[etoys-dev] [gsoc-mentors] [GSoC ideas] Squeak/Etoys

[Steve Thomas]

There is development within Etoys involved. But at the tile scripting
level, not necessarily at the Smalltalk level.

Stephen

On Tuesday, February 18, 2014, Serge Stinckwich <serge.stinckwich at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> is there any Smalltalk development involved in this project ?
>
> Regards,
>
> On Mon, Feb 17, 2014 at 11:23 PM, Steve Thomas <sthomas1 at gosargon.com>
> wrote:
> > Kathleen,
> >
> > Great feedback, thanks.  Below is an updated version:
> >
> > Many children can not communicate verbally whether due to nonverbal
> autism
> > or some other factor.  While there are many catalogs and websites with
> > adaptive equipment and software but the prices are high.  There is a OLPC
> > deployment in Uraguay where a student uses his stuffed animal as an input
> > device for using an XO and Etoys.  We would like to build on this to
> make it
> > easier and lower cost or these children and their parents to communicate
> and
> > use computers.  The software would be free and OpenSource and the
> hardware
> > to hack a Stuffed Animal could potentially repurpose old keyboards [2] or
> > under $10 by repurposing a used USB game controller (free if kids donate
> > their old ones).
> >
> > In the first project a student would design and document how to hack a
> > stuffed animal to be used as an input device similar to a joystick or
> arrow
> > and a few other keys to allow a nonverbal child to use their favorite
> > stuffed animal as an input device.
> >
> > Level: beginner
> > Skills required: Maker skills. To Hack a stuffed animal. Etoys (If
> student
> > knows Scratch, they can learn the skills needed in Etoys for this
> project)
> >
> > In the second project a student would design a set of picture boards that
> > could be navigated using a joystick or arrow keys and arrow and few other
> > keys.  The project would also allow a parent or teacher to simply add and
> > re-arrange pictures using a webcam, imported pictures or simple drawings
> > that can be made using Etoys[1].  Etoys runs on Linux, Windows and Mac OS
> > and is one of the core applications in the OLPC XO.
> >
> > Level: beginner
> > Skills required: Etoys (If student knows Scratch, they can learn the
> skills
> > needed in Etoys for this project)
> >
> > Mentor:
> > Stephen Thomas <sthomas1 at gosargon.com>
> >
> > [1] http://squeakland.org/
> > [2] http://www.instructables.com/id/Hacking-a-USB-Keyboard/?ALLSTEPS
> >
> > On Mon, Feb 17, 2014 at 11:23 AM, Harness, Kathleen <
> kharness at illinois.edu>
> > wrote:
> >>
> >> Steve,
> >> You may want to emphasize in the application that this is a low cost
> >> adaptive technology. There are many catalogs and websites with adaptive
> >> equipment and software but the prices are high. A cost comparison might
> be
> >> persuasive.
> >> Regards,
> >> Kathleen
> >> ________________________________
> >> From: etoys-dev-bounces at squeakland.org [
> etoys-dev-bounces at squeakland.org]
> >> on behalf of Steve Thomas [sthomas1 at gosargon.com]
> >> Sent: Monday, February 17, 2014 12:19 AM
> >> To: Bert Freudenberg
> >> Cc: smalltalk-gsoc-mentors at googlegroups.com; etoys dev; Paolo Bonzini;
> The
> >> general-purpose Squeak developers list
> >>
> >> Subject: Re: [etoys-dev] [gsoc-mentors] [GSoC ideas] Squeak/Etoys
> >>
> >> Many children can not communicate verbally whether due to nonverbal
> autism
> >> or some other factor.  There is a OLPC deployment in Uraguay where a
> student
> >> uses his stuffed animal as an input device for using an XO and Etoys.
>  We
> >> would like to build on this to make it easier and cheaper for these
> children
> >> and their parents to communicate and use computers.
> >>
> >> In the first project a student would design and document how to hack a
> >> stuffed animal to be used as an input device similar to a joystick or
> arrow
> >> and a few other keys to allow a nonverbal child to use their favorite
> >> stuffed animal as an input device.
> >>
> >> Level: beginner
> >> Skills required: Maker skills. To Hack a stuffedSerge Stinckwich
> UCBN & UMI UMMISCO 209 (IRD/UPMC)
> Every DSL ends up being Smalltalk
> http://www.doesnotunderstand.org/
>


-- 

To some of us, writing computer programs is a fascinating game. A program
is a building of thought. It is costless to build, weightless, growing
easily under our typing hands. If we get carried away, its size and
complexity will grow out of control, confusing even the one who created it.
This is the main problem of programming. It is why so much of today's
software tends to crash, fail, screw up.

When a program works, it is beautiful. The art of programming is the skill
of controlling complexity. The great program is subdued, made simple in its
complexity.

- Martin Harverbeke (from Eloquent
JavaScript<http://eloquentjavascript.net/index.html>
)
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