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[school-discuss] Reforging Schoolforge, summary of October's conversation and call for participation



Dear Colleagues,

The discussion started by Joel's post about dosomething.org and Casey's comment that we should unite behind a FLOSS-cause, sparked a great conversation which, I think, we all want to continue, and, most importantly, lead to doing something good with this mailing list. In support of that conversation and its goal, I am posting a compilation of that conversation and some steps I hope we will take forward.

I've broken this message up into three broad categories in hopes that it will help you to wade through it more easily:

  I. CURRENT DISCUSSION
 II. THE VERY NEXT THING
III. THE BIG THINGS COMING

Here goes:

**********I. CURRENT DISCUSSION**********

* I looked through the discussion and tried to show what the ideas were
(didn't want to lose any).
* Identified a) unique ideas, b) supporting project suggestions and c)
ideas mentioned more than once.

UNIQUE (BUT GOOD) IDEAS:

Videos Contest (Yay, Justin!)
* Software Freedom Day (Yay, Laura!)
* Conference anyone (What are you nuts, David)?

SUPPORTING PROJECTS (CODE)

* DJANGO COOP -- NEEDS EXPLANATION
* http://en.althigorinlinux.org/LTSP
* http:ill//code.funnymonkey.com/doc/voiceboxitzgerald

MENTIONED MORE THAN ONCE

* Videos Contest (Yay, Justin!).
* Case Studies.
* Materials for convincing people (teachers and decision makers) to
use Free/Open Sources.
* Information for teachers, schools and collections of schools (aka
"districts") about particular needs and possible solutions.
* Software projects for the arts.
* Identify conferences/events for promoting FLOSS.
* Offer help in decision making for different situations and use-cases.
* Adding, linking to and maintaining social network links/interactivity.

Please have a look and add those that you think should be added.

Seems to me that, so far, we have several areas people would like to cover (if I'm missing anything you feel strongly about, then please point it out):

1. _Our own public platform_: The software we use to share knowledge and
skills with the schools and their community members.
2. _Our own working platform_: A work in-progress which needs to be
discussed -- how do we work together besides the list -- should it be
on the Web site or do we just flexibly add and subtract tools all the
time at whim (probably looking for a middle ground)?
3. _Projects Directory_: Projects that we should recommend or, at least mention that we know
someone who uses them/it.  (Justin and LM are well on their way to a
quite substantial and up-to-date, as well as attractive list on the
site.  They are also making it pdf-able.  So, they have already jumped
ahead to prepare something they hope will be useful as we move
forward.)
4. _PR for FLOSS_: Arguments for Free/Open Sources referencing the tools and resources
we are willing to mention.
5. _Marketing Materials_: Referring to or based on 3 and 4, Supporting materials: flyers,
white papers, brochures, screen casts, videos (and whatever else we
find time for and think would be effective)
6. _Our Standards_: Yet to be addressed: Our project-vetting process (and time-line)
and standards.  (Although Justin and LM are well into it, the criteria
should be explicit -- there is not an all or nothing attitude at
present, but, rather, one of inclusion with comments. This is probably
good, but needs to be explicit, doesn't it?)
7. _Methodology_: Yet to be addressed: Our methodology and structure.

As a reference, I have shared the spreadsheet I made of the above with you. It has two sheets, categories and excerpts from the conversation.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AuqxP0FEz87qdE5sVno3bFFuMVh2WDZHbkhveGphTkE

You can look for yourself in the archives http://archives.seul.org/schoolforge/discuss/Oct-2011/threads.html
**********II. THE VERY NEXT THING***********

WHAT TO DO NOW?

Support the Web site's Development:

A) Regarding Projects listed on Schoolforge.net:

I would like to suggest that we start by supporting Justin and LM in two ways:
1) By going to the site and adding screenshots of apps or resources you know and use. 2) By going to the site and casting our votes and asking others to do so (How about voting for ten
and asking ten people to vote, too -- and asking them to ask 5?

B) Regarding publicizing those projects

1) Is anyone up to be the force behind going "social" with all the obvious big players? 2) Is anyone willing to play a supporting role? (It takes time as you all know.)

**********III. THE BIG THINGS COMING**********

A) . I will write project owners. If you _are_ one and are not yet a coalition member, please join. And once you've joined, please rally the troops to visit, vote for/rate and comment on your project. You'd be welcome to take over primary management of your project's page. (Anyone interested in helping to contact projects should let me know.)

Justin points out that we're in an information gathering and planning phase. Hopefully, we'll get through this and, perhaps, early in the new year will be ready to start some of the projects discussed in earnest. As part of that planning, Justin and LM have approached Bryant and NCOSE about whether they'll share their work with us (and the credit).

In the meantime, please chime in via this list on who'd like to work on what:

1. _Our own public platform_
2. _Our own working platform_
3. _Projects Directory_
4. _PR for FLOSS_
5. _Marketing Materials_
6. _Our Standards_


Each of these could be quite interesting in their own rights, and putting them together in a way that effectively supports the use of FLOSS in and for education will be our common goal. This is an opportunity to get involved with a grass roots project that has lots of quiet support, so it will be something of which we can feel some pride. Lend a hand and help make it happen.

Once people voice an interest in a project, we can collectively help each of those initiatives organize themselves and start discussing what they'd like to do with the proviso that it be open and reported back to all of us.


Apologies for not taking all of the advice I received in putting this summary together; I would have had to start over and felt you'd waited long enough. I hope this message is clear enough to give you an idea of where we've been and where you might throw in your support next.



Looking forward to hearing from you all.

Best wishes,

David

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