[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
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