[FM Discuss] general call out for help

[Edward Cherlin]

On Mon, Jul 19, 2010 at 09:33, adam hyde <adam at flossmanuals.net> wrote:
> hi Everyone,
>
> I am currently looking for funding for FM...

Excellent.

> you might not be aware of
> the fact that fm has no employees :)

Acutely.

[snip]

> I am currently applying for funding since our activities are getting
> pretty ambitious.

Are you writing the grant applications yourself? It seems to me that
we should collaborate online.

> Not only have we solved the general and long lasting
> problem together of how to build a sustainable community to build great
> free docs on free software, not only have we revolutionalised the
> process of collaborative book production (Book Sprints), and not only
> have we built a paradigm breaking new software (Booki)...but we are also
> making this all free (gratis and libre) and spreading the ideas and
> tools as wide as possible...
>
> So, to do this we need to grow. To grow we need resources. To get
> resources we need funders (and work). And to get funders (or work) we
> need you.
>
> I really need one of two things from you:
> 1. can you recommend individuals or organisations that would support our
> work either as funders or who might pay for dev or book sprints or

I am looking for funding for free/Free digital textbook replacements
in support of One Laptop Per Child/Sugar Labs/etc. If FM is willing to
host the development and publishing, we can work together on this. The
general plan is to do generic materials, based on Smalltalk and other
Free Software, with grants. We would cover every school subject at
every age, including course materials, teacher training materials,
lesson plans, and topics for independent discovery, and then offer to
customize them on contract. We can discuss translation processes as
another component. I have started a Wiki page for curriculum standards
at Sugar Labs.

http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Education_Team/Curriculum_Standards

There is much more about computers and Free Software in education on
that Wiki and the laptop.org Wiki.

I have not explored the grant opportunities in detail, but it is worth
considering that Education Secretary Arne Duncan is trying to give
away many billions of dollars for education innovation.

> 2. can you supply real world examples of how you see us making a
> difference. This could be a personal anecdote or a pointer to
> information you have seen where projects make good from our work...

Free/free textbook replacements are recognized by many as an idea
whose time has come, because netbook computers cost less than printed
books in many countries. Indiana allows schools to buy computers out
of their textbook budget. Maine gives students Apple notebooks.
California has a page for its free digital textbooks.

http://www.clrn.org/fdti/

Bryan Berry of OLE (Open Learning Exchange) Nepal has called for some
10,000 topic modules to cover a dozen or so subjects (including major
languages) for every grade level, K-12. Among those whom I have talked
to about participating are

o Alan Kay, Squeakland: Smalltalk/Squeak/Etoys
o Walter Bender, Sugar Labs: Sugar software
o Nicholas Negroponte, OLPC: XO laptops
o Doug Engelbart, Engelbart Institute: Enhancing Collective Intelligence
o Larry Lessig, Change Congress, formerly Creative Commons: Civics, content
o Creative Commons ccLearn: Content
o Various tech and children's museums: Exhibits, classes, demos
o Various city, county, and state education authorities: Saving money;
possible grants

Some are eager to begin, and a few would like to see one or two titles
before committing further.

The immediate beneficiaries will be children and their families and
friends in every territory that uses One-to-One computing in its
schools, from  Birmingham, Alabama to Afghanistan. Later, the plan is
to reach up to a billion children worldwide, and thereby to put an end
to poverty, degradation, oppression, and possibly even war, all while
spreading the FLOSS culture of sharing and the Sugar culture of
collaboration.

> i would be happy to field these answers off list if you prefer...
>
> many many thanks for any help and support with these two needs :)

I thought you'd never ask! ^_^

> adam
>
>
>
>
> --
> Adam Hyde
> Founder FLOSS Manuals
> German mobile : + 49 177 4935122
> Email : adam at flossmanuals.net
> irc: irc.freenode.net #flossmanuals
>
> "Free manuals for free software"
> http://www.flossmanuals.net/about
>
>
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-- 
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/