RE: [seul-edu] [Fwd: shooting from the hip]

["Jason Mellen" <jmellen@cfl.rr.com>]

This looks like an interesting project. I use Reading Counts in my school
and would love to see a better alternative. If you need I can see about
getting to our database and finding out how it is set up so whatever is
developed would be compatible.

If there is anything else I can help with let me know.

jmellen

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Jason Mellen
Palm Bay High School
Webmaster / TSA Reporter / Television Producer


> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-seul-edu@seul.org [mailto:owner-seul-edu@seul.org]On Behalf
> Of James Oden
> Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2001 10:00 PM
> To: seul-edu@seul.org
> Subject: Re: [seul-edu] [Fwd: shooting from the hip]
>
>
> >
> >
> > I'm in the process of scouring the web for a linux based prog that will
> > do what "reading counts" does in windows.
> > Essentially, reading counts is a program designed to test children's
> > comprehension of books in the reading counts library.  The cool thing
> > about reading counts is that the questions in the test database cover
> > books that are already in the usual curriculum for students, so the
> > program is just a ready made testing facility for teachers.  It
> > shouldn't be rocket science to grab the questions already created and
> > build an interface around them for students to use on the linux side of
> > things.  So anyway, I know you guys are just getting started and all,
> > but if you know of or hear of anything like this, please drop me a line,
> > and we get sick of looking and decide to port it over ourselves, I'll be
> > sure to pass the beast onto you.  Fair trade?  Good.
> >
> Hi Steve,
>
> The school system I used to work for had a simular program to the one you
> use called Accelerated Reader.  As you said it provided tests for
> many of the
> books that were in our curriculem.  As a matter of fact I would
> have to say
> that Accelerated reader was often driving the choices of books to read.
> The things was it really was quite a simple application, and was
> completely
> text based (it had menus, but the tests were just text).  I often wondered
> about writting something like that for the school system while I
> was there,
> but due to my job (there network admin.) I never had the time.
>
> While I was their I did get experience with CGI-BIN programs, and
> I think you
> are right that it would not be hard to create such a beast.  Furthermore,
> I think that it might even be possible to get some sort of funding for it.
> At anyrate, if you wanted to start such a project I would be willing to
> provide a server to host its demo site on and for CVS if you need
> it. I would
> also be willing to help in the design and development, but at present I
> can't give too much time, because I am already working on three other
> projects:
>
> 	- Tech Tracker (its released).
> 	- Onetable (not realeased, tracker uses it; its a library that is
> 	            supposed to simplyfy settign up simple database apps on
> 		    the web).
> 	- CEU Tracker - when its done it will be a opened source
> web application
> 	                for tracking teacher's CEU's giving varying levels
> 		        of access to teachers, admins, and Central Office
> 		        personal.
>
> Anyway, though, I am busy, I have experience with this sort of thing, and
> perhaps my onetable libraries could help you get there faster (though,
> I almost think PHP is better choice if you want to make the app
> catchy looking, as PHP is good at that sort of thing with less code [I am
> a die hard perl coder, but occasionally I have to look past my prejudices
> and recognize other languages for their strengths).  Anyway, let
> me know if
> I can help in anyway.
>
> Cheers...james