[Cuis-dev] Dynabook and education

[Hilaire Fernandes]

Hi,

The software part is important and it can be built right now, in a 
portable way.  But the hardware part is as much important.

The computers at school are not used permanently, just from time to 
time, it is not game changer, it is decoration. Now try to think about 
what will be need for a computerized device (it is likely not a 
computer) to be used in each lesson in the class, at home during the 
home work. To get an idea, try to observe your kids doing their 
homework, what physical tools do they use? How do they use it? Try to 
extrapolate what will be needed to let your kids work with fluency in a 
computerized form.

Likely your kids as mine use workbooks, textbooks, pens, rulers, 
dictionary, teacher document, audio file from cd. That is the reality of 
schools and a useful computerized device will have it as the minimum, as 
dynamic media, and it should be as easy to use as the physical form.

When I observe kids at my school I fell ashamed how big their bag is. 
Each year the parents rightly complain about the weight: plenty of 
blenders (in the class I manage, student can replace it with one file 
sorter), plenty of books and once a week the sport equipment). A rightly 
designed computerized workbook with the appropriate software will 
replace 95% of this weight. But we don't want to really think about it. 
At best, kid may receive a tablet or notebook which is not designed for 
their use, and I have been in situation in 2001 were kids will have to 
carry both their bags and their notebook (and its hard cover)[1].

So yes, kids deserve a dedicated hardware designed for them to fit what 
they need and not with what we can practically do. They will received it 
during the primary school and it will be their own.

It must be open hardware based, repairable and could be assembled 
anywhere at best in local factory. For me the best from will be as a 
large workbook which unfold with two screens, and come with one stylus 
because this is what kids use and need. I discussed this with my kids 
and they told me about Samsung and Micrsoft dual screen devices. 
Dynabook should be larger.

Why two screens? If you observe kids, often they work with two documents 
simultaneously: a workbook and a textbook.

Regarding the software, so far I can only imagine about a multiple layer 
graphics to mix the contents in nature and form. Should the main layer 
be text based (not handwritten)?

Okay it's late, it took me one hour to wrote this email :-)

Hilaire

PS: The way I write is not subtle, it is hard for me to write in 
English. But I don't mean to be harsh, I am quite the opposite.

[1] Kids going to school look like travelers...
http://www.cndp.fr/ecolenumerique/uploads/pics/landes_un_eleve_un_ordi_01.jpg

Le 14/06/2020 à 22:30, Juan Vuletich a écrit :
> Most school kids already have the required hardware. It is us who need 
> to build the missing software parts!

-- 
GNU Dr. Geo
http://drgeo.eu

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