Even though OLPC's Contributors Program has a bit of a temporary inventory
shortage this month, please all join us voting for the latest OLPC/Sugar
community projects over IRC Live Chat, even if I apologize certain
shipments may be somewhat delayed! Please join us live now, to make the
best project allocations & mentoring relationships, starting right here:
http://forum.laptop.org/chat
Then type at bottom:
/join #olpc-meeting
AGENDA:
* Fast Review of the 10 latest (greatest!) HW/Project Proposals -- please
join us advocating for, and/or reviewing shortcomings of these proposals:
1. Children's resource and gaming centre - Kampala, Uganda
2. Improving performance in science subjects and raising HIV/AIDS
awareness - Uganda/Kenya/USA
3. Moneague College - Jamaica
4. XOpup / Puppy Linux XO-1.5 - Southport, Australia
5. "Preventing Malaria" - Mexico/Edinburg, Texas
6. SemanticXO - Amsterdam, Netherlands
7. Developing education resources - Australia/Timor
8. Zimbabwe Youth Development Foundation trust: Project Rabuda/Sunrise
9. XOs from Fargo to Sudan: after school to building a school - North
Dakota State University
10. Upper Canada College / Ntugi Kenya
* Which projects might you enjoy Mentoring below?!
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects
http://rt.laptop.org/Search/Results.html?Query=Queue=%27contributors%27
* New projects & libraries -- teaching them Community Outreach:
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/XO_Laptop_Lending_Libraries
1. Children's resource and gaming centre - Kampala, Uganda
http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=67018
http://www.kyowgp.blogspot.com
[SPECIFIC SITE NEEDS TO BE POSTED OFF
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects ]
Requests 10 XOs over 12 months
Project Background/Objectives:
- enhancing the current children learning activties through the
development of a creative learning environment with the
availability of
laptops for recreation.
- provide entertainment and a learning experience for the children in
nansana.
- develop a children's gaming station as part of the current resource
centre where after reading,children can engage in some
recreational and
educational entertainment.
- introduction of OLPC/Sugar community in one community in the country.
2. Improving performance in science subjects and raising HIV/AIDS
awareness - Uganda/Kenya/USA
http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=67167
[SPECIFIC SITE NEEDS TO BE POSTED OFF
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects ]
Requests 9 XOs over 2-3 months
Project Objectives:
1. To equip teachers and pupils with basic computer skills using
the XO
laptop.
2. To improve understanding and performance of science
subjectsincluding
maths using the xo activities
3. Actively engaging children in their learning process.
4. Increase school attendance rate in rural schools and ctively
engaging
children in their learning process.
5. Increasing HIV/AIDS awareness and thus helping leaners live a HIV
free life.
3. Moneague College - Jamaica
http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=67265
[SPECIFIC SITE NEEDS TO BE POSTED OFF
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects ]
Requests 10 XOs over 24 months
Project Objectives:
The objectives of this pilot project shall be to:
* Expose teacher educators and student teachers (the next cohort of
class teachers) to the XO laptops and software for use in the
teaching and
learning process
* Provide the tools for the practical completion of the Technology in
Education course objectives for the target group of student teachers
* Demonstrate that the XO software can be used across content areas
* Provide an incentive and equipment for student teachers to
propose and
execute technology/computer centred final year teaching practice
projects
* Contribute to the bank of Sugar lesson plans and videos in
conjunction with UWI pilots
* Assist the OLPC Jamaica Team with teacher training for their
projects at Providence Basic and August Town Primary schools.
* Assist the Ministry of Education and Youth and Education
Transformation Team with achieving 100% literacy by 2015,
by using/integrating the XOs into daily teachings for the
same set of children over the life of the project
4. XOpup / Puppy Linux XO-1.5 - Southport, Australia
http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=67326
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=47337
[SPECIFIC SITE NEEDS TO BE POSTED OFF
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects ]
Requests 1 XO-1.5 over 18 months
Project Background/Objectives:
To port Puppy linux with it's unique blend of speed and usability
to the XO.
5. "Preventing Malaria" - Mexico / Edinburg, Texas
http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=67327
[SPECIFIC SITE NEEDS TO BE POSTED OFF
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects ]
Requests 3 XO-1s over 12 months
Project Objectives:
- Develop a memory game for 1 or 2 players with malaria-related topics,
so 5-12-year-old kids can help to prevent this disease in their
communities.
The computer will show a list of images related to malaria, such as
causes,
transmission, symptoms, treatment, prevention and complications. Each
image will appear from 4 to 10 seconds (depending on the chosen
difficulty:
difficult, normal and easy). The game will show something like this:
- Habitat (4-10 seconds)...
- Bamboo Pole (4-10 seconds)...
- Rainwater (4-10 seconds) ...
- (more words)
Then, the computer will ask the player to choose from a set of
images and
put them in the same order they appeared previously. In our
example, the
kid has to choose the Habitat picture first, then the Bamboo Pole
picture,
and so on.
At the end, the computer will show the score (for example, “you
memorized
the order of 4/6 words) and a sentence related to the pictures. This
sentence will say something like: "Cover bamboo pole holders after use.
Rainwater can potentially accumulate in these bamboo pole holders
if they
are uncovered and create a habitat..." Then, the player can choose
to play
again or to exit the game.
When 2 kids are playing, player 1 will play first and the score will be
shown, then player 2 will play and his score will be shown. At the
end, the
computer will congratulate the winner.
- Learn more about Python, PyGTK, Glade and other related
technologies in
order to build this and other international projects for XO in the
future.
- Publish a paper in a recognized software engineering conference with
the results of applying Scrum (an iterative, incremental
framework for
project management and agile software development) on an
international free software project. These paper will encourage more
engineers to work on OLPC projects.
- Use the memorization game to internalize malaria-related concepts.
- Create an OLPC research group at the School of Engineering and
Technology in Montemorelos University, Mexico (www.um.edu.mx).
6. SemanticXO - Amsterdam, Netherlands
http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=67749
[SPECIFIC SITE NEEDS TO BE POSTED OFF
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects ]
Requests 5 XOs over 12 months
Project Objectives:
Semantic technologies are becoming more and more used to
improve the efficiency of information sharing on Internet.
The goal of this project is to investigate the application of
the same technologies on a mesh network, without access to Web
services such as DNS.
With the ability to exchange structured and unambiguous
information, we expect to improve communication in the context of
medical, culturage heritage or marketing applications.
Although not having expertise related to the typical usage
context of the XOs, the KRR group already has some expertise in using
semantic technologies for improving access to
culturage heritage and modeling medical processes.
7. Developing education resources - Australia/Timor
http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=67839
http://tonyforster.blogspot.com/
http://seaton-olpc-ug.org/?q=node/54
http://tinyurl.com/25ho638
http://wiki.sugarlabs.org
http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/User:Tonyforster
[SPECIFIC SITE NEEDS TO BE POSTED OFF
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects ]
Requests 1 XO over indefinite months
Project Background/Objectives:
Software testing and developing educational materials
8. Zimbabwe Youth Development Foundation trust: Project Rabuda/Sunrise
http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=67914
http://zuvarabuda1.wordpress.com
[SPECIFIC SITE NEEDS TO BE POSTED OFF
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects ]
Requests 100 XOs over 12 months
Project Objectives:
* To produce the world’s most comprehensive and powerful knowledge
resource-pushing the boundaries of online community and
technology as a tool for
social empowerment
* To instigate significant evolution in the present concepts of school
education by increasing global connection, meaningful use of
ICTs(Information
and Communication Technologies) and inspiring student engagement
* To enable learning through the effective use of technology to
promote
knowledge and skills which will ensure thriving communities in
Zimbabwe
* To demonstrate innovation, excellence, creativity , and
professionalism in
the management of a new style of an organization that is
entrepreneurial,
technology enhanced and youth driven
* To create a contributive environment for meaningful participation
in the
broader economy by disadvantaged individuals and youth
groups(mainstreaming)
* To cooperate and build alliances and partnerships with
organizations with
similar or related objectives
9. XOs from Fargo to Sudan: after school to building a school - North
Dakota State University
http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=68356
http://fargoxo.wordpress.com
[SPECIFIC SITE NEEDS TO BE POSTED OFF
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects ]
Requests 15 XOs over 9/indefinite months
Project Objectives:
The primary objective of this proposal is to transform the Madison
Elementary
after school program, as well as support Rev Gadi's after school
program, also
housed at Madison Elementary. The Madison program typically enrolls
40-50
students, many reluctant, many English Language Learners. The mere
presence
of 12 XOs will create interest among the students--the medium is
the message--
but we will also work with this unique population to try and
develop English
language learning e-books and activities unique to Sugar that will
then be
available and useful to XO deployments in Sudan, Rwanda, Congo, and
other
countries where the refugee students and families now living in Fargo
originate from. We will work with Rev. Gadi's students to prepare the
laptops for deployment in Sudan, loading them with projects
developed in
Fargo, loading them with books so that the dream of a library built
by 15
laptops becomes feasible.
The secondary objective is to train a team from within this group
to deliver
these 15 laptops to the school in southern Sudan. Team members who
do not go
on this trip with Rev. Gadi may have a chance to go later as Kevin
Brooks is
President of a non-profit called "African Soul, American Heart" and
he too is
looking to learn the ins and outs of the XO and Sugar so that he
will be able
to support a deployment to Duk Payuel, southern Sudan, in the next
3-5 years.
10. Upper Canada College / Ntugi Kenya
http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=68363
http://ntugiSchool.com
[SPECIFIC SITE NEEDS TO BE POSTED OFF
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects ]
Requests 4 XO-1.5s over 12 months
Project Background/Objectives:
Currently there are 50 XO 1.0, and 4 XO 1.5 laptops deployed in
the Ntugi
Day School. Due to ongoing changes to the XO kernel's from version
to version,
certain functions are only available on certain machines. We would
like to
have the same activities and functions available on all XO's
deployed to
alleviate complicated re-imaging deployment issues, along with
having a
more equal experience for all XO users.
We currently have provided Ntugi with three distinct images, one
at 711
for XO-1 use with the Vernier equipment, on at 802 for XO-1 user for
standard activities and the added features and activities of 802 over
711, and one at 306 for use with the 1.5's to enable USB
microscope use
and Gnome features.
Our goal is to standardize on the 852 build for all XO 1.0's, and
1.5's
and have the core functions and activities identical. This will
also aid
in the saturation process as there will be less haves and have-not
issues.
We have developed an install script which local-installs all the
required
RPM's to minimize data plan expenses, and are hoping to simultaneously
deploy temp/swap/program SD cards so that the XO 1.0's can have
sufficient
processing power to run the more intensive applications.
