15:24:07 <muccic_> #startmeeting
15:24:07 <zodbot> Meeting started Thu Apr 15 15:24:07 2010 UTC.  The chair is muccic_. Information about MeetBot at http://wiki.debian.org/MeetBot.
15:24:09 <zodbot> Useful Commands: #action #agreed #halp #info #idea #link #topic.
15:25:27 <muccic_> does anyone know who I could contact to find out what users have thought about Sugar on a Stick?
15:27:30 * sdziallas waves.
15:27:41 <sdziallas> mchua: ping ;) could that be something for a deployment?
15:28:36 * mchua looks up
15:28:54 <mchua> muccic_: Ooh. Yes, actually. Let me walk into the kitchen and find one now.
15:29:10 * sdziallas grins. cool stuff! ;)
15:29:20 <mchua> muccic_: I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but my aunt is a first-grade teacher who's using SoaS with her students this year.
15:31:28 <mchua> muccic_: You folks around now? She can come and chat with you for a bit.
15:31:38 <muccic_> mchua: ooh! that's awesome! i want to put some reviews of sugar on a stick on my group's spin page.
15:31:48 <muccic_> Ya, could i talk to her?
15:31:59 <mchua> muccic_: Excellent. And she can point you to the blogs of her students, and we have a 6-year-old here available for comment...
15:32:06 <mchua> muccic_: Hang on, let me get her on this channel.
15:32:36 <lynnemay> muccic_: Hello!
15:32:45 <muccic_> mchua: thanks!
15:32:56 <muccic_> lynneway: hey!
15:33:01 <muccic_> how are you?
15:33:02 <mchua> muccic_: lynnemay is my aunt Lynne May, who teaches first grade and is using SoaS with her students this year.
15:33:10 <muccic_> oh ok
15:33:12 * sdziallas waves to lynnemay ;)
15:33:17 <muccic_> haha
15:33:25 <lynnemay> Hello to you too!
15:33:34 <muccic_> Lynnemay: where are you teaching?
15:33:37 <mchua> lynnemay: muccic_ is one of the Allegheny students working on a webpage for SoaS, she's looking for some quotes and such from users.
15:33:46 * mchua hops out to let the two of you talk.
15:34:00 <lynnemay> I teach at a Quaker school in Cambridge, MA - Cambridge Friends School.'
15:34:04 <muccic_> is SoaS the main tool you use to teach your students
15:34:11 <muccic_> ok
15:34:45 <muccic_> lynnemay: what feautures does SoaS have that your students can use?
15:34:53 <lynnemay> Yes, the children's task is to Explore Sugar and learn about being a QA Engineer.
15:34:55 <muccic_> and was it hard for them to learn it?
15:35:58 <lynnemay> The children like Maze, Speak, Implode, Physics. Some are discovering Turtle Art and Moon. Some are into the paint activities.
15:36:17 <muccic_> Lynnemay: what would you say is the main thing they've been using the software for?  Also, why did you decide you wanted to use SoaS with them?  Are you teaching in an underpriveledged area, and this may be their first experience with computers?
15:36:37 <lynnemay> They are like people who jump into the pool for the first time and manage to stay afloat and have fun.
15:37:25 <lynnemay> The students I have come from families that have some means to send their children to an independent school.
15:37:51 <muccic_> Lynnemay: hmm. I'm going to have to look up those apps to see what they're about, because i really havent' explored SoaS much myself up to this point.  I thiink that's great that they're getting exposure to physics at that age, b/c it's hard to get familiar with that subject as you get older.
15:38:25 <muccic_> Lynnemay: good analogy, ha
15:38:30 <lynnemay> I am doing SoaS because I have always been curious about Technology and young children. This current deployment allows me to explore this with a new technology that fascinates me.
15:39:26 <lynnemay> You should check my blog and see how we started this in my class.
15:40:17 <muccic_> Lynnemay: i think that's great that they have to make what they will of it, it's pretty open ended.  Did you ever get any opposition to this from your boss, or any parents who may think that their kids don't need any more technology?  If so, how would you respond to criticism?
15:40:34 <muccic_> Lynnemay: what's the link to your blog???
15:40:34 <lynnemay> In my field of Early Childhood Education, there are teachers who would love to incorporate technology but are still exploring how. And there are those who think that children sit and stare at video/TV monitors so much already that they do not need to be doing that at school.
15:41:02 <muccic_> Lynnemay: ok
15:41:27 <lynnemay> I am of the mindset that technology is very much a part of our world, and a big part of how we communicate and connect with people locally and globally.
15:42:26 <lynnemay> The Sugar learning environment can be a cyber universe parallel to physical early childhood classrooms.
15:43:55 <lynnemay> my blog is  lmylim.wordpress.com
15:45:26 <muccic_> Lynnemay: definitely agree. they might as well learn early on how to use technology because they'll have to at some point anyway. better to grow up with it.  I'll check out your blog now.
15:49:09 * mchua looks up - wow, this is great!
16:06:30 <muccic_> Lynnemay: I've been reading a little about implode and physics, and i see that they are games. do you do any "traditionally educational" lessons on SoaS, like english or math?  I really like what you're doing.
16:11:21 <muccic_> Lynnemay and mchua: thank you for your help!
16:11:34 <muccic_> #endmeeting