I have been offered funding for a research project on XOs, Sugar, and OERs, and I would like to get information on similar projects.
The funding would cover XOs and other equipment (power, WiFi, server), teacher training, and testing, at least, for one classroom, preferably in an inner-city school in Indiana. We would also try out some OERs from the Sugar Labs Replacing Textbooks program and from FLOSS Manuals, and write some more. I have asked the Indiana University eLearning Center and the Indiana DOEd eLearning people for their views and possibilities for collaboration. Indiana has a law allowing computers to be purchased from the textbook budget. So if we could get a statewide OER project to replace all of the textbooks, we could afford computers for all students at a net savings. The first question is how to get the hardware for this project, since the usual minimum purchase is 10,000 units. Obviously there are projects at education schools that have gotten past that obstacle. I would like to gather data on all existing classroom projects in the US in order to write a report on them for prospective partners. I would share it with this community, of course. Perhaps there are opportunities for collaboration between projects, as well. I assume that many such projects have developed materials that would be of use in this project, whether software, teacher training materials, lesson plans, or any other. The question of testing is a vexed one, as any of you know who have seen the nonsense published about the Peru study. Opponents of our work ignore improvements in cognitive skills, among other issues. More broadly, none of us entirely know what else we should be measuring. In general, in scientific inquiries, a good question is worth thousands of ordinary answers. I have also been approached for a very different OLPC project in another country which I will write about when I know something more definite. Well, I can say that there is involvement from an international foundation, and possibly UNESCO, and that there is talk of an international conference. But so far it is just talk. -- Edward Mokurai (默雷/निशब्दगर्ज/نشبدگرج) Cherlin Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation. The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination. http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Replacing_Textbooks _______________________________________________ IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep