[FM Discuss] Beyond manuals

[Edward Cherlin]

On Thu, Mar 26, 2009 at 6:09 PM, Andy Oram <andyo at oreilly.com> wrote:
> Thanks for the validation and the extra ideas. Especially for mentioning education again. O'Reilly's Head First approach is promising in that area, but it requires a big investment.

I'm running through the Head First Algebra book on Safari. It uses
pictures of refrigerator magnets, and asks the reader to put them in
the right places in an equation. We can do this with the programmable
blocks in Turtle Art to make it instantly interactive. The page can
show the value of each side of the equation, and whether the two sides
are equal, and let students see values of subexpressions, and so on.
We can automate graphing with no trouble. We can get a symbolic
algebra program and let students do real manipulations. I'll think of
some more software that we can build in. I have material on showing
students how to write programs to create their own practice problems.
Then we can think about how interactivity affects the educational
approach.

What I haven't seen yet is, How you know any of this works. I see, "If
you follow the rules, you'll ALWAYS get the right answer." As far as I
am concerned, "Trust me" is never the right answer in math or science.

>The governments do have the funds.

Some of them. And NGOs and aid agencies are willing to spend on the
others when we can present a convincing case.

> Andy
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Edward Cherlin" <echerlin at gmail.com>
> To: discuss at lists.flossmanuals.net
> Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2009 9:02:09 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
> Subject: Re: [FM Discuss] Beyond manuals
>
> On Thu, Mar 26, 2009 at 5:11 PM, Andy Oram <andyo at oreilly.com> wrote:
>> Ed asked some very deep questions on Tuesday about my whole motivation for being part of FLOSS Manuals. Well, two days is not such a bad gap for such heavy questions.
>>
>> For O'Reilly:
>>
>> * As I wrote in earlier mail, I think we need to get really serious about communities--to embed ourselves in communities.
>
> +1
>
> Not just communities of FLOSS developers and users of particular
> programs. We have a chance to become one of the leading voices of Open
> IP--FLOSS, Creative Commons, Open Access and others. Some of the key
> communities are government (Use of FLOSS, legislation on IP...),
> multimedia, human rights groups (right to education, right to
> information, rights against monopoly...), teachers, students, parents
>
>> We have to produce free documentation and find ways to get paid for it. I'm hoping to build a new business on serving communities. One might call it a new branch of publishing.
>
> I have suggested targeting education as one of several areas to make
> money. Netbook computers cost less than textbooks in all but the
> poorest countries, where the textbooks are pitiful. We can talk to
> Ministries of Education, starting in countries that have already
> decided to deploy OPLC XOs or other computers to all children; US
> state education departments; the Obama Administration; NGOs;
> international aid agencies. I can dig out examples of teaching
> materials funded by various organizations in recent years.
>
>> * I think most of the people in our company are pursuing short-term mechanisms for prolonging our role as trusted information source. I don't know whether these mechanisms are sustainable, but I'm ready for a big leap and to swallow the rules of crowdsourcing whole.
>
> FLOSS is sustainable. Wikpedia is sustainable. Both require
> fund-raising and corporate support. I take these examples as an
> existence proof. It can be done. Now what is the best way for us to do
> it?
>
>> For FLOSS Manuals:
>>
>> * I want to find ways to ensure success in two ways. I think we've succeeded through luck up to now, although I'm open to learning that what we're doing is a reliable way to succeed. The two ways we're successful is 1) Finding people willing to write, and 2) producing good documentation. I have hypotheses about how to put these goals on firmer ground, and I want to try them.
>
> It is always luck when a founder turns out to have an appropriate
> temperament and usable ideas, but we have that. In part the question
> is whether that can be turned into a culture where newcomers absorb
> what is necessary, or if not, they leave, preferably of their own
> volition.
>
>> For myself:
>>
>> * I want to make a living by doing work that I've always loved doing and that I'm convinced is worth paying for. I can see the difference I've made in many books at O'Reilly and elsewhere, and other people seem to validate my impression. I want to continue bringing writer together, bringing audiences together with writers, and editing their work.
>
> FLOSS is a large part of the biggest serious attack on global poverty
> and injustice ever, and bids fair to overturn much of inherited
> economic custom and theory. There is far more to come.
>
>> I got involved first with FLOSS Manuals because Adam flattered me by approaching me. Then I did it because it was fun. Soon I'll have to make sure I'm meeting the goals I've just listed, but I think I can get there.
>>
>> Andy
>> _______________________________________________
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>> Discuss at lists.flossmanuals.net
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>>
>
>
>
> --
> Silent Thunder (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) is my name
> And Children are my nation.
> The Cosmos is my dwelling place, The Truth my destination.
> http://earthtreasury.net/ (Edward Mokurai Cherlin)
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-- 
Silent Thunder (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) is my name
And Children are my nation.
The Cosmos is my dwelling place, The Truth my destination.
http://earthtreasury.net/ (Edward Mokurai Cherlin)