trying to get a classroom full of XOs for use in the school. Dan - mullar89@students.rowan.edu Hola, soy un padre co-opera enseñanza en el 4 º grado del Aula Abierta (una escuela "charter" en Salt Lake City, véase www.ocslc.org) y sólo lo hizo a un g1g1 dar a mi hija un XO para Navidad, con la idea de que algunas manos en la experiencia y yo buscando en tratar de conseguir un aula llena de XOs para su uso en la escuela. But it's not clear to me if it will even be possible to have ongoing availability for use here in the US. Pero no es claro para mí si será incluso posible tener disponibilidad permanente para su uso aquí en los EE.UU.. bboyes'at'systronix'dot'com