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CP4E and OLPC (math teaching angle)
Posted:
Jan 19, 2007 3:46 PM
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As long time readers in this archive may know, CP4E stands
for Computer Programming for Everybody, a DARPA funded
initiative, later carried on within Python Nation, to make
curriculum writings available, at all levels, for those
wishing to take up programming in some way shape or form
-- a basic kind of literacy and/or numeracy in this day
and age.
Python is of course a computer language, influenced by C,
ABC, Icon, Haskell, and also SmallTalk, as a great
grandaddy of all downstream Object Oriented spawn.
OLPC stands for One Laptop Per Child, sometimes known as
the $100 Laptop campaign. By removing proprietary
elements from the software, and focusing on economies of
scale, around hard drive, screen, and wireless solution,
the OLPC network is well positioned to serve the needs of
our Katrina Network, for example, where reliable displays
of up to date global data helps with the ongoing disaster
recovery effort -- wireless laptops being a primary tool
for acquiring same (per IBM Thinkpad commercials).
What happened recently in Computer World (somewhat distant
from Math World I realize), is the OLPC and CP4E krews
came into much closer contact, thanks in large degree to
Alan Kay's choosing to ally himself with the Python
Community (aka Python Nation). Since this alliance,
OLPC has become a topic of keynotes and workshops at
Europython 2006 at CERN and the upcoming Pycon 2007 in
Dallas, TX.
Thirdly, you have the Fuller School maneuvering for a
piece of the action, by taking the laptop idea somewhat
metaphorically, replacing "DynaBook" with "DynaDome" in
some contexts. When we teach basic "classes and objects"
(right after "data structures" -- or maybe in tandem),
one of our very first templates is this Garden of Eden
J. Baldwin prototype (hurricane resistent), which includes
both flatscreen access to the Internet *and* a perma-
culture and/or more traditional (English?) garden.
So when you read about OLPC experiments in Cambodia, for
example, don't be so sure that domes aren't a part of it.
We've come a long way since my early JavaDome proposal,
at least in terms of drawing board savvy (Hollywood and/or
Indy efforts will next help us move some of these
storyboards to reality television, sometimes as star
vehicles).
Kirby
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