[FM Discuss] Shuttleworth Foundation: Free textbook help needed

adam adam at xs4all.nl
Mon Aug 30 21:59:34 PDT 2010


hey :)

sounds very cool to me...do you feel like being the bridge? 

adam

On Mon, 2010-08-30 at 16:03 -0400, Joshua Gay wrote:
> In my mental organization model I have a little bubble that includes
> Flossmanuals, Wikieducator, and Mark Horner all grouped together. If I
> had to label that bubble with a category it might be something like:
> "Fabulous at Documenting Community Processes" and I would link to
> Mark's Siyavula training manuals
> (http://siyavula.org.za/downloads/?dl_cat=2), the Floss Manual
> Booksprint Manual, and the Wikieducator Workgroups for Workgroups page
> (amongst others) as examples.  I think that a collaboration between
> FHSST and FlossManuals could be both very productive and exciting and
> I think that reaching out to WikiEducator community to invite them to
> join in some sort of editorial booksprint would a good idea. 
> 
> -Josh
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 12:44 PM, Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>         Waiting to hear. I'm going to make some phone calls.
>         
>         
>         On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 06:48, adam <adam at xs4all.nl> wrote:
>         > 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/
>         >> >
>         >>
>         >>
>         >>
>         >
>         >
>         > _______________________________________________
>         > Discuss mailing list
>         > Discuss at lists.flossmanuals.net
>         >
>         http://lists.flossmanuals.net/listinfo.cgi/discuss-flossmanuals.net
>         >
>         
>         
>         
>         
>         --
>         
>         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/
>         _______________________________________________
>         Discuss mailing list
>         Discuss at lists.flossmanuals.net
>         http://lists.flossmanuals.net/listinfo.cgi/discuss-flossmanuals.net
>         
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> "Every time the word 'achievement' or 'academics' is used to mean test
> scores we cheapen the meaning of both terms." --Deborah Meier
> _______________________________________________
> Discuss mailing list
> Discuss at lists.flossmanuals.net
> http://lists.flossmanuals.net/listinfo.cgi/discuss-flossmanuals.net





More information about the Discuss mailing list