Has anyone looked into the Encyclopedia of the Earth / Earth Portal?<br><a href="http://www.eoearth.org/">http://www.eoearth.org/</a><br><br>They have several ebooks and online textbooks, and peer-reviewed content (to edit, you have to apply, and all changes to the public pages must be approved by topic editors is my understanding). It could be a solid way to get more content that is less collaborative in nature (as textbooks and some hard science reference material typically is) onto the machines. Just my 2¢.<br>
<br>yours,<br>Bobby Powers<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Apr 9, 2008 at 12:49 AM, Edward Cherlin <<a href="mailto:echerlin@gmail.com">echerlin@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
I talked with Ryan Croke of Illinois Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn's<br>
office today. They are keen on this project, and would like to arrange<br>
for us to assist in getting the program designed for the best possible<br>
outcome. HB5000 is moving rapidly through the House, and will then go<br>
to the Senate, which is likely to turn it over to the Education<br>
Committee for public hearings. We should organize to bring our XOs and<br>
our children to Springfield for the hearings.<br>
<br>
Among the questions:<br>
<br>
Schools will be allowed to choose from among the available laptops.<br>
The program should capture the differences in outcomes between schools<br>
using different hardware and software, using appropriate measures LG<br>
Quinn's office agrees. Nicholas Negroponte is strongly opposed to<br>
"bake-offs", but the world doesn't work the way he wants.<br>
<br>
We need to work with the legislature, the Education authority, and<br>
with schools on appropriate integration of laptops into curricula, and<br>
provide at least draft versions of electronic textbooks on all<br>
requested subjects. Much of what we want to do has yet to be designed.<br>
In fact, the software that we want to build the textbooks on has in<br>
some major cases yet to be designed. How much can we promise for the<br>
start of the next school year in September? That depends very strongly<br>
on who steps up to do it.<br>
<br>
It is very important in pilot projects to do good experimental design<br>
before hand so that the results contain usable information, not merely<br>
data. We need to talk to people who know something about these issues,<br>
who also understand what we are trying to measure.<br>
<br>
What training can be put together for the summer before? We need to<br>
demonstrate the meaning and value of learning by doing through<br>
collaborative discovery, aka Constructionism. Then we need to provide<br>
the toolkit for teachers to apply it, and provide feedback mechanisms<br>
so that their experience and insights steadily improve the process.<br>
<br>
This program requires dedicated resources, and management, on our side<br>
and several others. That means that we need to look for funding.<br>
Anybody know a good grant writer?<br>
<br>
No Child Left Behind creates perverse incentives that can interfere<br>
with the program. Can we get waivers from the Federal Government for<br>
the trials?<br>
<br>
--<br>
<font color="#888888">Edward Cherlin<br>
End Poverty at a Profit by teaching children business<br>
<a href="http://www.EarthTreasury.org/" target="_blank">http://www.EarthTreasury.org/</a><br>
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."--Alan Kay<br>
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</font></blockquote></div><br>