On Sat, Dec 20, 2008 at 1:20 AM, Hilaire Fernandes hilaire@ofset.orgwrote:

Dear all,

I am working on a learning system written in Smalltalk. The contents is only in French for now, and only cover multiplication learning, but I am planing for more in various subjects. Underneath the curriculum is modelised in a graph to help situating the learning progression of the learner.

It is an alpha state, website http://www.istoa.net

I've done an english translation of the main page using google translate - I'm not certain but it could be Hilaire's intention to eventually develop a computer mentoring system - identified by alan kay as the main thing missing from his dynabook vision (40th anniversary presentation)

if anyone improves the translation please send me a copy activité (étayage) = activity (shoring) ???

ABOUT

iSTOA.net is a research project to build a platform for interactive teaching and monitoring the Internet. It is free and cross-licensed MIT.

Some aspects of iStoa.net:

* Interactive exercises for students is important (see this article on the artifacts). * Modeling of the field of learning * The construction of a knowledge model of learning as part of its activities with the software * A remediation when the student is in trouble

We are building a community around this project, to help us build it, join us! You can also reach OFSET (Organization for Free Software in Education and Teaching), which supports the project on its list of discussion.

NEW IN VERSION 8.12-ALPHA1

Intermediate version. Includes editor notional network, database, web console, the student, the application of test exercises:

* Resolution bug # 6936, # 6937, # 6973, # 6939 List of bugs * Version based Pharo # 10192: font rendering plugin with FreeType, verifications and modifications Pharo for compatibility with the latest stable version 41.1 of Magma. * Refactoring code. Correction on some exercises.

The console's web master and the students with recording traces are present. However, some simple operations are necessary to activate them. If you want to test, ask on the mailing list.

Since its interactive teaching file, ISTO provides access to a set of scaffolding materials. Each shoring is an activity that addresses one or more educational themes and includes a series of exercises. The shoring are classified according to the classification of items of educational curricula. It includes more than 40 educational shoring with more than 160 years.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The platform is aimed at teaching math and French cycle 3 of primary school. Its use is multiple use in the classroom, use at home or remediation monitoring with deferred by the teacher.

Each act of the learner is stored in a database, in a local network or the Internet. Of course, use offline mode is possible, there is no case in this recording traces

Features ISTO is divided into four main parts:

1. A modeling tool in the field of learning. 2. A corpus of interactive and dynamic. 3. A system for recording acts of learning. 4. A Web console of the teacher to see the traces of learners.

These revolve around large parts of modeling the domain of learning. The exercises are the learner according to a part of this model, and partly of his learning.

The exercises of the body are modular and configurable objects. They are grouped by activity (shoring). The chart below shows in detail some of these relationships:

DIAGRAM

Domain de reference: programmes scolaires = Domain of reference: curricula

Graphe de competences = Graph of competences

Graphe d'etayage = Graphe shoring

Apprenant = Learner

Modele de connaissance = Model knowledge

decrit = described

Fait evoluer = Changed

modelise = modeled

Corpus d'exercices = Corpus exercises

pilote = pilot

Traitement erreur = Treatment error

Domaine de reference: savoir-faire pedagogique = Area of reference: educational know-how

The project

The outline of the model are in place. The body of exercises is to increase, for a school it takes several hundreds of interactive exercises. But for them, we develop artifacts that are reusable components from one year to another, this reduces the development time necessary.

To learn more about the project, visit the state of the project. If you wish to participate in the project, also visit the PARTICIPATE IN ISTO.