Activity sheets (was Re: Open Book)

[Doug Loss <dloss@csrlink.net>]

Camilla R Fox wrote:
> 
> If someone wanted to
> make a set of activity sheets, there would be much less to overcome (in
> terms of infrastructure) than in making a text book, since photocopying
> sheets for students to write on is much more familiar than is photocopying
> piles of paper for students to read and not write on.
> 
> I would, however be amused by the task of converting some teacher's
> work sheets (drawings and text) into compact postscript/pdf formats, 
> mixing and
> matching various elements, and putting them all up on the web for whoever
> wants them.
> 
> I don't actually know of a unix program that would convert a bitmap to
> postscript in any way other than by simply embedding a bitmap in the
> postscript document.  However, there was a mac paint+drawing program
> I used seven years ago that could effectively convert simple bitmap
> line drawings into its bezier representation, as long as the edges were
> clearly defined, so it isn't technically difficult.  I digress.
> 
I'll see what I can find along those lines.  I'll be surprised if there
isn't something already available.

> The advantage of my scheme would be:
>  * more free stuff and associated warm fuzzies.
>  * no more stuff lost to photocopier degradation
>  * building contacts with various real live school teachers, without the
>  prerequisite of "computer lab".  presumably, we need to prove ourselves
>  before we can get vigorous feedback, and present new media formats.
> 
This sounds like a good idea and an eminently doable project.  Are you
interested in taking it on as project leader, Camilla?  We can put it on
the Projects page and try to publicize it in various educational,
non-Linux fora.  I'd like to see this go quickly.

With this, the Open Book project, Mark Dalton's Clickable Cell Biology
Course, and perhaps a few others, we're getting into open-content areas
that, while definitely in the spirit of the Linux community, aren't
specifically and solely educational applications for Linux.  Should we
broaden our focus to cover all open source and open content educational
things, or should we have a Linux-edu section and a cross-platform-edu
section?  Or should we hand off the non-Linux things (not that we own
them or anything) to Cees de Groot, since his project is specifically
for such?  Looking for your thoughts.

-- 
Doug Loss                 The difference between the right word and
Data Network Coordinator  the almost right word is the difference
Bloomsburg University     between lightning and a lightning bug.
dloss@bloomu.edu                Mark Twain