[OLPC library] Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn on HB5000

Fri Apr 11 01:10:45 EDT 2008

On Thu, Apr 10, 2008 at 9:04 PM, Yoshiki Ohshima <yoshiki at vpri.org> wrote:
>   There was been strong Etoys experiment going in Illinois, especially
>  at Columbia College and UIUC.

Excellent. Can you point us to some groups or individuals, or
published documents, or whatever?

> I don't know how much olpc-chicago
>  overlaps with that group, but it would be nice to be able to say that
>  "we already have been doing the test of (a part of) software long time
>  in the state."

Indeed. Thanks.

>  -- Yoshiki
>
>  At Tue, 8 Apr 2008 20:42:36 -0700,
>
>
> Edward Cherlin wrote:
>  >
>  > On Tue, Apr 8, 2008 at 7:59 PM, Jameson Chema Quinn
>  > <jquinn at cs.oberlin.edu> wrote:
>  > > This is fascinating. I would say that the first triaging you should do to
>  > > make this a reality for September is to reduce the number of grade levels
>  > > you target to an absolute minimum. More than 3 would be crazy, two is
>  > > better.
>  >
>  > This is presently set up to be the choice of the schools or school
>  > districts. But we can of course inform them of the resources currently
>  > available, and what might become available.
>  >
>  > > Possibilities:
>  > >  6/7: pros: 2/3 of the students in a junior high, yet you can count on
>  > > having most of them there for 2 or 3 years. cons: late grade = lots of
>  > > testing; jealous 8th graders.
>  > >
>  > > 3/4 or 4/5 : good ages, but not good saturation.
>  > >
>  > > 3/6 : good variety, more logistics.
>  > >
>  > > Once you decide this, a lot more will follow.
>  >
>  > I want to do K-2. The laptop works well for illiterate users. It has a
>  > minimum of text and a maximum of icons in the Sugar User Interface,
>  > and we will have literacy software built in. I also want to do 3-5,
>  > the ages where we know we can have the maximum impact with programming
>  > in Smalltalk. We will have to have the whole discussion, and not try
>  > to optimize beforehand.
>  >
>  > "Premature optimization is the root of all evil."--Donald Knuth,
>  > quoting C. A. R. Hoare
>  >
>  > > Also I had a link for you: http://www.ck12.org/ <-- just starting up but has
>  > > some funding and possibly an inside track to getting more, trying to make
>  > > open-source textbooks attractive to public schools, worth giving them a call
>  > > to see if they are interested in (ready to) collaborating with you. Illinois
>  > > would definitely be a feather in their cap. You need all the help you can
>  > > get with can get with content.
>  >
>  > Excellent. They are just up the road from me. I'll go see them right away.
>  >
>  > > Good luck!
>  > >
>  > > Jameson
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >
>  > > On Tue, Apr 8, 2008 at 4:49 PM, Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com> wrote:
>  > > >
>  > > >
>  > > >
>  > > > I talked with Ryan Croke of Illinois Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn's
>  > > > office today. They are keen on this project, and would like to arrange
>  > > > for us to assist in getting the program designed for the best possible
>  > > > outcome. HB5000 is moving rapidly through the House, and will then go
>  > > > to the Senate, which is likely to turn it over to the Education
>  > > > Committee for public hearings. We should organize to bring our XOs and
>  > > > our children to Springfield for the hearings.
>  > > >
>  > > > Among the questions:
>  > > >
>  > > > Schools will be allowed to choose from among the available laptops.
>  > > > The program should capture the differences in outcomes between schools
>  > > > using different hardware and software, using appropriate measures LG
>  > > > Quinn's office agrees. Nicholas Negroponte is strongly opposed to
>  > > > "bake-offs", but the world doesn't work the way he wants.
>  > > >
>  > > > We need to work with the legislature, the Education authority, and
>  > > > with schools on appropriate integration of laptops into curricula, and
>  > > > provide at least draft versions of electronic textbooks on all
>  > > > requested subjects. Much of what we want to do has yet to be designed.
>  > > > In fact, the software that we want to build the textbooks on has in
>  > > > some major cases yet to be designed. How much can we promise for the
>  > > > start of the next school year in September? That depends very strongly
>  > > > on who steps up to do it.
>  > > >
>  > > > It is very important in pilot projects to do good experimental design
>  > > > before hand so that the results contain usable information, not merely
>  > > > data. We need to talk to people who know something about these issues,
>  > > > who also understand what we are trying to measure.
>  > > >
>  > > > What training can be put together for the summer before? We need to
>  > > > demonstrate the meaning and value of learning by doing through
>  > > > collaborative discovery, aka Constructionism. Then we need to provide
>  > > > the toolkit for teachers to apply it, and provide feedback mechanisms
>  > > > so that their experience and insights steadily improve the process.
>  > > >
>  > > > This program requires dedicated resources, and management, on our side
>  > > > and several others. That means that we need to look for funding.
>  > > > Anybody know a good grant writer?
>  > > >
>  > > > No Child Left Behind creates perverse incentives that can interfere
>  > > > with the program. Can we get waivers from the Federal Government for
>  > > > the trials?
>  > > >
>  > > > --
>  > > >
>  > > >
>  > > >
>  > > > Edward Cherlin
>  > > > End Poverty at a Profit by teaching children business
>  > > > http://www.EarthTreasury.org/
>  > > > "The best way to predict the future is to invent it."--Alan Kay
>  > > > _______________________________________________
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>  > > > Library at lists.laptop.org
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>  > > >
>  > >
>  > >
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  > --
>  > Edward Cherlin
>  > End Poverty at a Profit by teaching children business
>  > http://www.EarthTreasury.org/
>  > "The best way to predict the future is to invent it."--Alan Kay
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>  > Library mailing list
>  > Library at lists.laptop.org
>  > http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/library
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-- 
Edward Cherlin
End Poverty at a Profit by teaching children business
http://www.EarthTreasury.org/
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."--Alan Kay