On Mon, 30 Mar 2009, Stephen Jacobs wrote: > Re the "Math API," really consider what's going to make the difference and > leverage the XO's use. > > Merely making a "flash cards" or "Quizing" program doesn't really buy you a > whole lot. You don't need a computer to create Flash cards or quizes.
Yes, but a simple flash card program is a great way of testing a simple new API. > The benefits of doing things on a computer should be exploited. This is > where most drillware fails to be educational or motivational. In the > XO's case you have the other advantage of a platform that will easily > support collaborative work. Exactly. Which is why an API that defines a common mechanism for dealing with the basics of the most common element of drillware -- the quiz -- is precisely the place to start. Because here's the thing: I am already about to write this piece for Mongo! And I'd really rather not. I'd really much rather receive a well-written and well-maintained API. > Instead of a flash card or a quiz that shows a diagram and asks a > question, why not single or shared apps that allow students to > manipulate objects and symbols to arrive at an answer. Much more > interactive, constructive and developmentally appropriate, since kids in > the OLPC age group are born experimenters. Give them 2D environments to > manipulate to take them way beyond the digital equivalent of a printed > piece of cardboard. Because I, as a writer of a completely different activity, can't use that yet. I need simple building blocks. Open source software is at its most effective when it's composed of well-considered building blocks. I think the analysis that led to Brian's decision to tackle the quiz API first was spot on. (And, of course, it should accommodate the Moodle data formats, which I may have mentioned.) > Also Brian, remember that we're in a conceptual design and prototyping > stage in an 18 month long development timeline. At this point one of > the most useful things that can be done is to create "10 small apps that > don't make it out of a beta stage" > > A technologist's first instinct is to "build the tech!" When you are > building educational software (and really any content-based software,) > prototyping various approaches and running them by your target audience > is crucial to the success of your development effort. > > Those 10 small apps that test various methods of displaying objects and > symbols for students to experiment with object manipulation and formulas > tell you which directions to move in to make the right software to go > beyond alpha down the appropriate delivery for the content and the > audience :-) I agree with this -- and all 10 apps should be used not only to get feedback from the target audience, but also to build and explore the common libraries that we need. --g -- Got an XO that you're not using? Loan it to a needy developer! [[ http://wiki.laptop.org/go/XO_Exchange_Registry ]] _______________________________________________ FourthGradeMath mailing list [email protected] http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/fourthgrademath
