[OLPC-DE] [Olpcaustria] Projektvorstellung: Competitive Learning Within A Mesh Network

[Christoph Derndorfer]

Hallo Johannes,

klingt nach einem sehr interessanten Projekt! :-)

Ein Wort vielleicht zum Mesh-Netzwerk: Leider hat sich herausgestellt, 
dass es hier einen ganzen Haufen Schwierigkeiten gibt weshalb in vielen 
Schulen jetzt doch eher auf klassische Infrastruktur mit Access Points 
gesetzt wird. Das Mesh-Netzwerk wird, soweit ich das beurteilen kann, 
aktuell nur eher im begrenzten Rahmen eingesetzt.

Bezüglich der Collaboration-Infrastruktur wird sich auf Softwareebene 
in den nächsten Monaten in Sugar wohl auch einiges ändern, siehe dazu 
diesen Blog-Eintrag von Tomeu Vizoso: 
http://blog.tomeuvizoso.net/2010/03/my-focus-during-090-collaboration.html 
bzw. würde ich empfehlen diesbezüglich auch die sugar-devel 
Mailingliste (http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/sugar-devel) im Auge 
zu behalten.

Last but not least, James Simmons arbeitet seit einiger Zeit an einem 
sehr ausführlichen Handbuch zur Programmierung von Activities. Der 
letzte Stand der Dinge ist unter 
http://objavi.flossmanuals.net/books/ActivitiesGuideSugar-en-2010.03.05-04.59.13.pdf zu finden und ich denke der Inhalt könnte für euer Team recht interessant und hilfreich 
sein.

Liebe Grüsse aus Wien,
Christoph

Zitat von Johannes Ponader <johannesponader at googlemail.com>:

> Hallo,
>
> anbei sende ich euch einen Projektantrag für ein
> Activity-Entwicklungsprojekt und bitte euch um euer Feedback.
>
> Wir werden den Antrag in den nächsten Tagen beim contributors program
> einreichen und sind für Tips, Hinweise etc. dankbar.
>
> Vielleicht kennt ihr Menschen, die an etwas ähnlichem arbeiten, vielleicht
> habe ich etwas übersehen (z. B. dass  doch schon eine Laptop Lending Library
> in Deutschland gibt o.ä.?)
>
> Vielleicht hat auch jemand von euch Lust, das Projekt als Mentor und/oder
> Tester zu begleiten.
>
> Ich freue mich auf euer Feedback, gern auch auf
> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Talk:Competitive_Learning
>
> Der Antragstext ist dort auch zu finden unter
> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Competitive_Learning
>
> Johannes Ponader.
>
> --
>
> Project Title & Shipment Detail
>
> *Name of Project:*
>
> Competitive Learning within a Mesh Network
> [edit<https://mail.google.com/index.php?title=Competitive_Learning&action=edit&section=2>
> ] Team Participants
>
> *Name(s) & Contact Info: (include all email addresses & phone numbers)*
>
> Johannes Ponader, programmer (development), pedagogue for game/drama/theatre
> in education
>
> Mathias Krebs, programmer (testing), pedagogue
>
> Patrick Hupka, programmer (interface design, usability), web programmer
>
> *Employer and/or School:*
>
> Project KUSS (?Kinder, Unterricht und Systeme für Schulerfolg? - Children,
> Teaching and Systems for Success at School), provided by the City of Munich
>
> *in partnership w/:*
>
> ETC - Euro Trainings Centre
> 80331 München
>
> *and*
>
> Hauptschule an der Bernaysstraße
> 80937 München
>
> *Past Experience/Qualifications:*
>
> In our team, the following qualifications come together:
>
> Application development (C, C++, Python, Java, Perl), server/web development
> (PHP, Javascript, Ajax, Flash/Actionscript), database development (MySQL,
> Access), web design, interface design, interaction design & animation,
> learning research, learning techniques, drama/theatre and games in education
>
> [edit<https://mail.google.com/index.php?title=Competitive_Learning&action=edit&section=3>
> ] Objectives
>
> *Project Objectives: (WEB-PUBLISHED <http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects>)*
>
> The project's aim is to develop an activity framework for competitive
> learning/training activities over the mesh network.
>
> Two or more teams within a learning environment compete against each other.
> They can see the learning/training effort of their own and of the other
> teams, compare their own achievements, gain awards for achieving teacher
> defined learning/training goals. They see in real time which team members of
> their own or other teams are actively learning at the moment and which
> challenges their team and the other teams are actually facing.
>
> By getting immediate feedback over the learning/training effort - as well
> over their own, as over their team's and as over the effort of the competing
> team(s), pupils can be motivated to learn in a special way.
>
> Into the activity framework for competitive learning/training a model
> learning/training activity will be integrated. This highly customizable
> question/answer activity can be used to train foreign or first language
> vocabulary, maths, or any other knowledge that can be training in a
> sophisticated question/answer style.
>
> The learning/training activity uses experience from learning research to
> gain a maximum of learning effect within the given time dedicated to
> learning by the pupils. As well as the pupils, the teacher(s) can see the
> training achievements of the class and can retrieve detailed reports about
> the successes and the learning gaps of the class - via the mesh network
> he/she can even see from home in the evening which lessons are understood by
> the pupils and which have to be deepened the next day.
> [edit<https://mail.google.com/index.php?title=Competitive_Learning&action=edit&section=4>
> ] Plan of Action
>
>   1. Basic development of activity framework for competive
>   learning/training over a mesh network.
>   2. Internal tests and development within the team.
>   3. Integration of a simple model activity into the framework.
>   4. Beta release to the public and pledge for public testing/bug reports.
>   5. Development and integration of a demo interface design attractive to
>   the first target group.
>   6. Intensive testing within a class of 15 pupils.
>   7. Integration of a sophisticated model training/learning activity.
>   8. RC and Pledge for public suggestions for additional interface designs.
>
>   9. Further development
>
> [edit<https://mail.google.com/index.php?title=Competitive_Learning&action=edit&section=5>
> ] Needs
>
> *Why is this project needed?*
>
> Competitive training is a highly motivating technique for pupils to train
> their knowledge. In combination with the XO mesh network this technique can
> be smartly established together with real time performance monitoring.
>
> *Locally?*
>
> In our class 15 pupils are altogether. They all have some bigger gaps in
> their basic knowledge in several subjects. To close these gaps, standard
> training techninques (vocabulary cards etc.) are limited in their effect,
> because the pupils lack motivation and/or basic selforganization skills to
> use these techniques. In addition to that, the parents do not always have
> the ressources to help the pupils in their daly home training quota.
>
> On the other side, our pupils are very open to standard score-point-like
> and/or competing team motivation techniques. The competitive training
> activity shall motivate the pupils to close the gaps and to achieve better
> success in school, without the need of an intensive parents' help or the
> help of private tutors.
>
> *In the greater OLPC/Sugar community?*
>
> Other pupils around the world have the same need for a highly motivating
> learning environment, which can be easily used without the help of parents
> or tutors. In some countries there even aren't the ressources to have
> vocabulary cards or the personal coaches for every pupil, but there could be
> one laptop per child to do this job.
>
> *Outside the community?*
>
> The motivation technique used in this project can be a model even for
> learning environments outside the OLPC community.
>
> *Why can't this project be done in
> emulation<http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Emulating_the_XO>using non-XO
> machines?
> *
>
> The project makes use of the XO-specific mesh network and shall be
> integrated into the XO philosophy, with one laptop per child in the class.
> To see how the motivation increases when the pupils use the activity on
> their own XO device, original material should be used.
>
> *Why are you requesting the number of machines you are asking for?*
>
> We need four laptops to establish two competing client teams consisting of
> two devices each. One laptop should host the teacher's console.
>
> *Will you consider (1) salvaged/rebuilt XO Laptops:* Yes.
>
> *Will you consider (2) damaged XO Laptops?:* No.
>
> *Which generation of XO Laptops do you need (XO-1.0 or XO 1.5)?* Please
> provide at least one or two 1.5 devices to be able to test the activity on
> the latest hardware.
> [edit<https://mail.google.com/index.php?title=Competitive_Learning&action=edit&section=6>
> ] Sharing Deliverables
>
> *Project URL?where you'll report specific ongoing progress:*
>
>   - Alpha state: Learning Within A Mesh Network
>   
> http://www.johannesponader.de/Competitive_Learning_Within_A_Mesh_Network<http://www.johannesponader.de/Competitive>
>   - Beta and RC-State: OLPC Git Repository (http://dev.laptop.org/git)
>
> *How will you convey tentative ideas & results back to the OLPC/Sugar
> community, prior to completion*
>
>   - Community mailing list
>   - OLPC wiki
>   - wiki on Project URL
>
> *How will the final fruits of your labor be distributed to children or
> community members worldwide?*
>
>   - Open Source
>   - RPM-Package
>
> *Will your work have any possible application or use outside our community?*
>
> Yes. An internet server could to some extent take over the functionality of
> the mesh network, if the framework shall be ported onto different platforms.
>
>
> *How will these people be reached?*
>
>   - Open source
>   - Packages
>
> *Have you investigated working with nearby XO Lending
> Libraries<http://wiki.laptop.org/go/XO_Laptop_Lending_Libraries>or
> Project
> Groups <http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Groups>?*
>
> Unfortunately, there are no Lending Libraries in Germany. We are in contact
> with the German and Austrian Grassroots Group.
> [edit<https://mail.google.com/index.php?title=Competitive_Learning&action=edit&section=7>
> ] Quality/Mentoring
>
> *Would your Project benefit from Support, Documentation and/or Testing
> people? *Yes (see above - 4. Plan of Action).
>
> *Teachers' input into Usability? *Yes.
>
> *How will you promote your work?*
>
> We will be embedding the project into a class of 15 pupils, which is part of
> the so-called "KUSS"-Project. As the KUSS-Project is a model school project
> provided by the City of Munich, reports about the project reach the Munich
> City Council in regular periods. When we are successful, we can think about
> establishing a XO Lending Library in Munich or to introduce a major OLPC
> model project in one or more municipal school(s) in Munich.
>
> *Can we help you with an experienced mentor from the OLPC/Sugar community?
> (WEB-PUBLISHED <http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects>)*
>
> Yes, that would be cool. We appreciate mentoring from an experienced
> pedagoge who is actually working in a school somewhere around the globe, so
> that he/she knows the challenges of daily work at schools and can think
> himself into the benefits of the targetted project from a practical view.
> [edit<https://mail.google.com/index.php?title=Competitive_Learning&action=edit&section=8>
> ] Timeline (Start to Finish)
>
> *Please include a Proposed timeline for your Project life-cycle: (this can
> be in the form of Month 1, Month 2, etc rather than specific dates)*
>
>   - Month 1: Start of development
>   - Month 2: Framework alpha, tested locally
>   - Month 3: Framework beta, can be tested for larger networks by the
>   community
>   - Month 4: Implementation of vocabulary trainer alpha
>   - Month 5: Vocabulary activity beta - local testing by pupils and
>   teacher(s)
>   - Month 6: RC - Bugreports from the community
>   - Month 7: V 1.0 - encouraging the community to integrate other
>   activities into the framework
>
>
> --
> Johannes Ponader
> 0162/94 64 94 0
>



--
Christoph Derndorfer
co-editor, olpcnews
url: www.olpcnews.com
e-mail: christoph at olpcnews.com