Thanks, Justin. You always do a lot more than your share, so you're my role model. That said, the group is full of people who've done more than their share, and so I'd like to pay all of you back with this effort to make your work better known, better received and used effectively.
Your offer of help in California is pretty cool. I know some people in Oregon who might help if that doesn't work out; pretty affordable looking, too. But you're right about stability. Important issue -- we won't be "here" forever. So, the field's open.
*** Great question re. "what does it look like?" below. ... I think the group has some members with opinions on this. Typically, free-open source people make low-level man-type documents. We're looking at something further up in the stack -- at the trainer's level, aren't we? As for whether we have a repository or point to other resources, I'd go with either. But I hope we create materials that workshop leaders can use. I think that's what some others (Bryrant?) were also thinking. I know Les has long thought that a "course" was necessary for each app (correct me if I'm wrong).
For one thing, back to Casey's suggestion, following Joel, that we get off our butts and do something -- that we choose a project to promote. But rather than choosing a project, how bout a category? Explain the options available, involve the project leaders themselves in creating a uniformly formatted set of materials for each project. Still, we have to choose which ones to do first. So, perhaps that issue isn't avoidable.
But we can at least level the playing field if we provide the format and ... yes, a place, and a method, then we can invite people to work on the ones they are reved up ... er, excited about.I'll listen for a while now.
Best wishes,
David
----- Message from jriddiough@xxxxxxxxx ---------
Date: Tue, 20 Dec 2011 02:06:20 -0800
From: Justin Riddiough <jriddiough@xxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: schoolforge-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [school-discuss] Your Open Source Project won 1st place! (Taos.com)
To: schoolforge-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx----- End message from jriddiough@xxxxxxxxx -----
Better ideas would be welcome.
A. Legal entity possibilities:
1. Set up our own and request non-profit status (someone willing to be the address of schoolforge.net? -- my company is in Thailand and non-profit status requires property -- which foreigners cannot have. Plus you need 200,000 Baht (US$6666.66) and you don't get tax-free status -- setting up a school is the only way to get that. A W-2 implies the US, right? Despite its set of complications, I think that the US is the easiest to set up in -- but you have to choose the right state. Deleware looms large as easy to set up in, but I don't know whether that would help us when applying for non-profit status.)
I could provide a California address or PO Box. The idea of this is appealing, and while I'd like to think that I'll live in California forever - housing is expensive and nobody knows what the economy will look like in a few years. So if someone offers something that promises stability, it might be a better long term option.
I will also look into contacting a colleague who is qualified to coordinate and drive the process (paperwork, writing legal documents, etc) If she is available, she could work with whomever is forming the nonprofit to make sure the right paperwork is filed. So if this is a direction we want to go, I would donate some funds for her time.
2. Piggy-back on another organization's legal status (where, who?).
B. Assuming we get the above worked out, then what to do?
* Let's go back to ideas again --
1. Personally, I'm for focusing on two things: teaching materials and
2. Training for both teachers and sys ads.
3. However, we need something aimed at decision makers, too: school admins and tech admins who advise them.
I like the idea #1.. a question I ask is what does it look like? Do we point to external resources, or do we provide a repository for materials..
I think you have the right ideas and the direction is very welcomed. I'll help facilitate however I can.
Justin
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