squeakland June 2011

squeakland@lists.squeakfoundation.org

13 participants
32 discussions

Re: [squeakland] [IAEP] Etoys Video's for Khan Academy
by Edward Cherlin 04 Jun '11

04 Jun '11

On Fri, Jun 3, 2011 at 19:26, Caryl Bigenho <cbigenho(a)hotmail.com> wrote: > Hi... > Been on the road for a few days and Mac was in the shop before that, so I am > a little late with this. > Why are you all trying to reinvent the wheel? This is a pernicious myth, as you can find out by trying to put a mill wheel on your car. We do not take "good enough" as a final answer when we can see possibly better ways. In this we are just the same as Free Software programmers who may wish to fork a package and work on it in a different direction than the previous developers. > The Khan Academy videos are > all available in ogg form and play just fine offline on an XO in Jukebox > from a usb stick. I would suggest, instead, putting the followup activities > from their website into Etoys. It is these activities where students > progress and get little virtual awards and the like. Oh, we will, but we will also transform them, following Marvin Minsky: You don't understand anything unless you understand it in more than one way. > Please read our blog about this. Raj Baberwal wrote a great piece about the > Khan Academy and, in my reply, I told how to use the videos on the XO > without the internet (which he plans to do in India). I tested it to be sure > it works. It does. Here is a link to our > blog: http://famliolpcsocalaudubonms.wordpress.com/ > Scroll down to the 4th post (April 15, 2011). Be sure to click on my comment > to get the simple instructions and link you need to do it. There is some > other nice stuff there too... not about the Khan Academy but about the great > things the 3 volunteers from the olpc-SoCal list are doing with these young > people. I would like to get their work into the Sugar Labs Replacing Textbooks project that I am manager of. Would you introduce us? > Caryl (Proud "mama" of this CP project) > >> Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2011 18:37:17 -0400 >> From: echerlin(a)gmail.com >> To: karlramberg(a)gmail.com >> CC: iaep(a)lists.sugarlabs.org; squeakland(a)squeakland.org; >> sthomas1(a)gosargon.com >> Subject: Re: [IAEP] [squeakland] Etoys Video's for Khan Academy >> >> On Fri, Jun 3, 2011 at 16:04, karl ramberg <karlramberg(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> > The feeling of achievement is important and will help motivate students. >> > In Etoys you have the full environment available at all time. >> > It has a steep learning curve and quite error pron. >> >> I have a page at Sugar Labs called The Undiscoverable, which mentions >> Etoys but does not give many details. I would like help filling it in. >> >> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/The_Undiscoverable >> >> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/The_Undiscoverable/Etoys >> >> > To not pace out the way to use the system can demotivate and give >> > students a >> > hard time. >> > It's a big project to make it seem like a game to unlock the secrets >> > without crippling the system at the same time. >> >> But totally worth the effort. >> >> > Also to measure or give a >> > test automatically of how much a student know or can solve problems is >> > hard >> > when the possible ways to solve problems are almost infinite. One goal >> > of >> > the system is to make it possible for students to be creative and find >> > their >> > own ways to solve problems. >> >> You are asking for the solution to an undecidable problem. >> Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations is devoted entirely to the >> question, "How can we tell whether another person understands us?" >> (Short answer: You can't, except to a very limited degree in very >> limited areas, and you have to make do with that. Longer answer, even >> though in fewer words: We will be able to do this to a fair degree >> when we solve Strong AI.) >> >> Within the limits of what we can verify, we can do a much better job >> than is conventionally attempted, but it will be quite difficult to >> convince the political authorities and much of the populace of that >> fact. Sometimes the problem is not with evidence, as in the case of >> tests for creativity and for racism, which are well-established, but >> not acceptable to the Religious Right, among others. >> >> > Video lectures can be a nice way to introduce both easy parts and >> > hard-to-discover parts of Etoys >> >> +1 >> >> > Karl >> > On Fri, Jun 3, 2011 at 9:15 PM, Steve Thomas <sthomas1(a)gosargon.com> >> > wrote: >> >> >> >> In the OLPC News article How Khan Academy Can Help OLPC it was stated: >> >> >> >> A. In terms of Theways of a Basics >> >> >> >> Khan Academy covers almost every basic academic subject in its videos. >> >> In >> >> addition, it has one hundred sets of math exercises. OLPC could either >> >> use >> >> the exercises from the website or rewrite the programs to make them >> >> work >> >> offline in Sugar. Problem Solved. >> >> >> >> Okay, well how much disk space would that take? >> >> >> >> I like the idea of re-writing them. The videos as introduction to >> >> concept >> >> via demonstrations, visual models, playthinks and excercise that can >> >> (and >> >> should) be done w/o a computer. For exercises I am working on basic >> >> configuration/generation engines for creating exercises so teachers can >> >> easily generate their own exercises using a set of "playthinks" for >> >> particular concepts. For example: Cuisenaire Rods (some with vector >> >> arrows) >> >> is a great tool for learning. I built a number line where you can set >> >> the >> >> unit to a particular rod and provide a playfield so things snap to >> >> grid. >> >> Another example is my OOO tools where you have "operation blocks" that >> >> you >> >> can drag numbers or other objects that represent numbers into the >> >> operations >> >> and play games/excercies like "How many ways can you name 15. >> >> >> >> I could use some help and collaborators as there is a lot to do to >> >> create >> >> an OER that is a textbook/workbook replacement. >> >> >> >> >> >> D. In terms of the Teacher/Developer Communication Dilemma >> >> >> >> I was talking to Bert Freudenberg the other day about developing video >> >> tutorials for eToys, and he said there would need to be about 100 to >> >> give a >> >> complete tutorial of the program. Imagine if Khan Academy could help us >> >> pull >> >> those videos together. With video tutorials, developers and teachers >> >> wouldn't have to communicate at all! I'm sure this a big relief for >> >> both >> >> parties. Problem Solved. >> >> >> >> Name the 100 topics and I will start making the videos (I already have >> >> a >> >> number of "Etoys Minutes") >> >> >> >> B. In terms of Motivation into Exploratory Learning >> >> >> >> In an ideal world, kids would pick up the laptops and go to town on all >> >> the amazing programs available on the XO. But that just isn't how it >> >> works, >> >> because there is more immediate gratification to be found in simple >> >> games >> >> and Facebook. You and I know that exploring the world of science, art, >> >> math, >> >> and literature is much more satisfying than whatever instant >> >> satisfaction >> >> Facebook or (non-educational) online games can provide. But kids don't >> >> yet, >> >> so we need to get our hooks in first. Khan Academy does this through a >> >> system based on gaming, with badges and rewards, just like Xbox Live or >> >> the >> >> PlayStation Network. Problem Solved. >> >> >> >> Yes providing game mechanics (like bages and awards) and tracking is a >> >> nice touch and hooking into the Khan Academy system (or Sugar providing >> >> its >> >> own system) would be nice. Also I like the idea of "disconnected from >> >> the >> >> network" XO so there are less "distractions" (no I am not suggesting >> >> that >> >> kids can't access the internet, but as a parent and working with kids, >> >> having no TV/Computers/Electronics time has its advantages. Perhaps a >> >> "Internet is turned off until you do the following tasks option. For >> >> those >> >> who don't like this and think kids should have full access to >> >> everything all >> >> the time, think of it as a motivation for hacking and getting >> >> peer-to-peer >> >> networking working so they can find other distractions ;) >> >> >> >> C. In terms of the Impending Evaluation and Testing >> >> >> >> The people want proof. If governments or private schools are going to >> >> employ this system, they’re going to want evidence that the program >> >> works in >> >> some measurable way. We can talk all day about the evils of evaluation >> >> but >> >> the fact is that it exists and we need to deal with if we want this to >> >> work. >> >> >> >> Testing is already built into the Khan System, so teachers and students >> >> can track their own progress. The system is measured whenever it is >> >> employed >> >> in a new school, and the statistics show that it WORKS. Problem Solved. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> I agree wholeheartedly with the first comment "people want proof" and >> >> yes >> >> I know and agree with the "evils of testing," but we need to deal with >> >> the >> >> political realities if we want to have a larger impact. >> >> My question is how exactly do we use/hook into the "Testing" in Khan >> >> Academy? Should Sugar provide some method of tracking (as anathema as >> >> I >> >> imagine this may be to some)? >> >> >> >> How do you folks envision working together with Khan Academy? Would >> >> they >> >> be open to it? >> >> >> >> Stephen >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> squeakland mailing list >> >> squeakland(a)squeakland.org >> >> http://lists.squeakland.org/mailman/listinfo/squeakland >> >> >> > >> > >> > _______________________________________________ >> > squeakland mailing list >> > squeakland(a)squeakland.org >> > http://lists.squeakland.org/mailman/listinfo/squeakland >> > >> > >> >> >> >> -- >> Edward Mokurai (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) 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(a)lists.sugarlabs.org >> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep > -- Edward Mokurai (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) 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

1 0

Kudos to Bert for Squeakland Home Page changes!!!
by Steve Thomas 01 Jun '11

01 Jun '11

Bert (I assume this was you), I really like the changes made adding Twitter and especially the new "doThings" animated gif!!! Okay, how did you do the gif? My guess is its a three lines of squeak ;) This is great, would love the code to do it. Thanks, Stephen

2 1

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

squeakland June 2011