User:Petros.Polonos/Travelling support team

Travelling support team (including deployment, updates etc.) will consist of Piotr & Natalia (not to mention our two dogs).

1. Project Title & Shipment Detail

Name of Project: (WEB-PUBLISHED) Travelling support team (codename "Skipping Stone")

Shipping Address You've Verified:

Piotr Skulski
Ogrodowa 31/35
00-893 Warszawa
Poland
+48511974127
petros.polonos@gmail.com

• IS FEDEX AND DHL SHIPPABLE (NO POST OFFICE BOXES)
• INCLUDES A PHONE NUMBER
• CONTAINS TEAM LEADER'S LEGAL NAME

Number of Laptops (or other hardware) You Request to Borrow:

2 XO's. Preferably 1 * 1.0 and 1 * 1.5

Loan Length—How Many Months:

3-5 months for this pilot

2. Team Participants

Name(s) & Contact Info: (include all email addresses & phone numbers)

Teams of more than 1 person are not required, but favored!

Employer and/or School:

Past Experience/Qualifications:

Piotr Skulski; petros.polonos@gmail.com; +48511974127; technical leader; ecommerce & networking consultant.

Natalia Szymanska; natalia.sunjata@gmail.com; +48507633475; chief tester; freelance interpreter/translator.

Zuzanna Skulska; contact via Piotr Skulski; junior tester; gymnasium student.

Technical Partner: http://hackerspace.pl

Volunteering testers: local community/neighbourhood.

3. Objectives

Project Objectives: (WEB-PUBLISHED)

Concrete proposals with defined, measurable outcomes are much more likely to result in a laptop than "it would be cool to play with these and demo them".

Support team training

We are going to get involved in OLPC deployment and support on the long-term basis. This project's first goal is to give us practical knowledge of the system.

• Setting up local community network in the heterogeneous environment.
• Setting up and maintenance of XS in the ad hoc network.
• Daily maintenance and configuration.

As a result, OLPC community will obtain a permanent travelling team, ready to provide support in various areas. As our experience grow, we shall also be able to train and support short-term volunteers, as needed.

Base for future Polish grassroot pilot

As of Feb. 6th, 2011, we are actively looking for contact with educators in Poland, interested in OLPC as an alternative educational project. Our knowledge and experience with the system will be used to introduce non-technical partners and let them get familiar with the solution.

4. Plan of Action

Plan and Procedure for Achieving the Stated Objectives:

1. Setting up a local "community" network with single XS, two XOs and couple 3rd party units (Ubuntu Sugar Remix or Sugar on a Stick)
2. Adding full spectrum of activities and services.
3. Thorough testing and regular work simulation in the local network and over internet.
4. Logging specific aspects of Polish environment for future pilot/deployment needs.
5. Verification of Deployment Guide in Polish context.
6. Summary of the project for future follow-ups.

5. Needs

Why is this project needed?

Locally?

The OLPC idea in Poland died around 2007/8. Now we see changes in OLPC approach and in Polish situation that make OLPC deployment here worth reconsideration. Making some buzz in tech-oriented environment will be a good start.

In the greater OLPC/Sugar community?

1. There is a need for permanent support teams, travelling to areas that need additional support. Long-term involvement means experience, knowledge and troubleshooting at the professional level.
2. For short term volunteer teams, there is a need for training and support to let them get into their job quickly.

Outside the community?

Our partner is a newly established hackerspace.pl - small creative community in Warsaw, Poland. The project will make them aware of OLPC and hopefully bring the attention of Polish leading tech people, who naturally are prospect allies in future deployment.

Why can't this project be done in emulation using non-XO machines?

Main goal of the project is getting a training in real machines maintenance.

Why are you requesting the number of machines you are asking for?

2 units, one older, one newer, is the smallest sensible number to test an to create a network.

Will you consider (1) salvaged/rebuilt or (2) damaged XO Laptops?

As additional units, over proposed 2, yes.

6. Sharing Deliverables

Project URL—where you'll Blog specific ongoing progress:

Temporary address will be http://olpc.freesailor.info

Final domain name will be defined soon. Unfortunately, all domain names like laptop.pl, laptop.org.pl, laptop.edu.pl are taken.

Please web-publish this entire completed proposal, removing any sections affecting your personal privacy. Ask if you want help -- communicating with our OLPC/Sugar global community is core!

See http://olpc.freesailor.info or http://wiki.laptop.org/go/User:Petros.Polonos/Travelling_support_team

How will you convey tentative ideas & results back to the OLPC/Sugar community, prior to completion?

Over respective wiki.

How will the final fruits of your labor be distributed to children or community members worldwide?

ditto

Will your work have any possible application or use outside our community?

Propagation of OLPC idea among Polish geeks.

If yes, how will these people be reached?

Through our partner - hackerspace.pl and other groups of interest.

Have you investigated working with nearby XO Lending Libraries or Project Groups?

For technical support, online communication is better. Closest XO Project Group is in Austria. I am planning to contact them when we start working with educators.

7. Quality/Mentoring

Would your Project benefit from Support, Documentation and/or Testing people?

Yes. We shall be using online support documentation and asking a lot of questions.

Teachers' input into Usability?

Not in this project.

How will you promote your work?

Through our website and relevant wikis.

Can we help you with an experienced mentor from the OLPC/Sugar community? (WEB-PUBLISHED)

If YES: specify the kind of Ongoing Mentoring that will benefit you most.

We shall need general guidance, how to 'navigate' within OLPC/Sugar community, as well, as technical mentoring in the support and maintenance area.

If NO: specify who will help you share your progress, creations & results.

8. Timeline (Start to Finish)

Please include a Proposed timeline for your Project life-cycle: (this can be in the form of Month 1, Month 2, etc rather than specific dates)

Include a couple milestones, even if tentative.

• Month 1. Setting up the environment, activities and initial testing group.
• Month 2/3. Testing system and applications on various hardware. Maintenance and troubleshooting. Talking with tech people. Proliferation of the idea.
• Month 3/4. Testing some education ideas to see the real work regime. Working with neighborhood community (in the range of XS's wifi). Bringing some educators for future projects.
• Month 5. Summary of the project. Follow-up planning.

Specify how you prefer to communicate your ongoing progress and obstacles!

Projects blog and relevant wikis.

[V] I agree to pass on the laptop(s) to a local OLPC group or other interested contributors in case I do not have need for the laptop(s) anymore or in case my project progress stalls.