[OLPC Brasil] Why call tools "activities"?

[Xavier Alvarez]

Jose, 

As far as I can tell from what I've read, the idea is just that:
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Human_Interface_Guidelines#Naming_Activities

The idea is that you 'verbalize' the tool/activity's name. Like 
"let's google this"...

The 'manual activity' consists in using scissors, pictures and 
glue to make something: a collage.  The scissors (crop & resize 
tool) and the pictures (jpeg, png) and the glue (drag-n-drop & 
paste tool) are all part of the same 'tool'... so you're just 
left with the 'digital activity' of making a collage.


My 'problem' with this naming approach, is its english-centric 
concept of the language (rather germanic afaik). Some 'regulated' 
languages (like Spanish) may not be flexible enough to accomodate 
the idea in a 'sanctioned' way -- which hasn't stopped people 
from conjugating the barbarism: Googlear / Guglear:

http://matiasviajando.blogspot.com/2006/03/un-aporte-la-sociedad-de-la-informacin_14.html


Cheers,
Xavier

On Wednesday 04 April 2007 20:24, José Antonio wrote:
JA> Seems me a bad idea call software or tools as "activities".
JA>
JA> Activities, in Brazil educational sistem, are actions made
JA> with tools. Example:  scissors, glue, pencils are tools. A
JA> "colage" (patch work) made with this tools is an activity.
JA>
JA> Calling software as "activity" will cause huge confusion
JA> among teachers... 
JA>

-- 
XA
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