It's somewhat US-centric, but I thought the folks here might be interested in Jason's project - he's been interested in Sugar for quite some time and came out to the ILXO office in Chicago this summer where we had a wonderful conversation.
I thought IAEP might be a good place for Jason to ask for thoughts on Sugar, open source in education, the internet and education, educational technology, and other "education + tech" themes. Perhaps there's some way that Sugar could be a good fit for what he ends up doing next. More context in the letters below. --Mel Jason Hoekstra wrote: > I wrote up a survey for educational technology which I'd like you > consider filling out. More details can be found by clicking on the > link below. Thanks in advance for your consideration and time. > > https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=cGhNc2w3NUJzdGZHNWJ6MUR3YjVfQ0E6MA.. > <https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=cGhNc2w3NUJzdGZHNWJ6MUR3YjVfQ0E6MA..> > (If I forwarded this to you and you aren't an educator, the intent is > for you to forward along to the educator(s) that is (are) close to > you. Also, feel free to forward this along to anyone you think that > would like to participate. Many thanks!!) > > Jason > Here's why I'm doing this. I've been working a good 14+ years as a professional in information technology, mostly as a lead software developer. Last year, I decided to take a strong turn away from a stable career at a pharmaceutical research company to join the Barack Obama campaign in Chicago. Never before have I worked with a more dedicated group aligned with what, in my opinion, fiercely needs to happen in this country. It has been a great ride and I'm continuing on by finding where I can best positively impact change in our country. Obama's understanding of technology as a component to drive change (health care, education, small business, green tech) is a top reason of why he very early became my candidate of choice. Well, apparently others found things they liked in Obama, and with a tremendous effort, we won. From the campaign, I traveled on to the transition team and now working for the White House Office. The role I'm in is temporary as many backend systems are being developed for a department which will soon get a permanent team. I've been thinking very, very deep about what's next and I believe my best move is into the sector of educational technology. Specifically, I'd like to work in the Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology (OET). Stepping back a bit, here's my story. I grew up on Chicago's South Side where educational resources weren't necessarily engaging nor enriching. Luckily, I received a garage sale VIC-20 (precursor to the C64) which allowed me to heavily explore the world of computers. Over the years, this tool (and the others after it) helped me develop skills in logic, persistence, exploration, experimentation and confidence. I felt first hand how a computer can provide an unlimited lab for self-education and exploration which put me on a pretty good track moving forward. For these next few years, I'd like to focus my efforts on helping others (educators, administrators, etc.) find ways to use technology to expand learning and developmental possibilities for our nation's youth. As a consultant for the past decade, I've found the successful application of technology follows a pattern. 1.) Ask the folks in the field about the strengthens and weaknesses of the domain. 2.) Cull over the gathered responses/data and compare to what is in the marketplace. 3.) Propose solutions, modify with the end users until a good fit is found. 4.) Deploy the solution. 5.) Measure success of the solution. 6.) Modify plans as necessary, repeat strengths were possible. So I'm at step one and requesting your help. As a person in the field of education, I'd like to gather your responses to what and how you see technology benefiting education, both as it stands now and in the future. Your responses will help guide my research of the problem and impact areas in educational technology. This will help lead me to my next steps as I begin to work towards a position at the Department of Education. Your honest feedback is greatly appreciated. Please only share what you feel comfortable sharing. Your individual responses will not be shared with anyone else. Thank you greatly in advance for your time and efforts. Sincerely, Jason Hoekstra _______________________________________________ IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) [email protected] http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
