View source for 2010-1

contributors @ laptop.org

NOTE: Please enjoy our Flickr gallery of selected memories from the last two years of OLPC Learning Club DC and Sugar Labs DC http://www.flickr.com/photos/curiouslee/sets/72157622339910700/ 

1. Project Title & Shipment Detail
Name of Project: 

OLPC Learning Club DC / Sugar Labs DC

Shipping Address You've Verified:

Michael Lee
-Address supplied via email-

	•	IS FEDEX AND DHL SHIPPABLE -- YES
	•	INCLUDES A PHONE NUMBER -- YES
	•	CONTAINS TEAM LEADER'S LEGAL NAME -- YES
Number of Laptops (or other hardware) You Request to Borrow:

SIX (6) XO 1.5 C2 early production machines

Loan Length—How Many Months:

18 Months

2. Team Participants
Name(s) & Contact Info: Jeff Elkner
Employer and/or School: Arlington Career Center (ACC), Virginia
Past Experience/Qualifications: Teacher at the ACC, open source advocate, running active XO deployment in El Salvador, leader of Sugar Labs DC, hosts OLPC Learning Club meetings and MIT Scratch Day, mentor in development of the TimeLapse activity for Sugar

Name(s) & Contact Info: Kevin Cole
Employer and/or School: Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C.
Past Experience/Qualifications: Senior Software Programmer, open source advocate in DC LoCo, leader of Sugar Labs DC, hosts OLPC Learning Club meetings, mentor in development of the TimeLapse activity for Sugar

Name(s) & Contact Info: Mike Lee
Employer and/or School: AARP, Washington, D.C.
Past Experience/Qualifications: Co-founder OLPC Learning Club, meeting organizer, liaison to OLPC Headquarters and MIT Media Lab, developed programming for MIT Scratch Day, supporting Lubuto Library Project XO deployment in Zambia, active publisher of OLPC-related content in social networks, delivered OLPC briefings for NN at Senator Brownback's office and Embassy of Equatorial Guinea
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/User:Mikelee

3. Objectives
Project Objectives: (WEB-PUBLISHED)

* Serve as strong full-service grassroots presence for OLPC and Sugar Labs in mid-Atlantic U.S.
* Sustain interest in monthly meetings with latest OLPC technology. Catalyze interest in special projects (such as XO laptop for capturing audio of bees)
* Operate testbed of XO laptops for hardware testing, regression testing and software burn-in
* Direct support for XO deployments in El Salvador and Zambia
* Maintain XO Lending Library (In addition to existing XO 1.0s, XO 1.5s to be available on demand for OLPC staff demos in D.C.-area as needed.)
* Support and promote DC XO Repair Center
* Continue releases of TimeLapse 3x /yr.
* Exhibit at local events such as NECC, Takoma Park Folk Festival, TedXMidAtlantic Baltimore
* Host MIT Scratch Day 2010 in May 2010
* Host documentation sprints
* Working closely with LEGO Denmark using XO 1.5 and 1.0 to test Sugar compatible robotics software (March - May 2010)
4. Plan of Action
Plan and Procedure for Achieving the Stated Objectives:

* Monthly meetings on third Saturday
* Monthly working meetings on weeknight at (typically) Taste of India Restaurant
* Focus on sustaining a cohesive, diverse local community 
* Joining OLPC conference calls
* Keep momentum on objectives and projects in agile fashion through as much realtime team communication as possible via email, IRC, phone, Google Wave.
* Promote all efforts through Learning Club communications vehicles (see below)

5. Needs
Why is this project needed?

As the longest running OLPC user group, the OLPC Learning Club DC has become the defacto olpc grassroots network node for the mid-Atlantic area. Our membership serve as OLPC ambassadors and our online content casts a wide promotional net for the OLPC cause on search engines.

Locally? 

Being situated in the Washington, D.C. area, all of the Learning Club and Sugar Labs's activities are brought in close proximity to a vast array of NGOs, government agencies and think tanks.

In the greater OLPC/Sugar community?

Outputs from our group are shared with groups in NYC, San Francisco and elsewhere around the world.

Outside the community?

Through Jeff, Kevin and Mike's work affiliations, the OLPC mission has been promoted to their respective educational institutions to reach policy makers who consider the needs of underserved audiences such as minorities, deaf persons and seniors.

Why can't this project be done in emulation using non-XO machines?

While members of the Learning Club have full command of emulation approaches, acquisition of unique or new pieces of hardware help our group maintain a complete project laboratory.

Why are you requesting the number of machines you are asking for?

Two laptops each for our operating locations at the Arlington Career Center, Gallaudet University and our Silver Spring, MD field office.

6. Sharing Deliverables
Project URL—where you'll report specific ongoing progress:

http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Learning_Club_D.C._Wiki
http://www.olpclearningclub.org
http://dc.sugarlabs.org
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_DC_Repair
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Learning_Club_D.C./Lending_library
http://www.flickr.com/photos/curiouslee/sets/72157622339910700/


How will you convey tentative ideas & results back to the OLPC/Sugar community, prior to completion?

Blog posts, photos on Flickr, videos on YouTube, monthly email newsletters, entries on Twitter and FaceBook

How will the final fruits of your labor be distributed to children or community members worldwide?

Work product and deliverables from Learning Club activities are posted to our own wiki as well as the wikis of OLPC and Sugar Labs. Software activities are uploaded to Sugar Labs activity repository.

Will your work have any possible application or use outside our community?

The TimeLapse activity, for example, has many general purpose applications outside of the OLPC community. While its initial application was to the study of the health of bees, periodic audio and video capture can enhance many scientific and educational endeavors (study of plant blooming, cloud patterns, animal motion behaviors, etc.)

Have you investigated working with nearby XO Lending Libraries or Project Groups?

The Learning Club operates an XO Lending Library. Self-started Sugar Labs DC is our main project group.

7. Quality/Mentoring
Would your Project benefit from Support, Documentation and/or Testing people?
Teachers' input into Usability?

Yes. There are already a steady stream of new members joining our group. Many have been referred by OLPC Headquarters.

How will you promote your work?

Via all our online vehicles as well as updated versions of our club's print collateral (posters, flyers, brochures, CDs)

Can we help you with an experienced mentor from the OLPC/Sugar community? (WEB-PUBLISHED)

We will seek out mentors as needed. OLPC Headquarters has provided ongoing guidance on ensuring the relevancy of some of our initiatives. Also, Sugar Labs has mentored high school students at the Career Center.

8. Timeline (Start to Finish)
Please include a Proposed timeline for your Project life-cycle: (this can be in the form of Month 1, Month 2, etc rather than specific dates)

We plan to operate the OLPC Learning Club DC and Sugar Labs DC indefinitely. Specifically for 2010, project milestones include completing testing on LEGO robotics software in March - June 2010 and releasing another major update to TimeLapse coded from June - August 2010. The XO 1.5s will be used for both of these efforts and many more to come.


Specify how you prefer to communicate your ongoing progress and obstacles!

Email, IRC, phone calls, visits to 1CC.

[YES] I agree to pass on the laptop(s) to a local OLPC group or other interested contributors in case I do not have need for the laptop(s) anymore or in case my project progress stalls.