Changes

2. I was in Peru last week and had an opportunity to meet with the new head of the DIGETE program there. Sandro Marcone has a passion for learning that is immediately evident. I am encouraged that good things will happen in Peru under his leadership. One topic we discussed was more community engagement. As part of the plan for one laptop per child in Peru going forward is more of an emphasis on regional responsibility for the project. This is synergistic with the community efforts in Puno and will hopefully resonate in more regions as well. Kiko Momayorga hosted a gathering at Escuelab to discuss community engagement more deeply. It was a chance for me to meet Anita Say Chan, Juan Camilo Lema, and Neyder Achahuanco Apaza (Laura Vargas and Sebastian Silva were there virtually from Bogata, where they were celebrating their daughter's first birthday). I also had a chance to meet with 300+ teachers attending a workshop organized by Hernan Pachas. They were very engaged, even though our meeting was at the very end of a long week. They seemed very excited by some of the new directions we have been pushing Sugar -- most of them are still running Sugar 0.84. They seemed particularly taken by the work we have done in enhancing the tools for reflection, including the Portfolio activity. It looks like 2012 will be the year we really see things pick up in Peru.

2. I was in Peru last week and had an opportunity to meet with the new head of the DIGETE program there. Sandro Marcone has a passion for learning that is immediately evident. I am encouraged that good things will happen in Peru under his leadership. One topic we discussed was more community engagement. As part of the plan for one laptop per child in Peru going forward is more of an emphasis on regional responsibility for the project. This is synergistic with the community efforts in Puno and will hopefully resonate in more regions as well. Kiko Momayorga hosted a gathering at Escuelab to discuss community engagement more deeply. It was a chance for me to meet Anita Say Chan, Juan Camilo Lema, and Neyder Achahuanco Apaza (Laura Vargas and Sebastian Silva were there virtually from Bogata, where they were celebrating their daughter's first birthday). I also had a chance to meet with 300+ teachers attending a workshop organized by Hernan Pachas. They were very engaged, even though our meeting was at the very end of a long week. They seemed very excited by some of the new directions we have been pushing Sugar -- most of them are still running Sugar 0.84. They seemed particularly taken by the work we have done in enhancing the tools for reflection, including the Portfolio activity. It looks like 2012 will be the year we really see things pick up in Peru.

3. A quick reminder: Google Summer of Code (GSoC) [http://www.google-melange.com/gsoc/homepage/google/gsoc2012] is gearing up for 2012. It is a nice opportunity to get some new developers on board. As a community, we need to get ourselves organized: specifically, over the next few weeks, '''we need to identify potential projects that might attract interns to apply to Sugar Labs.''' I've set up [[Summer_of_Code/2012|a page in the wiki]] for aggregating project ideas. Anyone in the community is welcome to make suggestions regarding a project that you think would make Sugar a better platform. (Projects that are relatively self-contained tend to be better for GSoC since their is a finite window in which to work on it.)

3. A quick reminder: Google Summer of Code (GSoC) [http://www.google-melange.com/gsoc/homepage/google/gsoc2012] is gearing up for 2012. It is a nice opportunity to get some new developers on board. As a community, we need to get ourselves organized: specifically, over the next few weeks, '''we need to identify potential projects that might attract interns to apply to Sugar Labs.''' I've set up [[Summer_of_Code/2012|a page in the wiki]] for aggregating project ideas. Anyone in the community is welcome to make suggestions regarding a project that you think would make Sugar a better platform. (Projects that are relatively self-contained tend to be better for GSoC since there is a finite window in which to work on it.)

If you are interesting in being a mentor, please contact me. Also, please encourage any talented university students you may know to apply to the program. Applications are not due until late March, but it is best to start the conversation sooner than later. (Note that applications submitted to Google must be made in English, but mentoring can happen in any language, e.g., Spanish. We will gladly help potential applicants with their proposals even if English is their first language.)

If you are interesting in being a mentor, please contact me. Also, please encourage any talented university students you may know to apply to the program. Applications are not due until late March, but it is best to start the conversation sooner than later. (Note that applications submitted to Google must be made in English, but mentoring can happen in any language, e.g., Spanish. We will gladly help potential applicants with their proposals even if English is their first language.)