On Tue, Aug 4, 2009 at 6:14 PM, David Farning <[email protected]>wrote:
> On Tue, Aug 4, 2009 at 4:43 PM, Caroline Meeks<[email protected]> > wrote: > > I think you are both right. > > Dennis, I definitely agree that having older students from Middle and > High > > Schools going back to their elementary schools and helping to train > teachers > > is a great strategy. We would love help in implementing that strategy. > We > > are also talking about partnering with the National Center for Open > Source > > in Education (NCOSE) on this strategy. Definitely need help if this is > where > > you are passionate. > > This year we would love to have Middle and High School computer and > > community service clubs trying Sugar, creating videos, creating software, > > working with elementary school students and their old teachers! > > Dave, you are right too. We are no where near ready to be telling any > > teacher that they HAVE TO or even SHOULD use Sugar. We have tons of > promise > > but right now we should be working with those teachers who already see > that > > promise and want to partner with us to achieve it. > > My strategy and goal is to have 100% of the kids 5-12 using Sugar at > home, > > in school and at out of school programs and day care. That requires > > significant teacher outreach, but not 100% of teachers. > > Ahhhh cool idea. I was a bit worried when I saw an earlier post that > you intended to to have a 100% participation rate at GPA. Looking at > _teacher_ participation in terms Pareto distribution, those last few > teacher are going to be costly. > > But by looking at teachers, after school programs, daycare, and > parents, it seems much more feasible to achieve 100% participation > within a student population. > So far all the adults in the school we have talked to have been very enthusiastic. The GPA uses a team approach. Each grade level seems to have at least 6 adults, teachers, adults that work 10-6 for after care, reading and special education specialists, interns, student teachers. Also the Science teacher handles science for all grades. So 100% of students using Sugar for learning will not require anywhere near 100% of the teachers. > > david > > > Thanks, > > Caroline > > > > On Tue, Aug 4, 2009 at 4:52 PM, Dennis Daniels <[email protected] > > > > wrote: > >> > >> Great in theory but I've used Moodle for over three years in public > >> and private schools. > >> > >> Teachers did not go to Moodle until the admins told them to(public > >> school: hand tied/ private school: use Moodle or your fired). We had a > >> teacher who fought using electronic attendance for a year! And the > >> admin(public school) could do nothing about it. > >> > >> There are over 6.4 million teachers in the US (2004 census)... the > >> number of Moodle users in the States? > >> > >> Teachers will not do anything differently unless admins and parents > >> tell them to... and even then Unions will ride in and say, "That's not > >> in the contract." I've seen it, I've heard it. > >> > >> To get change in the schools it is not going to come from the teachers. > >> > >> If SUGAR is going to work then it's going to come from the 'lucky' > >> kids showing off their cool Sugar projects, parents hearing/seeing > >> about it, going to the admins/ school boards, demanding change or > >> taking their kids to 'better' schools. > >> > >> with regards, > >> Dennis > >> > >> lost and found: > >> +15047567321 > >> +18586833669 > >> GoogleTalk: dennisgdaniels > >> skype : dennisdaniels > >> > >> > >> > >> EOF > >> > >> > >> > >> On Tue, Aug 4, 2009 at 15:22, David Farning<[email protected]> > wrote: > >> > On Tue, Aug 4, 2009 at 2:50 PM, Dennis Daniels< > [email protected]> > >> > wrote: > >> >> It was suggested that I post a link to my commentary about Sugar and > >> >> education to this list. > >> >> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Education_Team#Commentary > >> >> > >> >> A quick poll before I go on... how many actively participating > >> >> teachers on this list or the wiki? From what countries? > >> >> -------- > >> >> The views expressed are my own and a byproduct of my energies to try > >> >> and get teachers to incorporate computers into their curriculum for > >> >> over four years. I built an LTSP lab sometime ago for my English > >> >> class(I'm a certified English teacher in California.) > >> >> > >> >> That lab was an eye-opener for me.Though admins and parents and > >> >> students loved what was happening in the class, the improved scores, > >> >> the better writing, higher order thinking etc... _Not a single > >> >> teacher accepted my offer_ at my school, or any other!, to help them > >> >> get their own computer lab running. Admins couldn't convince OR > force > >> >> teachers to take what was free e.g. my offer to help build the LTSP > >> >> labs. > >> >> > >> >> Sugar will get very little traction in schools without a seriously > >> >> hard look at your biggest obstacle/opponent: the teachers. > >> > > >> > Moddle has a very effective method of dealing with reluctant teachers; > >> > they don't worry about them! Moodle works very hard to insure that > >> > Moodle is effective even if only one teacher in a school uses it. > >> > Then, they let the kids do the selling:) If 25 kids successfully used > >> > Moodle in the third grade, those 25 kids become 4th graders and bug > >> > their new teachers to use Moodle. > >> > > >> > david > >> > > >> >> I need help in getting Sugar to be cool for kids and the easiest way > >> >> _in my experience_ is to make it easy for kids to show off... make > >> >> screencasting a FUNCTIONING and EASY to USE tool that can be launched > >> >> from every activity. > >> >> > >> >> Please, if you're going to flame back, try to attack the argument > (and > >> >> parts of it may be flawed) and not me. > >> >> > >> >> thanks, > >> >> Dennis > >> >> _______________________________________________ > >> >> IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) > >> >> [email protected] > >> >> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep > >> >> > >> > > >> _______________________________________________ > >> IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) > >> [email protected] > >> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep > > > > > > -- > > Caroline Meeks > > Solution Grove > > [email protected] > > > > 617-500-3488 - Office > > 505-213-3268 - Fax > > > -- Caroline Meeks Solution Grove [email protected] 617-500-3488 - Office 505-213-3268 - Fax
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