Re: [school-discuss] What's in a name?

[Dave Prentice <dprentice@uno.edu>]

Some like the term "facilitator." As a teacher, though, I agree with
whoever
said earlier that "guide" is a very good word.
Dave Prentice
prentice@instruction.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Ben Armstrong <synrg@sanctuary.nslug.ns.ca>
To: schoolforge-discuss@schoolforge.net
<schoolforge-discuss@schoolforge.net>
Cc: debian-jr@lists.debian.org <debian-jr@lists.debian.org>
Date: Thursday, February 21, 2002 12:37 PM
Subject: [school-discuss] What's in a name?


>I have a naming problem.
>
>I'm revising Debian Jr. documentation and the web site, and in
doing so
>I realize that we don't really have a good name for the people who
help
>children with their computers.  It struck me that this isn't a
problem
>specific to our project, which is why I'm turning to the members of
this
>list.
>
>So I brainstormed with Justin Zeigler of OSEF over this problem on
irc
>and together we came up with a list of words, some of which I
prefer
>better than others, and for some very specific reasons.  But
without
>biasing your opinion, I'll just give you the background for the
problem,
>and the goals I have in mind for a replacement term, and then the
list
>of words.  I'd like you to review them and tell me which seems like
a
>"best fit" and why, or suggest some alternatives.
>
>I had been using the phrase "children and their sys admins" fairly
>liberally up to this point, and that might be suitable today, with
>Debian Jr. being focussed on the sys admins who install Debian Jr.
on
>behalf of children.  But I'm afraid the term sys admin is too
narrow
>a designation and won't survive as a generic label as we branch
out.
>Please refer to http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-jr where I use
"sys
>admin" throughout.  I think in most instances on this page, it is
an
>accurate description of the role, but as my documentation grows
beyond
>the systems level to touch the users themselves, the label does not

>fit so well for everyone in the helping role.  Beyond the initial
>system install and the occasional upgrade, the "sys admin" may not
be
>around often, fading into the background.
>
>Parents, teachers, teenaged siblings, relatives or friends my all
take
>"helper" roles when children use computers.  What is a term that
best
>describes the primary person or people in the "helping" role? The
term
>should not have primarily dominant or authoritarian undertones.  It

>should not be specific to one particular kind of relationship (like

>"teacher") and it should be a "comfortable" term both as a
>self-designation for any of these people and as a term used by the
>children themselves.  I want some term that embodies support,
>co-discovery, and mutual enjoyment in the relationship.
>
>Here is our list of "keepers".  I will not list the ones we
rejected, as
>they are too numerous.  I'll deal with my specific objections to
those
>if any of you chances to come up with one of them.
>
> advocate
> agent
> aide
> guardian
> helper
> pathfinder
> patron
> sponsor
>
>Thanks,
>Ben Armstrong
>p.s. I unavoidably designated the role as a "helper" or "helping"
role,
>     in this post, which is not necessarily an endorsement of that
very
>     general term as a favourite.  I merely chose it since it
seemed
>     like the broadest term which encompassed all others, perhaps
for
>     that very reason a bit too broad.  (Oops, there I go biasing
you :)
>--
>    nSLUG       http://www.nslug.ns.ca
synrg@sanctuary.nslug.ns.ca
>    Debian      http://www.debian.org       synrg@debian.org
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