X-Git-Url: https://codewiz.org/gitweb?p=wiki.git;a=blobdiff_plain;f=blog%2F2010%2F03;h=b255bb0ef093ab3e4723dd513ee5f0b4722ab3bd;hp=089344d9ac706663ba7e8e88b84d391c0d15e45c;hb=2084a346a8b0d36e048274d87f5c26599dcb4939;hpb=a2c0883cf11309d737f2e7a8da9d6eb325e443e5 diff --git a/blog/2010/03 b/blog/2010/03 index 089344d..b255bb0 100644 --- a/blog/2010/03 +++ b/blog/2010/03 @@ -1,11 +1,106 @@ -== Fri, Mar 12 - Interview with "los scratcheros" == +== Sun, Mar 14 - What are kids using Sugar for? == -{{ pictures/sugar/deployment/paraguay/caacupe/scratcheros/00008.jpg | maxwidth=480 | The Scratcheros: Nadia, Benedicto and Alberto}}{{ pictures/sugar/deployment/paraguay/caacupe/scratcheros/00003.jpg | maxwidth=480 | A sugar "hack" (zoom to see detail) }} -{{ pictures/sugar/deployment/paraguay/caacupe/cyber_nick/00029.jpg | maxwidth=480 | Kids asking for Sugar 0.84 }} +I'm finally back in Asuncíon. Over the last few days, I had the +opportunity to interview a dew dozen children who had been +using Sugar 0.82 for about one year. Perhaps the most interesting +and controversial finding was which activities are the most +popular among them: -Today I spent some time with a boy of Caacupe who has impressed me and the -educators very much with his original creations in Scratch. Scratch is not -a school subject, these kids are learning it on their own. +{{podium.jpg|maxwidth=640|class=thumbright|The most popular Sugar activities}} + + # [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_(video_game) | Doom]] + # [[http://www.pixelprospector.com/indev/2009/12/super-vampire-ninja-zero/ | Super Vampire Ninja Zero]] + # [[http://activities.sugarlabs.org/en-US/sugar/addon/4024 | Navegar]] (Browse) + +Heh, at least Browse made the third place, I thought. But when I +asked what websites they were visiting, the answer was invariably +"videos". + +Well, at the least I could tell they were answering honestly! +We often idealize our young users as being creative, passionate and +eager to learn just about everything. Some kids are really +like this, I met some in Caacupé. However, the naked truth is that the +vast majority would rather spend their free time playing. + + +=== Those inappropriate games === + +{{http://diablobasher.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/doom01.jpg|class=thumbleft|The Ultimate Doom title artwork}} + +It's no wonder kids like the game which, according to the Wikipedia, is "//widely regarded as one of +the most important titles in gaming history//". This is no exaggeration: the first 7 hits for the +common word "[[http://www.google.com/search?q=doom|doom]]" are about the game itself. Then come +the film adaptation and various fan sites. +Anyway, how can we blame kids for playing games? After all, many of us played +Doom and many other types of "inappropriate" video games throughout our childhood. + +We quickly took Doom down from the OLPC wiki soon after it was uploaded, +yet it is still spreading fast among Sugar users worldwide. Let's look at the +positive sides: it shows social behavior and encourages kids to find technical +solutions to transfer activities directly (their old version of Sugar does not +allow direct sharing from the journal). + +So, what to do now? Do we lock the entire system down so that kids could +only install applications that we approve? So much for the "child ownership" +principle. + +Do we develop a couple of boring educational games, in the hope they will keep +our kids from playing the "//#1 game of all time//"? I'm sure that will work :-) + +How about admitting defeat and giving them the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_WAD|level editor]] +too? It could redirect some of the existing passion towards learning about advanced concepts +of 3D graphics and game deisgn. Don't underestimate the latent creativity of gamers: over 13,000 original maps +were created for Doom by young artits of any age and nationality. Later games from ID Software included +a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QuakeC | programming language]] which enabled users to create entire +new games with relative ease. + +**Update**: my colleague [[http://selfdotblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/selfpresentation.html | Marten Abente]], +author of the 3G broadband support in Sugar, noted that he had been creating [[http://selfdotblog.blogspot.com/ | many game maps]] +when he was just 16. At the university, he worked with a friend to creat an entire 3D game engine from scratch +using [[http://www.libsdl.org/ | SDL]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenGL | OpenGL]]. + + +=== Those inappropriate cartoons === + +{{http://www.shoemoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/blame-canada.jpg|class=thumbright|Still from South Park}} + + +What about the videos? The most popular video websites are +[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Flash | Flash]] based. +You Tube would work with [[http://www.gnashdev.org/ | Gnash]] as well, +but because the required video codecs are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3#Licensing_and_patent_issues | patent encumbered]], +we're not allowed to ship them in Fedora. Besides, +both Flash and Gnash are quite inefficient and would feel +sluggish on the XO-1. + +So I am left wondering what solutions these kids came up with +in order to circumvent the technical limitations and watch +their favorite videos. + +The coordinator of the education team got curious and asked questions. +It seems that some smart kids figured out how to rip videos from You Tube, +store them in the journal, and then play them back with some +[[http://www.olpcnews.com/software/applications/using_an_xo_laptop_a.html | clever hackery]]. +We do not know the details of how this is done, but it is quite impressive. + +=== Passion-driven learning === + +Even though most kids are inclined to misuse our precious educational +technology for gaming and other mundane uses, in order to do what they want, +they seem to be acquiring pretty advanced problem-solving abilities +in a self-motivated and social way; in other words, the purpose for which +OLPC and Sugar were created. + + +== Fri, Mar 12 - Interview with //Los Scratcheros// == + +(photos courtesy of Carla Crosa) + +|| {{ pictures/sugar/deployment/paraguay/caacupe/scratcheros/00008.jpg | maxwidth=480 | The "Scratcheros": Nadia, Benedicto and Alberto}} || {{ pictures/sugar/deployment/paraguay/caacupe/scratcheros/1.00011.jpg | maxwidth=480 | Albertito, our youngest volunteer, helping one of our trainers }} || + +Today I spent some time with three siblings of Caacupé who has impressed me and the educators very +much with their original creations in Scratch. Scratch is not a school subject, these kids are +learning it on their own driven by their own passion. * **What's your name?** * B: Benedicto @@ -43,8 +138,8 @@ a school subject, these kids are learning it on their own. * N: I learned the basics of Turtle Art at the trainer's course. * A: Yes, I learned it there too. - * **What other activities do you like besides Scatch and Turtle Art?** - * B: //Ablar con Sara// [Speak] and //Super Vampire Ninja Zero//, //Máquina de discos// (Jukebox). + * **What other activities do you like besides Scratch and Turtle Art?** + * B: //Hablar con Sara// [Speak] and //Super Vampire Ninja Zero//, //Máquina de discos// (Jukebox). * N: //eToys//, to edit photos. I need someone to teach me all the rest. * A: //Grabar// (Record), to take videos, interview people... @@ -52,20 +147,111 @@ a school subject, these kids are learning it on their own. * B: The "Snake" game * N: Strategic games * A: ...hmm... - * Mom: They need an automatic spell checker + * (Mom: They need an automatic spell checker... and a **screensaver**, of course). * **What's the most annoying problem for you with Sugar?** - * B: Can't use the "robot" function in //Ablar con Sara// ( + * B: Can't use the "robot" function in //Hablar con Sara// ( * N: I want bigger fonts in //Pintar// (Paint). * A: //Escribir// (Write ;-) * **Would you like to learn a little bit of Python with Pippy?** * B: Very well! -Then we got started. Python is easy, you can explain the basics to a smart kid in less than 30 minutes. -We also updated Benedicto's laptop to [[http://oficina.paraguayeduca.org/~bernie/py-xo1/ | build 65]], -containing the latest version of the Sugar 0.84 branch. Benedicto had been previously testing my previous -build 45, which contained some networking bugs. +Then Benedicto and I got started. Python is easy, you can explain the basics to a smart kid in less than 30 minutes. +I've shown him a few Pippy examples, describing the code briefly before running it, then making small changes to make +Benedicto grasp the possibilities. From his questions and comments, I'm pretty sure that he could figure out the +concepts despite my very poor Spanish fluency and my usual disorganized style. + +Nadia shows plenty of design talent: she uses Sugar to create short stories featuring her friends. She +cookie-cuts their photos and uses Scratch to animate them on fantasy backgrounds with music, sound +effects and text. Recently, she started creating line-art versions of the photos using eToys, so her +new creations look more like cartoons. At this point, Benedicto mentioned the [[http://htf.atom.com/ | Happy Tree Friends]], +an innocently named Internet series which makes even South Park seem politically correct in comparison! +HTF is Flash-only and doesn't seem to work with Gnash -- at least, we should be above any bigot criticism +for conveying "inapprorpiate content" to young hack^Wchildren. + +Nadia also created a platform videogame in which a dog needs to jump around to find the way out from +each level, while a bouncing arrow chases him. Technically simple, but shows sensitive use of +game-design principles. I'm not sure if the code is entirely new or comes in part from pre-existing +Scratch games. It doesn't matter: in Free Software, remixing other people's work is the rule. + +We updated Benedicto's and Nadia's laptops to [[http://oficina.paraguayeduca.org/~bernie/py-xo1/ | F11-XO1 Paraguay, build 65]], +which contains the latest release of [[http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/0.84/Notes | Sugar 0.84]]. Benedicto had been previously +testing my build 45, revealing some bugs in networking and activities. + +|| {{ pictures/sugar/deployment/paraguay/caacupe/scratcheros/00005-game-written-in-scratch.jpg | maxwidth=480 | Perro Bros }} || {{ pictures/sugar/deployment/paraguay/caacupe/scratcheros/00016-nadias-work-in-etoys.jpg | maxwidth=480 | Nadia's line-art image }} || + + +== Mon, Mar 8 - Children want Sugar 0.84, for the wrong reasons == + +|| {{ pictures/sugar/deployment/paraguay/caacupe/cats/00001.jpg | maxwidth=480 | CATS, Fernando's XO repair lab in Caacupe }} || {{ pictures/sugar/deployment/paraguay/caacupe/cats/00029.jpg | maxwidth=480 | Kids waiting to install Sugar 0.84 in front of the CATS lab }} || + +The owner of **Centro de Assistencia Tecnica y Soporte (CATS)**, the XO support center of +[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caacup%C3%A9 | Caacupé]], wrote: + +{{{ +On March 8 2010 14:51, Raúl Gutiérrez Segalés wrote: +> Fernando, +> +> How is the migration to Fedora 11 going so far? Approximate number +> of machines to date? + +Raul, the truth that it's going smooth so far, the boys are very excited +about the new version, and the rumor is spreading fast. +I think so far my team updated 120 laptops, more or less. + +FG +}}} + +(Google translation with my manual corrctions) + +I witnessed it with my own eyes: every day, children start lining up outside of CATS' door +early in the morning, and keep coming all day long, until the evening. All of them ask +for the new version, bui in interesting ways: a little boy said: + + "//Quiero poner ventanas coloradas//" (I want to install colored windows). + +They're obviously referring to the Gnome desktop, also known as "//salva pantallas//" (screensaver). +Another kid admired his freshly installed Gnome desktop and proudly declared: "//Ahora tienen Windows!//" +(now I have Windows). In Spanish, therre's no ambiguity on the meaning of the word Windows. + +Power of brand. It doesn't rmatter if it's the actual Windows, or even if it really does +anything useful at all. It's new, it's colored and it's what adults are using. Oh, and it +also comes with a screensaver which makes it irresistible. + +So, what do we do? Quick! Let's add a cool screensaver to Sugar! :-) + +Of course not, but could we do anything to appeal to kids more than a traditional desktop? +I don't claim to be a pedagogist, but by now I've observed our young users closely enough +to be able to guess what they're really missing in Sugar: + +
+more configurability. +
+ +Yeah, dozen of scientific studies showed how users almost never customize the desktops beyond +setting a background image. Kids, however, are a lot more passionate about their precious +laptop than the average office clerk using Windows. They //do// cover the exterior of +their laptops with colorful stickers. + +|| {{pictures/sugar/deployment/paraguay/caacupe/escuela_691_profesora_gudelia_cabrera/00048.jpg | maxwidth=480 | Shy girls hide behind their Barbie-fashioned laptops }} || {{ pictures/sugar/deployment/paraguay/caacupe/scratcheros/00003.jpg | maxwidth=480 | A sugar "hack" (zoom in to see the ASCII art detail) }} || + +Believe it or not, many of these kids also set their Home View with the random icon layout +(aka "the Negroponte layout"), because it lets them drag icons around and arrange them in +clever ways. I could take many screenshot to prove it, but I particulatily like this one +abusing Sugar's user name field to create a drawing on three lines. These kids do not live +in the middle of Silicon Valley; it is very likely that they rediscovered the technique +of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII_art | ASCII art]] completely on their own. +The original idea was passed along and successively refined by several anonymous artists. + +Finally, what was the gray-scale palette supposed to mean in our UI? I was explained it once, +and it seemed to make some sense, but now I forgot. And, whatver the reason was, kids are +unlikely to agree with us. + +Let's give our users a control panel applet for customizing colors as they wish, or they'll +switch to Gnome //en masse//. I can't blame them, either. What would you have done when +you were 8? + == Tue, Mar 02 - Charla @ Facultad Politecnica == @@ -76,10 +262,8 @@ The title was "//Empoderar a los estudiantes con el Software Libre//" (//Empower * [[http://people.sugarlabs.org/bernie/sugar/slides/sugar-paraguay-v6-es.pdf | Spanish, PDF]] * [[http://people.sugarlabs.org/bernie/sugar/slides/sugar-paraguay-v5-en.odp | English, OpenDocument]] (older version with fewer slides and some factual errors) -{{ pictures/sugar/deployment/paraguay/facultad_politecnica/00043.jpg | maxwidth=640 }} -{{ pictures/sugar/deployment/paraguay/facultad_politecnica/todos-son-maestros-y-alumnos.jpg | maxwidth=640 | Everyone is a learner and a techer}} -{{ pictures/sugar/deployment/paraguay/facultad_politecnica/la-base-pedagogica-de-sugar.jpg | maxwidth=640 | The pedagogical base of Sugar}} -{{ pictures/sugar/deployment/paraguay/facultad_politecnica/00048.jpg | maxwidth=640 }} +|| {{ pictures/sugar/deployment/paraguay/facultad_politecnica/la-base-pedagogica-de-sugar.jpg | maxwidth=500 }} || {{ pictures/sugar/deployment/paraguay/facultad_politecnica/todos-son-maestros-y-alumnos.jpg | maxwidth=500 }} || +|| {{ pictures/sugar/deployment/paraguay/facultad_politecnica/00043.jpg | maxwidth=500 }} || {{ pictures/sugar/deployment/paraguay/facultad_politecnica/00048.jpg | maxwidth=500 }} || See [[pictures/sugar/deployment/paraguay/facultad_politecnica | all the photos ]] in my Codew'z photostream.