(from newsletter) Developing a story invites children to a deeper exploration of their inner reality. The sharing of stories allows them to share a piece of that reality with others. Empathy stems from a willingness to truly hear and identify with another person's perceptions, feelings and views. Stories help build empathy. Developing a story allows the emergence of a child's imagination to manifest itself, whether it's a funny tale, a silly musing, a true experience, an episode of an admired action hero, or an adventure of a ladybug or an errant crocodile. From concept through finished storybook, children develop awareness...
Summer Rush Sat, 2-Aug-2008 (teefal)
(from newsletter) With our Immokalee pilot in full swing and our Nicaragua pilot starting in August, this summer has been an exciting blur of activity at Waveplace. To kick things off, we had a great story done on us by NPR, which kicked off a wave of new interest in our efforts. To date, we've received inquiries from more than fifty organizations around the world hoping to do similar work as Waveplace. Also last month, I participated in a worldwide video conference hosted by Duke University. All things OLPC are really starting to gain momentum. Just now I spoke with...
florida finishes & nicaragua starts Tue, 12-Aug-2008 (teefal)
Last week, Waveplace finished our pilot in Immokalee, Florida. We'll be posting student storybooks soon, but for now you can watch our first Florida video, which gives a taste of our "improv theater" teaching style. There are also several newspaper and radio reports on our press page and a few articles in our latest newsletter. Today we start our pilot near Rivas, Nicaragua. We're using Spanish-keyboard XOs and solar panels this time, since the school has no electricity. Our three Waveplace mentors flew in last night and will begin teaching the teachers today. The kids get their laptops tomorrow. We've...
Nicaragua Day 1 Tue, 12-Aug-2008 (mscotti)
Spent the morning dealing with logistics - unpacking, numbering computers. Bill worked out glitches in upgrading them and trouble shooting that process that would continue well into the night. Meeting with Adam, getting his back story on the project and what he perceives his ability to participate due to all of his other responsibilities here at the camp. Issues arose concerning translators and transportation after the first 2 weeks. Possibilities included getting a local peace corps volunteer on board as well, hiring a local with a vehicle to drive every day (may be cheaper than the rental car option). Adam...
Nicaragua Day 2 Wed, 13-Aug-2008 (mscotti)
Around noon Bill, Carolyn, Jonathan, Daniel and I packed up the XO's and piled into the car to travel the pot-holed dirt roads past cattle grazing and sugar cane farms. In the distance spectacular volcano's vaulted with cloud-shrouded peaks never failing to impress by virtue of their mere presence. Passing nary another vehicle during the 40-minute drive, everyone in the pueblo rides bikes, horse pulled wagons or motorbikes, and we reached the elementary school in Buenos Aires pueblo. Marcial and Roxanna meet us at the gate to the school. We unpacked the suitcase filled with the xo's and entered the...
Nicaragua Day 3 Thu, 14-Aug-2008 (mscotti)
All of the children were anxiously waiting in the gated courtyard when we pulled up to the school. We greeted them and their exuberance for a few moments until Marcial arrived and unlocked the classroom. Once inside they quickly scrambled to their desks eager to claim their computer for the second time. Without prompting or need for instruction they powered up and were ready to begin etoys lesson 1. For a better view of Carolyn's screen they moved their desks to form semi-circles radiating out from her and dove into the lesson. Once again the number of mentors facilitated the...
Nicaragua Day 4 Fri, 15-Aug-2008 (mscotti)
The morning wind was blowing steady as Carolyn, Bill and I struck out on our first horseback ride on the shore of Lake Nicaragua. It had been far too many years for Bill or I to comfortably mention since our last equestrian experiences, and just a few for Carolyn. Once astride we coax our horses to head down the beach. It was easily apparent that the horses were far more in charge then we were. Heading back towards the camp Bill and Carolyn’s horses found the road that led back to their pasture and headed home. I circled back and...
Nicaragua Day 5 Sat, 16-Aug-2008 (mscotti)
There were no absences today even though it was Saturday. The children were gathered at the school dressed in their uniforms and eager to start another lesson. They were introduced to the halo tool and the children were pleased to learn how to further manipulate their sketches. They practiced resizing, by both retaining the scale and not, duplicating, rotating, repainting and discarding. We had decided to first present the children with each tool through demonstration and then to have them experiment with the new tools by creating a pond and a fish. They appreciated that it was easier to draw...
Nicaragua Day 7 Mon, 18-Aug-2008 (mscotti)
Today marks the beginning of week 2 of our pilot sans Jonathan and Daniel our two volunteer mentors from Camp Alegria. They need to get back to their obligations at the camp and then will be headed back home to the US. We are all grateful for their capable, good humored and helpful presence. They were a tremendous asset the first week. To fill their absence Patrick, a Peace Corps volunteer, has come on board. I hope that his involvement will prove beneficial to the ongoing sustainability of the project, as he will be in Nicaragua for another 11 months....
Nicaragua Day 8 Tue, 19-Aug-2008 (mscotti)
Today began with an outdoor activity designed to give the children a physical experience of being a sketch on the page responding to commands to advance and turn. Outdoors in the school courtyard the children were supplied with a paper compass to refer to determine the correct angle to turn upon command. As commands were called out groups of children responded to them intersecting and navigating the courtyard parameters. Despite the hot sun the children happily participated in the exercise. They responded well to determining the angle of turn and proudly strutted out their paces. Once in the classroom, the...
Nicaragua Day 9 Wed, 20-Aug-2008 (mscotti)
Today began with an initial review of yesterdays lesson. Many of the children had some difficulty getting their sketch to advance and turn to reach a target located in a opposite position on the top or the bottom of the page -- perhaps a fish diving into a lake below. After the review they set about it once again. By experimenting with increasing in increments the amount of turn most were able to accomplish this task. As time began running out two of the children independently discovered an innovative approach to solve the problem -- simply move the target to...
Nicaragua Day 10 Thu, 21-Aug-2008 (mscotti)
Today I taught my first lesson to the children with David as translator. We felt it was time to begin the transition from Carolyn delivering all the lessons in Spanish to a new format that will feature a collaborative teaching approach in the weeks ahead. Carolyn and Bill will be leaving Monday of next week and the new mentors will have completed all 30 training lessons. From then on the mentors will take on the primary responsibility of presenting the material with my support and facilitation. By the end of the pilot the goal is that all of the mentors...
Nicaragua Day 11 Fri, 22-Aug-2008 (mscotti)
Six am we made for the beach to try to meet the fishermen setting out on the lake in pursuit of their daily livelihood. Bill had hopes of filming them in their preparations and launching of their vessel. As I had suspected we were too late. Five am is the hour. Still we met Will, a Nicaraguan from up north, who was rather familiar with English as he left for Miami in 1979 after his brother was killed at the start of the war. He was happy to practice his English and engaged us in his tale of his experiences...
Nicaragua Day 12 Sat, 23-Aug-2008 (mscotti)
Jubilance captures the description of the day. At one pm we heard the far rumble of a bus making its way toward Campo Alegria. Moments later 19 of our students with siblings, mothers and grandmothers tore off the bus near the main hall where we were waiting to welcome them. We gathered outside and Bill made introductory remarks and introduced Carolyn and myself to the crowd. We then invited them inside where tables were arranged in a u-pattern for the children with chairs situated behind so that family members could look on as their “computer whiz’s” showed off their new...
Nicaragua Day 14 Mon, 25-Aug-2008 (mscotti)
Some days are bitter sweet. Days of parting after sharing unexpected closeness are like that. Everyone felt it today. Carolyn and Bill are departing. The children's lesson began as usual. Carolyn led them through scripting. StartOver. A task. They listened and achieved. Ruben moved his desk aside and worked on a story about his brother’s birthday party. Cakes with chocolate and vanilla. A pińata. Pigs, swing sets, trucks, and stars rotated, spun. Got named. Still the real part of the day was the piquancy of parting. A singular hug started it. And then the freedom to hug took over. In...
Nicaragua Day 15 Tue, 26-Aug-2008 (mscotti)
Today marked the first day of my being solo here at Campo Alegria. I woke early and went for a swim and then made preparations for this afternoon’s class, reviewing the lesson, watching Tim’s video and checking that all of the computers were charged. Promptly at 12:30 my taxi arrived to transport me and the XO’s to the school in Buenos Aires. Marcial was away for the day attending a AIDS forum in Managua but Roxanna, David, Geovany and Patrick were all present. Jose and Marvin rushed to the taxi to fetch the XO’s and carry them into the classroom....
Nicaragua Day 16 Wed, 27-Aug-2008 (mscotti)
Roxanna seemed transformed today. During the last two weeks of teacher/mentor training she was serious and quiet, concentrating and applying herself to the lessons. Her soberness softened only when she mastered a task and then beamed with earned self-accomplishment. But today she was radiant. She had prepared well for the lesson and oozed confidence smiling and engaging the children. That was the key – the way she engaged. She didn’t just instruct but led the children through the lesson by urging and inviting their participation with questions and prodding. She overlooked no one in the class. With everyone working on...
Nicaragua Day 17 Thu, 28-Aug-2008 (mscotti)
Geovany is a natural teacher. When I arrived, he greeted me as his usual upbeat self, telling of the challenging night he had had preparing. He had watched Tim’s video and reworked lesson 13. “This stuff is pretty hard,” he offered. “I hope I can do the kids justice.” And then he went on to do just that. Like Roxanna he employed the children’s direction to locate tiles and describe process. Never saying no, he would say, “maybe but how might I do this.” He went over the difference between variables and commands in several ways until the children all...
Nicaragua Day 18 Fri, 29-Aug-2008 (mscotti)
The prospect of delivering lesson 14, animation and holders, found Geovany bubbling over with excitement. “Yesterday was hard,” he stated. “We’ll probably have to go back over a lot of the startOver script stuff, variables and all, again and again. But today’s going to be easy.” I was impressed by his enthusiasm. He began by talking about cartoons and the amazing Walt Disney. The children were calling out names of cartoons they have seen and enjoyed. Geovany showed them a sample animation of a ball bouncing over its shadow and the children were entranced. “This is what we’re going to...
Nicaragua Day 19 Sat, 30-Aug-2008 (mscotti)
Two children burst into the camp kitchen seven am on the dot as I was just pouring a fresh cup of brewed coffee into a cup. Yasser and his four-year-old brother were ready for an early morning swim. I downed a few gulps and we were out the door and down to the lake. After an hour or so of frolicking in the water they ran home to change and before I finished showering and dressing they were back wishing to work on the XO’s. Just quickly I would like to note how leisure time to explore and experiment enhances...
Nicaragua Day 20 Sun, 31-Aug-2008 (mscotti)
I visited a very poor fishing village today with Adam, who runs the camp, and Oscar, whose wife is from that village, is Nicaraguan and lives here with his family at the camp. A church from the states had sent money to repair a roof on a church there and Adam needed to inspect it and take some photographs. It is a remote fishing village and the roads to it are in sorry condition. They were having a celebration of thanks for the new roof and served sandwiches of white bread and spaghetti. What is shocking is that every once...
