[FM Discuss] Shuttleworth Foundation: Free textbook help needed

adam adam at xs4all.nl
Thu Aug 26 03:48:35 PDT 2010


looks very interesting...any replies ed?

adam


On Wed, 2010-08-25 at 10:41 -0400, Edward Cherlin wrote:
> I left a message:
> 
> I have been gathering resources for projects such as yours. I am
> delighted to see you making progress, even under these trying
> circumstances. What we have is at your disposal.
> 
> This includes the occasional Ph. D. mathematician and other subject
> matter experts, numerous experts in education generally and in
> one-to-one computing in schools in particular (including Alan Kay and
> students of Seymour Papert), and an online site for rapid development
> and publishing. I have contacted several individuals and groups in our
> network to ask them to help you with this editing sprint.
> 
> When you get the chance, let us get together, your people and mine,
> over the Internet, and see what more we can do to help.
> 
> I am also delighted to see that you have a site for online
> collaboration at a.nnotate.com. Let me offer you another, at
> flossmanuals.net. You would be welcome to use their tools, which would
> among other things allow you to set up projects where you could
> approve people to be subject matter editors, copy editors, graphics
> editors, whatever you need, and get this done. We have experience over
> the last two years in creating books using the FLOSS Manuals book
> sprint methodology, in one week start to finish. See
> 
> http://www.flossmanuals.net/
> 
> particularly the manuals for the Sugar education software, and
> 
> http://en.flossmanuals.net/booksprints
> 
> on the methodology.
> 
> See also
> 
> http://www.earthtreasury.org/replacing-textbooks.html
> 
> On Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 10:15, Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com> wrote:
> > These people _need_ us. They have no idea that they could invite
> > collaboration over the Internet.
> >
> > http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/497
> > Mark Horner is a Fellow at the Shuttleworth Foundation. The model of
> > the Foundation is unusual: we identify interesting change agents, like
> > Mark, who are articulating powerful ideas that seem like the offer a
> > hint of the future, and we fund them to work on those for a year. We
> > also offer them an investment multiplier: if they put their personal
> > money into a project, we multiply that by 10x or more, up to a maximum
> > amount. In short, find good people, back them when they put skin in
> > the game.
> >
> > Mark’s specialty is open content for education: figuring out how to
> > produce textbooks collaboratively. He’s done amazing work in the past,
> > independently, leading an initiative to produce free high school
> > science textbooks, and has lead the acquisition of a full set of
> > textbooks in SA and their publication under an open content licence by
> > the Foundation. Today, he’s been presented with a really awesome
> > opportunity: provide open content to all of SA, with full backing from
> > the department of education.
> >
> > That’s a huge step forward, putting open content much more at the
> > center of mainstream thinking. In part, this is precipitated by a
> > crisis, the strike action that is affecting many public services like
> > education in South Africa. But it’s nevertheless a valuable
> > opportunity to show how open content can change the dynamic of the
> > rigid world of education.
> >
> > He needs help, though, to make sure the current drafts of the Maths
> > and Science textbooks are free of typos:
> >
> >    I really need some extremely urgent help, I’ve been approached by
> > national government to try to help make free educational resources
> > available to support education during the current crisis! We have an
> > opportunity to distribute free educational resources to all schools
> > that cover:
> >
> >        * Grade R – 9 for ALL learning areas in English and Afrikaans
> >        * Grade 10 – 12 Mathematics
> >        * Grade 10 – 12 Physical Science
> >
> >    All that is required is another edit of the Free High School
> > Science Texts before they will release them to all the schools in
> > South Africa. We have ONE WEEK to complete this process and
> > desperately need volunteers who have post-graduate degrees in Maths,
> > Physics, Chemistry or related fields that can help out.
> >
> > http://www.markhorner.net/2010/08/24/calling-scientists-and-mathematicians/
> >
> > The subject matter is Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry at high
> > school level. We need volunteers who have post-graduate degrees in
> > Maths, Physics, Chemistry or related fields and are willing to serve
> > their country.
> > What do we have to do?
> >
> > It is quite simple, we need to proof-read the books and correct any
> > errors. The curriculum is covered, there are enough worked examples
> > but there are a few errors which we need to find and fix. If time
> > permits we can also simplify language and add more worked examples but
> > this is secondary.
> >
> >
> > 3090808-original
> > How we plan on doing it.
> >
> > Volunteers can join us for one or many of the following slots at the
> > Open Innovation Studio (27 Buitenkant Street in Cape Town) where we
> > will be working through the books. Alternatively volunteers can
> > receive material and provide feedback by e-mail. Volunteers will read
> > a section, correct it and submit it for capturing. We want every
> > section read by two independent people to reduce the possibility of
> > errors slipping through.
> >
> > We will provide copies of the material to be edited, food (lunch or
> > dinner), drinks and a superb atmosphere.
> >
> > We have 1800 pages to read and we estimate that we need at least 6
> > people for each of Maths, Chemistry and Physics to complete the
> > process. A final editor will be used for each of the books as a third
> > and final check.
> >
> > --
> > Edward Mokurai (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) Cherlin
> > Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation.
> > The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.
> > http://www.earthtreasury.org/
> >
> 
> 
> 





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