ILXO/Jam planning

Teacher Jam

1 day, July 11-13 (pick one!)
Host: hopefully, Google Chicago
(I'm trying to fill it out in the pattern of the "How to Run a Jam" guide. Info is still not definitive, as we need to contact the relevant people!)

Focus

Discussing what kind of content they want? --- how to still meet state curriculum standards while still teaching in new, innovative manner?

What kind of platform are we using? Scratch, Etoys, Pygame?

Less a “jam”, per se, but as a comprehensive discussion?

IL State Standards

http://www.isbe.state.il.us/ils/html/descriptors.htm

Pre-Jam: Figure out how to display these nicely/efficiently/effectively. May have to consider specializing? Or just having teachers clump up by academic interest and look up the relevant ones.

Mel’s idea – fill a grid with ways XO (existing or not) could be used to meet these goals. Identify gaps and figure out how to fill them.
Note: MSTE has already been doing stuff similar to this: http://www.squeakcmi.org/resources.php?subpage=k5

How to apply to pilots?

Space

Google Chicago
20 W. Kinzie St, 9th floor

Must be a weekday.

Contact person:
Kate Pellettiere
katherinep@google.com

Scheduling Time

Agenda

1. Discuss curriculum standards
2. Discuss XO applicability
   • (tentative) Discuss Etoys vs Scratch vs Pygame
3. Address community needs
4. (tentative) Discuss pilot potential or low-cost laptop act
5. Outline specific desired outputs
   • What needs are unmet by the XO?
   • What is a tangible product we can create to fix this?

Is this the end result we want to see for the evening?

Do we want some sort of speaker for the evening?

Getting People

OLPC-Chicago
Educators
Try contacting MSTE department at U of I - http://www.mste.uiuc.edu/

How do we reach teacher-y folk in IL who may not already know about OLPC?

• I can ask my own former teachers
• is there mailing list somewhere?
  • maybe try http://www.classroom20.com/group/xo
  • or some of these folks http://www.classroom20.com/profiles/members/?q=illinois

Resources

Food

Presumably evening. Dinner? Snack-y things? Do we provide food? Will Google graciously provide food?

(Nommy places to eat nearby)

Equipment

Whiteboards, like woah.

Swag

Do we have anything to offer? Should we offer anything? --> (erm, on no funds, probably not)

Game Jam

• 3 days, July 19-21
• Host: IMSA? MVCC?

Day 1

• Welcome, Opening Statements
• Review of Teacher Jam
• break into teams and begin planning ideas
  • keep ideas and plans publicly posted and updated (whiteboard? online? both?)
• debrief on progress at end of day

Meals

• (lunch)
• dinner
• snacks

Speakers

• opening statements
• Teacher Jam review - ILXO

Day 2

• continue working
• drop-in sessions/talks as coding breaks
  • usability
  • interface design
  • educational principles
• debrief on progress at end of day

Meals

• lunch
• dinner
• snacks

Speakers

• whoever we can get to run sessions!

Day 3

• finish up games
• test games at end of day
  • bring in teachers
  • get kids to come

Meals

• lunch
• snacks

We need to...

• find a host for the Game Jam
• contact Google Chicago about hosting the Teacher Jam
• get participants for both jams
• find speakers for the Game Jam
• figure out the logistics of food (and money for food...)
• figure out what type of games we're after
  • shooters
    • get a math question right, for example, and kill a baddie?
    • or something kind of like Immune Attack but with customizable protagonist/enemy so it fits the appropriate storyline
  • extending Memory games (flashcard, etc) somehow
  • Tangrams (how do we make this cover more topics)
  • Story creater (this seems to be in work already - Isis)
  • Lemmings
  • GCompris thingies?
  • Oregon trail, but somehow customizable to text/types of background, so you can do "customize-to-anywhere-in-the-world Trail"
  • Maybe something like Zoombinis(I never played it, so I have no idea)
  • Extending/fixing Kuku

Nikki is smart!

• Game engine types
  • Shooters
  • RPGs
  • Storytellers