Calling fanboys, seniors and all members here

[Update - Sep 24 2009]

Went to School yesterday, small presentation plus intro session. Was nice and students are really interested. Will be starting the regular class from next week - hopefully. More details on Page 6

[/Update]

I was thinking about this for a long time. Now I think its time to share it with you and ask your help and suggestions.

Some of you might be knowing, I completed my 10th grade in a village school (10th grade in 1992). A remote place near Kerala and Karnataka border. We have an old house there. I go there once in three months or so and stay there for two months. I visit my school whenever I go there.

When I was there (17 yrs back), it was like no power, no phone lines, no public water supply, not enough buses or other public transport facilities. But now things has changed a lot. IT has became a subject in high schools, they have broadband at school, mobile phone coverage and all.

Coming to the matter lol

After my visits (two times last year and two times this year) to my old school and talking to the students and teachers, I think it is time to give them some kind of training in IT. The students as well as teachers are new to IT, internet and all these new technologies. They learn a lot from the books, but not much in the practical side. For example, they do not know what spam email is. They do not know we can book train tickets online (broadband is there and banks are there which provide online banking !), they do not know what a forum is. At the same time, many know whats Orkut, Youtube and google map, but do not know the ethical use of those. Those were just examples, what I meant is, they do not know the basics and do not know how to use these technologies and new facilities carefully.

I listed some points which are very basic, nothing complicated, and at the same time useful for them if not today in the near future itself. For example, using an email client, using an online storage site (example : skydrive), using google docs, online banking basics, cash transfer, bill payments, unicode fonts and its use (creating a website in regional language), twitter and things like that. Programming, databases or script modifications are not planned for this phase, but if they are doing very well and interested, it can be added as phase 2. Not going to repeat things thats in their text books, as it will be quite boring for them.

As you know, the Govt in Kerala gives more importance to opnesource, which is good. But my plan is triple main lol. I mean let them learn the win way, lin way and mac way. If they are learning how to use an email client, let them learn Thunderbird, Outlook, Outlook Express and Apple mail. So that it will be future proof.

Now I know it can't be done as a -one man show. To make it good, I need your help and suggestions. What we can teach them (as I mentioned, the basics only), what points we should give more stress etc.

What my plan is to setup a wiki somewhere and give access to people interested to spend some time (not too much time, just 1 hr or so per week) to add the points to make it a good syllabus. I am planning to start the training (or whatever it is called lol) in September. So three months time is there.

And finally, there is no personal or business interest behind this. I am not going to charge anything for the training. It will be 1 hr every day or every alternate days.

People who think its not that bad and willing to help in this matter, please post your suggestions and comments here. Please pm me if you have time to write the points in the wiki and I will get back to you after setting up it.

Thanks a lot - in advance

[EDIT - Added on June 24th]

The wiki is up and running, we have 9 people as members there, yet to start on all categories though.

Please have a look - *www.itjalakam.info/Main_Page

If any other members interested, please create a username there and please let me know and I will upgrade the status to admin.

[/EDIT]

Wow!!! Thats a very nice and noble initiative.
I would like to do the same for my village someday.

To begin with it I would like to ask you some questions.

1> Can u give dedicated time for this?

2> Resource? (Computers? MACs? I guess u won't use hackintosh with triple boot)

3> Target audience? Not everyone can learn or understand everything. If u do it class wise, say a prt for class V, other part for class vi etc. B/W which age group of students are ur target. Seniors?
If ur intention is to teach them all, then u need diff. time slots, as seniors may not feel free to ask those n00b questions infront of their children.

4> Fund? U need it right? At least to set-up things.

5> Any course material in ur mind. With course material it would be more organized and people can reproduce things they would learn at u. I guess distributing course material is a bad (costly) idea, they can note it down when u say. But at least u need one for ur-self, right?

6> How long? Suppose u've net-literated one generation, what about the upcoming? Recruit from the existing or what?

@ rhitwick

Thanks for the quick and great reply. Sure, I will answer.

1> Can u give dedicated time for this?

I guess you meant - how much time I will spend for this? Actually I am not very sure, but planning to spend 1 hr every working day (Mon to Fri).

2> Resource? (Computers? MACs? I guess u won't use hackintosh with triple boot)

Resource, the school has 16 computers and a good multi media room now. No, I will not use hackintosh

I will no way promote piracy, hacking (I meant the bad side) or stuff like that.

3> Target audience? Not everyone can learn or understand everything. If u do it class wise, say a prt for class V, other part for class vi etc. B/W which age group of students are ur target. Seniors?

Planning for grade 10 only. As they can understand things better.

4> Fund? U need it right? At least to set-up things.

As I mentioned, the school has PCs.

5> Any course material in ur mind. With course material it would be more organized and people can reproduce things they would learn at u. I guess distributing course material is a bad (costly) idea, they can note it down when u say. But at least u need one for ur-self, right?

That is why I am planning to use the wiki. I will be well prepared (I have to !) before every class.

6> How long? Suppose u've net-literated one generation, what about the upcoming? Recruit from the existing or what?[/QUOTE]

Again, I do not know ! Now I have time and I think it is time to give something back to the school

But idea of recruiting from existing - sure a good one.

Once again, thanks a lot for the reply.

vry gud idea din.
I'm willing to help u out.
I stay in delhi & u let me know what all i can do.
I cn give 2-3 hours daily!

I am in with wat ever i can help .... me too from delhi ..... and i must say ... nice initiative Din uncle

(dnt mind haan...

) !!!!!!

i can compile video tutorial for some applications ,

and make a useful websites link

@jain_pranav and @harryneopotter

Thanks a lot. Much appreciated.

I will setup a wiki online soon and will send you the details. Nothing complicated or too much time spending. Write your points, suggestions and details in that. That will be a great help.

Thanks again.

Max, video tutorials is sure a great idea. That will sure help. Thanks a lot.

din: drop the apple mac side tbh, too much hassle.They serve niche customers anyways.Just go with lin and win.

The_Devil_Himself said:
din: drop the apple mac side tbh, too much hassle.They serve niche customers anyways.Just go with lin and win.

true.

Sure, not giving much importance to mac. Just added that as an OS. Didn't want to keep apple fans away

Have that school/college subsribe to atleast two magazines. My pick would be Digit and Linux4You. They come with lot of stuff and tutorials.

Not everyone can be a geek or interested in computers an technology and those who want to be geek/techie and go forward will get attracted to these mag and we can get them into this forum.

This way we can filter out those who really have interest in learning these things.

Just my two cents.

@desiibond

Great, actually I was about to post that as a separate thread. I mean I was planning to subscribe a mag for them. My first choice was Digit, only thing is the adult kinda ads lol. Or Digit stopped those kinda glamor pics ?

And yes, I am planning the training for a small group only. Not everyone will be interested in this. It will be like selecting 20 or so from the 10th grade. Those who are really interested and can spare the time (1 hr or so per day).

another suggestion : dont you think the school may be in data plan or even if it is unlimited the tutorials will srely waste bandwidth . better idea is to download a bunch in one time and install it locally in each computer .

the stdents can go live and access faqs and ask questions in the board .( i mean forum specilly desined for them (with no rules whatever

)

Max, related to your post, I downloaded the safe-wikipedia (thanks to NucleusKore) last year and gave that to them.

I suggest you get yourself a free wikidot.com wiki website. It has around 300mb storage for files, 25mb per file and ofcourse, a free wiki type website. The only problem is learning wiki language, but you can find free software which work like Nvu does to HTML - you type rich text and it codes it to wiki script. It also has an in-built forum for your students to discuss lessons.

I'm sure you can find somebody willing to theme the site for you. We have many noble minded in-house theming experts here.

Anyway, you can add a few of us to the wiki and we keep helping you with course content, like adding articles, editing language, etc.

Include computer-lifestyle related topics like:

1. BB Code ===> start with this. its easy.

2. Wiki Scripting - language - optional since its too advanced.

3. GMail, Yahoo! Mail, Windows Mail - usage

4. Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer 8, Google Chrome, Apple Safari - usage

5. Mozilla Thunderbird, Windows Offline Mail software (dont know its name) - usage, configuration

6. VLC Media Player, MPlayer, Xine, Windows Media Player, Quick Time Player, K-Lite Codec Pack, Real Player - usage.

7. vBulletin, phpBB, MyBB, FluxBB/PunBB, SMF - usage not admin

8. Wordpress, Blogger, Wikidot - creating account and using

9. Joomla, Drupal, etc - CMS usage only. No administration.

10. Interfaces - Windows XP, Windows 7/aero (skip vista), Xfce4, KDE4, Gnome2, LXDE

@MHG

WOW, thats great, cool list.

Regarding wiki, I am planning it for us only, I mean TDF members can add content to it. Students will not be using it. So, shall I install tikiwiki (*info.tikiwiki.org/tiki-index.php) in my site ? Is that ok ? Or creating wikidot.com wiki website is easy for you (I mean for TDF members who will help me) ? Please suggest.

imo students must be taught this in sequence -

1.windows UI/linux ui and working with files and folders (managing )
2.Changing basic windows/linux settings (setting up wallpapers , changing time etc etc .
3.Uses of essential softwares like media player (winamp , VLC ) and scanniing with antivirus (v.imp) , Web Browser (Start With Basic ones like IE8 or Opera)

3a. (Optional ) Installing applications in windows or Installing packages from Sympatic Packege manager (something like that in ubuntu )

[ Creation Of Online Accounts and filling forms ]
4.Useing of Google and Google services (so they have single ID for almost all web services .

5.Uses of Gmail , Yahoomail .. Or Mail Client . (Webmail should be convinient )
6.Privacy and Identification Theft Lesson +Security Online (It is important ) and idea about recognizing phishing mail /scam pages . (for virus trojans see pt. 3 )

7.Social Networking and Blogging (easily set up post by email in blogspot )

8. Online Applications : Google Docs , Photoshop Express etc . This will surely bring them up - to the mark with Web 2.0 Apps

9. Obtaining information to the latest . (any info . online news , new services etc . )

IMO . Students must not be confused with many app same function . and switching from os to os may be problem . So each student should choose their personal suite like VLC +FFx+Gmail+Blogspot etc . like that .

I'm really elated reading this thread. I applaud your selfless initiative and the service you are doing to the community. I've been following you since a long time (no, I am not a stalker!

) and I think you've given back to your school more than any of us and continue the effort

I don't haf much suggestions as the erudite TDF members haf said it all. You can prolly teach them something about troubleshooting common/simple hardware and/or software issues. This will be helpful to them in case they mess up something while experimenting on the computers.

I also wanna tell you that as always, you are one of the persons for whom I haf a lot of respect. You surely are - Sir Din!

R

Calling fanboys seniors and all members here

If they all stopped right now, there probably wouldnt be too much of an impact right away. Current student members of the forum recognize who they are, and their wisdom, and they appreciate their insight. Their previous posts are still around and will still be taken seriously, as will their

WoW...Gr8...

@infra_red_dude

LOL I am honored, I mean flattered

I know you wrote all that thinking I will not bug you any more with lot of questions. No way

I will keep bugging you. I am UB.

Anyway, nothing great about it. All you people are still studying. I am getting old and for me, its the time to give something back to the society and my school. So I am trying to do something which I can.

Back to the topic. I am going to install mediawiki in my website. And will pm the details to members interested. Together we can make a good syllabus.

I will keep you updated. Once again, thank you all for the valuable suggestions.

Nice initiative. I hope it does well.

IMO you'll first need to clear the air about what "being good on computers" means. There is a lot of misconception about it. Some might say that just being capable of running a few progs means you are good on the PC (many of us will laugh at that) while some are really elite g33ks. Maybe you can look into that.

Also, it will be insanely grateful if you can clear the misconceptions of Linux and Apple on the grassroot level.
My friend (who considers himself a geek, beleive me, he is not. Heck even I'm not, but I'm more well informed than him) first thought the Linux is a virus and Apple only made iPods. (I dont know from where he got it)

He refused to believe that I used Ubuntu's live CD to recover his PC, and that I just fancied up an XP CD. He thought he could see the same apps installed on his Windows drive if we install Ubuntu in another partition (you know, he thought he could play CoD4, WMP, Winamp, Dead Space installed in XP on Linux, thinking Linux is an application, not OS)
These are just some misconceptions he (and I'm sure many others) has about the whole OS world. A little article on that, or a lecture on what is an OS will go down a long way in bringing about a very well informed bunch of students.

Just my 2 paisa. I hope you got the idea.

@thewisecrab

Thank you. Yes the point you mentioned is surely a valid one.

I installed the wiki - Finally ! I am also new to wiki language, but as MHG mentioned, it is easy to learn.

I sent private message to people who were interested. As I mentioned before, it need not be any specific time per day or per week. Even a one time post or a single page matters. So please let me know if anybody interested to add some points (if you are busy no need to write it in detail, just listing the main points will do) and I will make admin accounts for them in the wiki.

Once again, thanks a lot.

nice initiative din uncle

just my 2 cents, you should teach them about word processing and presentation using softwares such as MsOffice and Open Office. teach them about cross compatibility and extensions. and if possible, about online solutions too, like google docs and zoho.
maybe after they understand the basics, you should teach them markup languages like html and css(following the standards, not like cbse which teach only stuff that works on ie).
im interested in the wiki thing

Hmm... found it. Wikia.com offers free wiki hosting which is better than from wikidot.com. Din, remember the pm ? Now hunt for a name for this project.

I agree with you, I mean if we put the wiki on a public domain, more people will be interested and the syllabus we prepare may benefit a much wider audience.

But I hate the ads and restrictions these free wiki sites put

Whatabout this - I can register a .info domain with a name not related to the school or anything. Then we can install any good script there and continue there.

Good idea ? Want to keep it neat and simple.

din said:
Whatabout this - I can register a .info domain with a name not related to the school or anything. Then we can install any good script there and continue there.

Good idea ? Want to keep it neat and simple.

I think this really is a good idea.

A

desiibond said:
Have that school/college subsribe to atleast two magazines. My pick would be Digit and Linux4You. They come with lot of stuff and tutorials.

Not everyone can be a geek or interested in computers an technology and those who want to be geek/techie and go forward will get attracted to these mag and we can get them into this forum.

This way we can filter out those who really have interest in learning these things.

Just my two cents.

Linux4You for Village Children?
Plz drop this idea.
Go ahead with Digit and Skoar!

din said:
I agree with you, I mean if we put the wiki on a public domain, more people will be interested and the syllabus we prepare may benefit a much wider audience.

But I hate the ads and restrictions these free wiki sites put

Whatabout this - I can register a .info domain with a name not related to the school or anything. Then we can install any good script there and continue there.

Good idea ? Want to keep it neat and simple.

Why not contact the many hosting guys we have on the forum? I'm sure they would be more than willing to donate you some hosting space!

Thank you infra, Aspire and Kalpik. And special thanks to thewisecrab for detailed messages. Everything matters and its a great help. I am sure together we can make it.

Ok, registered a .info domain with Godaddy. Setup webspace too.

Going to install tikiwiki - Their page says ..

TikiWiki (Tiki) is your Groupware/CMS (Content Management System) solution. Tiki has the features you need:

* Wikis (like Wikipedia)
* Forums (like phpBB)
* Blogs (like WordPress)
* Articles (like Digg)
* Image Gallery (like Flickr)
* Map Server (like Google Maps)
* Link Directory (like DMOZ)
* Multilingual (like Babel Fish)
* Bug tracker (like Bugzilla)
* RSS feeds (in & out)
* Free source software (LGPL)

And much more...

I think it will be comparable to wikidot. We may not need all functionality, can use only those which we need.

More on Tikiwiki - *info.tikiwiki.org/tiki-index.php

A

^^
My pleasure.
After all I'm helping poor village children.

BTW how much did the domain cost?

Domain = USD 1.2 (sponsored by one of my clients lol). Renewal rate will be different, but will worry about it after 1 yr !

Webspace = 200 MB for now, can increase later.

What's the new address ?
Hmm and TikiWiki sounds like a good option.
Webspace @ 200mb is enough for now.
Bandwidth ?
Did you host on godaddy.com ?

EDIT: and about the name of the project, how was the name I suggested over PM ? eJalakam ? "Jalakam" means WINDOW in sanskrit for those who don't know and "e" is there for the same purpose as in eMail.

A

MetalheadGautham said:
What's the new address ?
Hmm and TikiWiki sounds like a good option.
Webspace @ 200mb is enough for now.
Bandwidth ?
Did you host on godaddy.com ?

EDIT: and about the name of the project, how was the name I suggested over PM ? eJalakam ? "Jalakam" means WINDOW in sanskrit for those who don't know and "e" is there for the same purpose as in eMail.

I knew that

Studied Sanskrit till class VIII.

Everything is setup and site is up now.

The script (back to mediawiki !) and domain name were selected based on majority of the pms I received. I set it so that it is open to all but edit by admins only. Admins in the sense all TDF members interested. Those who already registered on the school site, need not register again as the same username / password will work here. Also set a redirection from school website to avoid confusion.

So here is the site - Nothing much now, just basic install only. No content yet. And most of the page links goes to same page, those links were added as part of my test lol.

*www.itjalakam.info

Stands for - IT Jalakam - Jalakam as MHG said - Window in Sanskrit.

I think (as suggested by MetalHeadGautham) we can continue the discussion in the thread itself instead of pms. Please feel free to suggest / comment / criticize and contribute

Always open to all suggestions and criticism.

Those who want to add / modify articles, please create a user account in the wiki and please let me know and I will change the status to admin immediately.

Those who are new to wiki (like me !) please have a look - MediaWiki User Guide

And as I mentioned before, even a single post or a single page in the wiki matters and it helps a lot. So please do not think that this is something for which we need dedicated time every day / week. Nothing like that.

Thanks again.

First, decide if you want TikiWiki or MediaWiki. Because the students need to be exposed to everything, and having an in-house forum and CMS helps a lot.

What are the features in each ?

And BTW, wasn't there another project by the Kerala Government called IT At School ? Are you sure it won't confuse people as to which is which ?

And finally where are you hosted ? And what's the running cost ?

@MetalheadGautham

No, this is not for the students, I mean this is only for us who are creating the syllabus. Introduction to forums, wiki, cms, blog etc will sure be there in syllabus, but this site is only for making the syllabus for that.

I was in favor of Tikiwiki, but majority suggest we can go for mediawiki instead. I mean not a huge one to maintain. Tiki is good but we may not be able to manage it, really big and we will not need even half of its functionalities.

This website is hosted with hostgator. Running cost I am not very sure, it is under a reseller package, but I can manage the cost, that part is ok.

Eight people joined so far. Any other members want to join and help us making the syllabus, please post your suggestions / comments here.

@din, I was thinking...when this thing starts, students would ask u lotsa questions. How about collecting them (as far as u remember) and make a FAQ in the wiki page?

And I was going through the topics u've mentioned. Thing are going very in depth. Do u think a 10th standard student would be able to grasp all those in a year (or how many months u r projecting?).
Again not everyone would be same interested or may drop out (as its not their syllabus and they won't get any numbers for it, u know parents).

I say, devide this in three stages.
Basic
Mid
and Advanced.

In basic: (i) Computer Internals. Everybody at that age are clueless about them. Means, they always want to what's in there but fear that they may cause any harm to the PC if they open/touch anything there. So a peek under the hood, which part is what. Why its used? (Don't describe them in advanced lingo, as they might loose interest)
(ii)Mails: everyone needs it. Needs very little knowledge to understand and implement.
(iii)Social Networking: It has touched everyone irrespective of age (my land lord's daughter might be aged of 8-9 yrs is hooked to Orkut!!!). Make them know how to use it and what are the dangers of it.
(iv)Chat clients: Gtalk, MSn Chat, Yahoo, RedifBol, Skype etc.
(v)Netiquettes: Very important.
(In this part I've concentrated only on external apps. i.e. if anyone has learnt till now he/she can do this much of things without knowing anything else about a PC. A cyber cafe would b enough of their needs)

[If taken one class a week of 1-1.5 hrs, this would take 6-7 classes. PC Internals (3 class), Mails (2 class), Social networking (1 class), Chat Clients and Netiquettes (1 calss). Till then u would come to know, if u r hit ya miss (there is chance of getting flop for every noble cause). If u find that majority is still interested move to mid level Gyan.

Medium: (i)OS: What is it. Not in technical terms (but if ur students r that intellegent u can give a bit idea but don't bore them). Which kinda present, free paid. Diff. between Win, Lin and Mac. (B/w what is ur target in OS? What do u expect ur students to learn in this phase?)
(ii)Multimedia Apps: They are different depending on OS. So they need to learn OS first. Then which app. can be found where and how to use them. WinMediaPlayer (as 90% of them would use them), VLC (u'll introduce them to it), QuickTime (for MAC only, as its a default player). Anything else if u like. (R u considering image editing s/w, audio or video editing s/w here?)
(iii)Browser and AddOns: Browser alone can be taught in Basic part but as soon as the AddOn thing comes it needs a bit special attention from u and ur students. So, keep it reserve for the interested ones only, thats why I'm mentioning it in mid stage. What all browsers? Why do u need a diff. browser than IE. Add ons? Recommend some and teach how to configure and use. (Download helper tools, themes, adblock, (don't provide noScript), FoxyTunes, colorful tabs, fast dial, hyperwords etc. I recommend)

[OS 2 classes, Multimedia 2 classes, browser 2 classes (3-4 browsers, diff, why, how, and add ons); total 6 classes. Till now u've covered 3 months]

Advanced: (i)Basic and advanced HTML Authoring.
(ii)Forums, Blogs And Wikis: First they need to learn how webpages work. Then how they are created, then Forums, blogs and wiki.
(iii)Online storage: I've put it in advancedas they should first know what they can create with computers, they only they would think of storing them and necessity of accessing them from anywhere. CV, personal photographs, any other important docs. Teach what are things dat comes under piracy and can't be put in online storage (MP3s, vdo songs, ebooksetc)
(iv)Google Apps: There is an add on for FireFox (GUtil) which consists all the apps that Google provide.
(v)Search engines: Only google is not enough. Teach which kinda search engines are present. Different ones for diff. need.
(vi)Windows Live: I'm not sure about it. I'm very less informed about its uniqueness.

[HTML authoring(1-2 class) depending upon to which level u want them to take. Forums, BLogs and Wiki (2 classes), Online storage(1 class), Google apps(1 class if only important ones, 2 class if a bit more and 3-class if all tools), Search engines (1 class); total 9 classes]

Till now u've covered 5 and half months. If u don't want to be hurried then a few topics can be stretched.

@rhitwick

Detailed post, loved that. Thank you for the suggestions.

I always wanted to make this a group effort, coz my ideas may not be correct always. When a group of people work behind something like this, I am sure the result will be good too. Always open to suggestions, criticism and ideas, so I am happy to go through the posts.

The categories, I just added it, I knew that they may not be in a proper order. Added them just as a starting.

Ok, regarding the timings, I am yet to fix that, I mean need to consult with the teachers there, already consulted and they are very happy about the plan, but didn't fix the timings.

FAQ in wiki - sure a good idea. Will do that. Will keep adding questions and answers after each class, so other members will get an idea what they ask and how I answered (then people can suggest and comment on it too).

Regarding the three levels, again a good idea and I agree with you in that. The very simple things and basics can be taught first and depending upon the response / interest of the students, can move to other levels.

And yes, there is a chance this may fail, I mean if students lose interest or they think like this training will not get me a job etc, I am aware of that. But planning to present this in a nice manner to them first so that I will get the response and can move ahead based on it. I am planning to filter the students (mostly the IT teachers will do it) and get a small group f students. Like 16 or 20 max. In that case we will have better control. Will ask them to share what they learnt with other students of the class.

OS - No, I never meant to make it complicated. What my idea is, teach them how to partition hard disk, how to install Windows, how to install Linux and how to run Live CDs. I think it will not be a complicated thing for them. Not planning to go in depth of OS, just basic install, basic configurations. I am sure none of them have OS install or Live CD run experience, so I hope they will like it.

Regarding the computer internal section - Yes, I was thinking on the same lines as you. I know some of the software engineers/ engineering students who never tried opening the cabinet of a PC !! They think it is something very complicated or if we open it will all get messed up. So my plan is get an old PC somehow (do not want to do much experiments on the school lab PC lol), take out all the parts and ask them to assemble it themselves. I mean only after giving proper directions and also helping them during the assembling. The OS install class can be taken after this.

Advanced HTML authoring - I added it as a category coz, they already learn HTML as part of their school syllabus. But they have no clue on simple CSS or simple javascript codes. Again not going in depth in that, but can show them how a page will become neat and tidy if we use css in that.

Regarding blogs, wiki etc - yes, we should teach them in the advanced session only. That also, nothing like installation or more on admin side. Just the usage, how to post in a blog, comments, wiki, forum,what are all things to taken care of etc.

Multimedia apps - Considering only basic ones. They are learning GIMP basics already. So may be simple image editors, video players, VLC etc. Just the installation and usage, nothing complicated.

Looks like I'm late

I see people planning for things to be done maybe 2-3 years down the line. Let us not forget that our (yes I'm in) target population does not know a JACK about computers.

Better starting out with something like what's a PC ?
It's components, not too technical, but enough to at least know the names and a line or two about their function. This will help in remote troubleshooting.

Using PCs for simple tasks:

Making notes - gedit, kwrite, notepad
Listening to music, watching a movie
How to use tutorial CDs or DVDs (those exe ones)

Will keep adding....

How about using Joomla! instead of a wiki. It has a built in editor, tiny mce. You can directly copy & paste html from kompozer or any other WYSIWYG editor if you wish to do so. I can give you a demo if you like.

If the wiki is going to be in Malayalam I don't know how much I can contribute. Will need a translator.

I can contribute for Programming and Linux. Can I be of any use? (Python and C I am versed with)

And how about Wordpress as CMS? It can work vey well, has great SEO and looks good as well.

@NucleusKore np

Thank you for the suggestions. Yes, I agree we should start from the very basics.

And yes, the CD, DVD, I think we can make a new category - External media. CD, DVD, USB drives, external HDD etc can be shown in that. Also CD burning, making different types of CDs etc - sure a good idea.

And No, wiki is not in malayalam. It is in English, please do not worry. As I mentioned before, wiki is set for us, for making the syllabus, it is not for the students.

We selected wiki coz the members can edit / modify all pages very easily and we can always revert to any versions - if something goes wrong.

@Liverpool_fan - Please check pm too.

Thank you very much, sure, please join.

Regarding the topics, Linux - will be great. But programming is not planned in the first phase. They are learning Basic programming (I mean the computer programming language called - Basic) in Linux. That is called something like Blassic or so. They are not learning much, just the very beginning. Anyway we can sure plan teh programming in the next phase - after analyzing the response of the students and after checking their capabilities. What do you think ?

A

Try this logo out for your site.
*www2.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/6594fa96d9b2062f0ac05276ea0494962g.jpg
Click to download

Ok, slightly offtopic

Krazzy Warrior and Aspire made two logos for the wiki website. Here are they - again.

Krazzy Warrior said:
*i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd324/krazzywarrior/Avatar%20Signature%20Logo/ITJalakam.jpg

Aspire said:
*www2.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/6594fa96d9b2062f0ac05276ea0494962g.jpg
Click to download

Which one to go for ?

I went through the Wiki. I wanted to know, do we actually write and post chapters there? or just course outlines/subheadings?

@NucleusKore

What my idea was (please correct if it not good), first list the categories (mostly done, but please feel free to add / modify / change order), then add the main points under each categories and then add more details. If we add it / expand it as chapters, that will be really great too.

Right now only the 'Browser' section has some content. Other sections mostly points.

And I see - Linux and opensource - is missing as a category.

Also, it will be great if you share some tips on teaching as it will help me a lot when I go there. Either through this thread or in wiki itself. I do not know the latest trends and techniques of teaching, I mean students and their way of thinking might have changed a lot these days !

Also, I am planning like less theory, more practical. Or theory through practicals. Is that a good method ? Please comment on.

For example, open up a PC cabinet and show them the parts, explain it, allow them to remove it, help them assembling it etc.

din said:
@NucleusKore

What my idea was (please correct if it not good), first list the categories (mostly done, but please feel free to add / modify / change order), then add the main points under each categories and then add more details. If we add it / expand it as chapters, that will be really great too.

Right now only the 'Browser' section has some content. Other sections mostly points.

And I see - Linux and opensource - is missing as a category.

Also, it will be great if you share some tips on teaching as it will help me a lot when I go there. Either through this thread or in wiki itself. I do not know the latest trends and techniques of teaching, I mean students and their way of thinking might have changed a lot these days !

Also, I am planning like less theory, more practical. Or theory through practicals. Is that a good method ? Please comment on.

For example, open up a PC cabinet and show them the parts, explain it, allow them to remove it, help them assembling it etc.

Regarding teaching, I guess you could use an analogy as practical as possible, like how I use to teach my cousins, friends, etc.
PM'ed you how I generally do it.

You could change it, since I still haven't figured out how to teach about the functioning of the Internet, mobo, through that, but I'm still working on it

Theory through Pracs is the way to go, will lead to a more hands-on approach. Dont make it too technical or boring by bombarding them with everything about the mobo all at once, it'll lead to more sleepy heads and yawns in class

Great initiative.

I'd like to join as well. I can contribute a bit in most of the categories currently listed.

I like to Join , But reading this whole thread is reading like theory Book on my Masters Degree - woah big paragraph :lol:

Din u r in cochin near to me - i ll come there for an interview next month

Say what to do ??

Thanks for the clarification

I was writing section for important addons of firefox in the site but my photoshop crashed the system when i started it so the content remains unsaved , my photoshop hangs whole system . i am sorry for that , i have compiled the set of images i just need it to be converted it to gif *rapidshare.com/files/248937956/IT_JAKALAM.zip.html please someone make this animation for completing my article for Add ons

din said:
Ok, slightly offtopic

Krazzy Warrior and Aspire made two logos for the wiki website. Here are they - again.

Which one to go for ?

Err.. I don't think you can use any of these images as logos. They are HP machine. I suspect you may get into legal trouble if you put these images up. Lemme refer this to Nikhil (Verma) or Saurav (gx). They maybe able to help you with the logo

@infra_red_dude

Oops, didn't notice that !! Thank you for pointing out. Kl@w-24 sent one more logo. OK, those who are helping us creating the logo for wiki, please do not use such images ok ?

@thewisecrab

Thank you. I will keep it in mind. Meantime, you meant the pm you sent on the other day or you are planning to send ?

@Kl@w-24

Thank you, please join. Sent pm with the details.

@damngoodman999

Sorry for my big posts, sometimes I do not know how to make it short ! Please join and contribute what you can. Always welcome.

Coming to Cochin next month ? Hope to meet you in person then

@max_demon

I downloaded the file, you are adding text in the wiki ? Or you want to make the images to a single gif file ?

*img23.imageshack.us/img23/9506/logojcf.png

Here is something that I came up in 15 mins, not the best font choice I know. Just putting my card on the table

Feel free to ask for changes if you like it

NikhilVerma said:
Here is something that I came up in 15 mins, not the best font choice I know. Just putting my card on the table Feel free to ask for changes if you like it

Not bad... reminds me of Windows logo

A

NikhilVerma said:
*img23.imageshack.us/img23/9506/logojcf.png

Here is something that I came up in 15 mins, not the best font choice I know. Just putting my card on the table Feel free to ask for changes if you like it

Its too big
Reduce it to 135*135

A

*img200.imageshack.us/img200/9506/logojcf.th.png

A

Reduced to 135X135

infra_red_dude said:
Not bad... reminds me of Windows logo

I heard jalakam means window ?

So ...

WOW, I am so happy lot of members help us in this. Really appreciate that.

And the guy with avtar similar to his photo

,thank you very much (thanks to infra for contacting him). I liked your logo. Plain, simple and neat. Will wait for other members comments.

Meantime, Kl@w-24 sent another logo, here it is. *i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo67/klaw247/Logo.png.

So people, make up your mind, fast

We have to go back to the topic

@damngoodman999

Thank you, please join. Sent details in pm.

I like Kl@w's logo

S

Hey Din uncle, doing it 'Swades' style?

Anybody who watched the movie Swades would know what I'm talking about.

Din sir, I would like to join too.

You can incorporate a separate article on Cyber threats and malware!!

@Sunny1211993

LOL, just visited wikipedia page for the movie. Interesting ! I am not form NASA, so not planning that lol.

On a serious note, planning just a small training to make the students better netizens.

@Disc_Junkie

Happy to see your response. Please join. Sent pm with details. And please feel free to add new categories / articles in the wiki.

A

Sunny1211993 said:
Hey Din uncle, doing it 'Swades' style?
Anybody who watched the movie Swades would know what I'm talking about.

Watched the movie for like 13th Time on TV yesterday at STAR Utsav.........
Nice Movie, but the thing is Mr. Din is not doing Swades as:

> No Amma
> Probably No Girl
> Creating a Website instead of Dam
> He's not from NASA
:lol:

S

^
That wasn't funny.

A

Sunny1211993 said:
^
That wasn't funny.

I never said it was :lol:

@din:
I added a category of Programming, and have so far put an article of introduction and a short note on history of programming language. Is it OK? (Few sentences/phrases are inspired/lifted from Wikipedia, @others it fine, right? Creative Commons Sharealike? Have added references too)
And should I go and add a Python tutorial to it or should I try to get something about Blassic? Your Call.
Though I daresay Python would be far too useful.

S

*img150.imageshack.us/img150/2535/packardbell.jpg

Here's what I made. I hope you all like it.

@din
I'll send the PM by tomorrow. I'm a bit short on time, juggling between exams and classes, and I need to think straight and calmly if the PM needs to make any sense.

i want to create a logo but my photoshop is on knees

max_demon said:
I was writing section for important addons of firefox in the site but my photoshop crashed the system when i started it so the content remains unsaved , my photoshop hangs whole system . i am sorry for that , i have compiled the set of images i just need it to be converted it to gif *rapidshare.com/files/248937956/IT_JAKALAM.zip.html please someone make this animation for completing my article for Add ons

Here's the GIF. I have used an interval of 5 seconds between each frame.

*i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo67/klaw247/th_jklm.gif

@Sunny: I iz liek it...

@Din: I have made a separate sections on Computer Abbreviations. Hope it will be useful....other users can contribute!

A

Should I make an Animated Logo?

updated , browsers and addons , but since my net connection and Power are unstable i am unable to save most of the content . sometimes when pc crashes all unsaved work is wasted

@Liverpool_fan

Great, I see that. We were planning 'Programming' in the second phase, but I think it will be great if you can add a lil more on the 'Blassic' (*blassic.org). Small programs like creating those patterns using loop functions, just for fun and also helps in education. Nothing complicated. They are learning the basics of blassic, so we can add lil more on that I think.

And I think it is perfecty ok to copy content from wikipedia and other public domains like wikipedia provided we are giving proper credits and link back to them. @others - please correct if I am wrong.

@Sunny1211993

Great, thanks for that. Will wait for others opinion on the logo.

Meantime, please do not think I am asking too much, but you are a mac user right ? If you get time, would you please write something about apple products ? Like more on 'Safari' browser or like what is a 'Mobileme' account - just to give them an idea on mac products as well.

@thewisecrab

Please take your time. I was just confused and was making sure I didn't miss the pms, that is why.

@Disc_Junkie

That is really nice, I see it, I mean the computer abbreviations section. They have a small set of abbreviations in their text book. I am planning like introducing them some of these abbreviations in every class. Like if we tell them everything together, they will not be able to memorize or understand them all, but we can teach them in every class, few abbreviations which are related to the section we teach on that day.

@Aspire

I think a plain logo will be better. As it is an educational one. @others - what do you think?

@max_demon

Aaaaw

really sorry to hear that. I know you are the first one to start on a section, that also well in detail. You were always helpful in chat too

I hope the internet / PC issues will be over soon. Also, when you add content to a page, save in between so that you will not lose a lot of text typed.

Thank you all, I see this is going in the right direction with the help of all. I will call the IT teacher of the school tonight and will tell him the progress.

S

@Din Yeah, I'm a semi-Mac user. I'll do that. No problem with that. And yeah, only Sunny is fine, please don't add those numbers after my name.

Sunny, thank you and sorry bout those numbers, will keep it in mind now onwards

How about this ?

*img38.imageshack.us/img38/9264/pppkwh.jpg

I will try one logo in few hours.....

have updated few topics , not complete but some . i am also one logo work . lets see

Okay, so I've been looking at the categories recently and I feel they are too haphazard. We currently have separate categories for Google services, social networking, online storage and even Windows Live!!

Please get together at a pre-determined time so that we can categorize them in a better way.

my attempt

Looks more Professional , made on friend's PC

Original :
*img197.imageshack.us/img197/6481/logozyk.png

Logo Size :
*img197.imageshack.us/img197/3583/logovan.gif

Favicon :
*img197.imageshack.us/img197/5660/faviconico.jpg

Banner 1 :
*img36.imageshack.us/img36/7536/bannertpg.gif

Banner :

*img520.imageshack.us/img520/2098/bannerofr.gif

@Kl@w-24

We will sure try to get all online once to finalize on categories, but I am not very optimistic about it. I mean, the people who contribute / participate in this discussion does it at their own time, but we will sure give a try.

And please feel free to re-arrange the categories. My plan was, when we take class on 'Email System', we will be teaching them all interfaces - gmail, live mail etc. When we take the class 'Google Applications', we will just mention gmail, will not explain it again but will move to other applications and explain more on those.

What do you think ?

@max_demon

Great. The logo reminds me some other site, can't remember.. hmm piratebay ?

*i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu58/ravi_9793/1-2.jpg

din said:
@Kl@w-24

We will sure try to get all online once to finalize on categories, but I am not very optimistic about it. I mean, the people who contribute / participate in this discussion does it at their own time, but we will sure give a try.

And please feel free to re-arrange the categories. My plan was, when we take class on 'Email System', we will be teaching them all interfaces - gmail, live mail etc. When we take the class 'Google Applications', we will just mention gmail, will not explain it again but will move to other applications and explain more on those.

What do you think ?

Yes, we can at least try it. It is necessary to do this at least once, because members who are not aware will keep creating new categories even though those can be easily covered by the existing ones, thus making it all redundant and disorganized.

Even though I may re-arrange the categories, someone may login after I've been through it and bring it all back to square one. I agree with your idea, and we'll need to make sure everyone knows which direction we are heading in.

EDIT: Can you please try out each logo on the site and post screenshots of how the site looks? That should help the members decide which logo looks best on the site.

@Ravi

Thanks for the logo, personally I like green / blue combination ! But will wait for others suggestion. As Kl@w-24 mentioned, will try to put them in site and will post screenshots.

I think I missed a major category ! Ethical use of technology / Dangers of technology / Cyber crimes - I think these can be mixed and put into one category. As I mentioned in another thread, the kids learn things very fast, but they are not getting proper guidance against the misuse of technologies.

@Kl@w-24

Sure, will put some in site to get the look, will post screenshots.

Slightly offtopic again ...

As per Kl@w-24's suggestion, I have created the screenshots. Resized some of the logos. Didn't put the HP machines logos as it may lead to legal issues, as infra_red_dude suggested.

Please have a look and please finalize on the logo. Hope I didn't miss any !

Click on the thumbs / links to see the enlarged view of screenshots.

Wiki Original

*dcuuia.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pkZX3ZVfppXQVBel_cjkuwYQSMUtGvk0BBxXxc4Sogv9aB0g497OcqQcYJMDExx4T87_B-d0Qx0SUxli3D_2nngtZw8PjFj8h/thumb-wiki-original.png]

Wiki Ravi

*dcuuia.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pcqta3PYyfnsSbe34MIS2RLzTHeQPahYRHna6uVyUshbgD7rHfjYLNDncrO-wlZl8XDh6EbJJsEpoZcXpDBcxjurPrfG_Jgfc/thumb-wiki-ravi.png]

Wiki Sunny

*dcuuia.bay.livefilestore.com/y1puZwFtaZEvU_ncs_rNorlKXUhVvg4OYSkNaR_v3qP0YV9Dv5XjLrMYOwEc20O_c72bg6Mp2umbIOj4slXbckyJHtuPUH6B6Bn/thumb-wiki-sunny.png]

Wiki Nikhil

*dcuuia.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pkZX3ZVfppXTdNKLY0eq68vwl_EJxqAC732I-XHH_Tz7rY5iKAnXFHQDRPrcsPr8igS0PzqjP4o4BG2u10ls9KtJRW_St3S3q/thumb-wiki-nikhil.png]

Wiki - Max

*dcuuia.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pDyiyJGlosigGs-jb85vvYNXgJfjJBzTHdP_U3JFSYOmJiwzZgGBrV6a8bqeGmr6rnAlCag-nCYwaCHt3-wtsKjabNDNC-82k/thumb-wiki-max.png]

Wiki - Modified version of Nikhil's logo by Krazzy

*dcuuia.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p1DLhFDjID0b2kjDtxRYxuqJJC1SpYkFrqm5j5t2FWig8JSzuuRLU7TxGTJeVEPVYh4rXcTIzTd_XpyA1t1qNzu_6gH_0Faod/thumb-wiki-krazzy-modified-nikhils-logo.png]

Wiki - Kl@w-24

*dcuuia.bay.livefilestore.com/y1piZDutEbCtdtB7Zw14DOCE9BF9CgnGQeEdFg0cC5TIsvy--LS_R-G5mh4eXKMSABMf4gF2C2htmtF-S7btJ7uqK9Tm52Qdr66/thumb-wiki-Kl%40w-24.png]

S

@Din When do you want those articles on Apple products?

Sunny, please add whenever you get time.

We are planning like complete it in all respect by Aug end. I mean the final syllabus after modifications and corrections will be ready by that time.

My vote is for ravi's one...

A

din said:
Slightly offtopic again ...

As per Kl@w-24's suggestion, I have created the screenshots. Resized some of the logos. Didn't put the HP machines logos as it may lead to legal issues, as infra_red_dude suggested.

Please have a look and please finalize on the logo. Hope I didn't miss any !

Click on the thumbs / links to see the enlarged view of screenshots.

Wiki Original

*dcuuia.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pkZX3ZVfppXQVBel_cjkuwYQSMUtGvk0BBxXxc4Sogv9aB0g497OcqQcYJMDExx4T87_B-d0Qx0SUxli3D_2nngtZw8PjFj8h/thumb-wiki-original.png]

Wiki Ravi

*dcuuia.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pcqta3PYyfnsSbe34MIS2RLzTHeQPahYRHna6uVyUshbgD7rHfjYLNDncrO-wlZl8XDh6EbJJsEpoZcXpDBcxjurPrfG_Jgfc/thumb-wiki-ravi.png]

Wiki Sunny

*dcuuia.bay.livefilestore.com/y1puZwFtaZEvU_ncs_rNorlKXUhVvg4OYSkNaR_v3qP0YV9Dv5XjLrMYOwEc20O_c72bg6Mp2umbIOj4slXbckyJHtuPUH6B6Bn/thumb-wiki-sunny.png]

Wiki Nikhil

*dcuuia.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pkZX3ZVfppXTdNKLY0eq68vwl_EJxqAC732I-XHH_Tz7rY5iKAnXFHQDRPrcsPr8igS0PzqjP4o4BG2u10ls9KtJRW_St3S3q/thumb-wiki-nikhil.png]

Wiki - Max

*dcuuia.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pDyiyJGlosigGs-jb85vvYNXgJfjJBzTHdP_U3JFSYOmJiwzZgGBrV6a8bqeGmr6rnAlCag-nCYwaCHt3-wtsKjabNDNC-82k/thumb-wiki-max.png]

Wiki - Modified version of Nikhil's logo by Krazzy

*dcuuia.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p1DLhFDjID0b2kjDtxRYxuqJJC1SpYkFrqm5j5t2FWig8JSzuuRLU7TxGTJeVEPVYh4rXcTIzTd_XpyA1t1qNzu_6gH_0Faod/thumb-wiki-krazzy-modified-nikhils-logo.png]

Wiki - Kl@w-24

*dcuuia.bay.livefilestore.com/y1piZDutEbCtdtB7Zw14DOCE9BF9CgnGQeEdFg0cC5TIsvy--LS_R-G5mh4eXKMSABMf4gF2C2htmtF-S7btJ7uqK9Tm52Qdr66/thumb-wiki-Kl%40w-24.png]

Mine was a Compaq PC and not HP

^and to write dat u needed to quote the whole post???!!!
Grow up....

rhitwick said:
^and to write dat u needed to quote the whole post???!!!
Grow up....

Do not feed the troll!

A

rhitwick said:
^and to write dat u needed to quote the whole post???!!!
Grow up....

Forgot to edit out the images
:wink:

Kl@w-24 said:
Do not feed the troll!

wtf was that?

^ White text is lame. Now stop taking this offtopic.

OK, back to the topic.

I found a nice tutorial by our senior member / Mod batty in the tutorial section of TD forum. I emailed him asking permission for adding it in the wiki and he happily gave me permission to do so.

I will add the content (it is about spyware, malware etc) in the wiki - of course giving link and credits to him.

@others

Please feel free to suggest / modify the categories and order when you get time. Also, as Kl@w-24 suggested, if we can be online at a specified time, we can do it together too.

For those who want to know what is there in the text book (IT text book of Grade 10 students of Kerala), you can download the entire text book form here. I mean we can omit the sections which are already in that text book. And do not worry, it is in English.

Download link - The IT text book (13 pdf files, total size 5.9 MB)

Download link - The IT text book (Single zip file contains 13 pdf files, zip file size 5.5 MB)

The text book is already available online for free download, so I am not violating any rules.

^^
Great

How big is it? Since I dont want to waste my day-quota of downloads if it's too big (ie. I'll check it out at night

)

I'm thinking of changing the layout of the main page, something a bit more friendly to both admins and casual users (like say, resembling the main page of wikipedia)

I'm also thinking of adding a separate space for admins, where they can just edit the content to state what changes they have done/doing. Something like "For admins only" kind of portion of the page. Maybe that can help all of us keep track of everything, since not all of us are online at the same time

Is this OK with you'll? I'm open to any changes you'll feel I have to make

I've not posted anything yet, since I havent got used to the wiki syntax, but I'll do so soon.

EDIT:

I just performed most of the changes on the site. I'm waiting for a response to see if it's good enough, as I've backed up the original page just in case

@thewisecrab

Thank you. I added one more download link, also specified the size in the previous post.

Regarding your ideas, please do it. I see the changes and I liked them. Will wait for other users comments on this.

Regarding the change-log, sure a good idea. But I think we have two options, by clicking the 'history' link of each page, we will be able to see the changes made. But if that is not admin-friendly, shall we make a separate page instead of putting the log in main page ?

I am suggesting because, if we keep adding the changes, the main page will be very long. Instead, give a link from the main page to a change-log page ?

What do you think ? This is just a suggestion. Please feel free to comment on.

^^
I just thought since it's the main page, and that most admins have to edit it to include more articles, having the change log in the same will make the work less tedious, ie. everything will be in one page

IMO. it doesn't matter if it turns out to be long, we can always cut-paste it on a new page after everything is ready.

Bump!

OK, I was waiting for the members suggestion. I totally agree with you, but the only thing I am against the main page idea is, the wiki is viewed by admins and other people as well. So if the page is really long (with the logs), it may not be a nice thing, I mean home page taking much time to load (yes I agree it is just plain text), so I thought we will keep the main page small.

But open to suggestions, others, please comment on.

On a different note, started bugging some of my friends, some senior members who left TD forum etc

Hope more people join the wiki.

Found some good articles in wikipedia today. Related to blogs, forums, the common terms used etc. Will select some content from those and will add to our wiki.

Not going to teach too much theory on this, instead, planning to show them forums, blogs etc and show them examples.

This is a really nice thing you are doing...

Firstly try and make sure whatever they learn from their school textbooks arent pure BS or outdated...some quotes from my 12th std textbook:

Hackers are evil people with bad intentions who try to break into other computers and create havoc by doing things like erasing data

Nowadays L2 cache is located on the motherboard

Latest processor by intel is pentium 4

not to mention numerous syntax errors in programs they have given and still numerous wrong definitions...would have quoted more but ive forgotten most of it.

EDIT:

You posted this in your wiki:

GPU - Simillarly to the RAM but also Processes Information Needed to Display/Render The Current Scene to Display in the screen .

This is not entirely correct...A GPU is not similar to the RAM at all, its simply an explansion device used to render graphics or the current display and send it too the monitor via a cable like the vga, DVI, HDMI etc...The processor in this case, simply feeds the required data to the gfx card or gpu which then does the processing, thus it offloads rendering work from the cpu.

Also in the internet section, i sugget you add a download manager wiki, so the students can get the fastest out of their net connections...try some free ones like FDM and Flashget

@amitash

Thank you very much for the suggestions. Yes, AFAIK, the IT text book of 10th grade students was prepared in 2004 ! So you can imagine how much outdated it will be - as things change in a matter of seconds in IT.

And thanks for explaining the term - GPU. Actually it was not added by me, there are about 10 members now, I couldn't go through it fully, but will do a review this weekend. Thanks again for pointing out the mistake. It really helps as it will not be a nice thing to teach the students what is partially true.

Update - July 6

Image upload facility has been added in the wiki, as some visitors / admins were complaining about file uploading sites, I mean some sites are blocked etc. Now we can keep all images in the same site itself (wiki site).

Not expecting a huge number of files / very large images, so it should not be a problem. And if needed, I will increase the webspace / bandwidth as well.

You can find it in the left side - Toolbox -> Upload file.

^^
w00t!

@din , you can add poll for logo desines

Slightly offtopic :

Added a poll to select a logo for the wiki site.

Thank you Amitash, Max and Liverpool fan. I see the recent updates in Wiki.

This is coming up good, I have some other ideas, will post soon.

A

Voted for Ravi.
Krazzy's is just a modification of Ravi logo and personally i think that the logo looked better before the modifications by Vaibhav.

OK, put the logo which got max votes (may change later !).

Edit - LOL Ravi and Max with same number of Votes ! What to do ?

Back to the topic :

Called the IT teacher again and got some more info, I mean on what they are learning now. Will post details soon.

OK, regarding the 'Computer Internals' section.

That is covered in the syllabus, but not in very detail. I talked to the IT teacher and he told me they show the parts of the PC in lab / class.

But nothing like a live demo of PC assembling and install of OS. So I am planning to get all parts and will buy if there is anything missing and will guide them in assembling a PC. Also planning to show the parts which are not in the school lab.

Like sound card, graphics card etc.

Talked to Manan and we have an idea of live interaction session with the people behind this. I mean students interacting with the members who contributed in the wiki. I am not sure how it will go but if there is lag in Video, we can go for an audio session.

By doing it, we can give them an idea that it is a group effort and people from different parts of the World (two are from USA, one from Middle East and rest all scattered all over India) are trying to help the students.

A

Choose Ravi's

I liked Max's logo.

V

WOw.. I was alerted by Din's message about his project...I miss lot of fun and excitement during my absence here..
downloads link may be added so people wanted a good computer books can be benefited..powerpoint presentations created by the members /or collected by the members can be in the downloaded section.. it will be a nice addition if school/college projects codes are added there(of course instead of learning, copycats may ready to spoil the whole idea of sharing knowlledge)

Another thing I saw in the 10th grade text book.

They mentioned Ankit Fadia's name and his website url (which got expired long back ? - *www.ankitfadia.com ) and gave details like hes the ultimate guy as far as hacking is concerned. I am not against him and I think he know lil bit in that, but giving a lot of importance to him (like a half page article on him) and not mentioning any real hackers - I think that is not a good thing.

But then we can't do anything about the official syllabus / original textbook and our plan is purely unofficial.

But I mentioned this to the IT teachers in the school and asked them to search in internet / check his wikipedia page for full details - as they were not at all aware of Ankit Fadia controversies.

Back to the topic - internet issues, so couldn't add much to the wiki last week. Will be adding more on the online storage section this week.

They should have written about Eric Raymond and his famous article.

Added content in the 'Online Storage' (file sharing) page. Added info on Rapidshare, Mediafire, Skydrive and Megaupload.

Any similar sites which are better / lesser limitations ? Please enlighten me.

^ *www.zshare.net/

*fileflyer.com , *filesend.net

*www.yousendit.com/

For sending a file to someone's email.

Whoa!! The site logo is awesome!!

Thank you. Added those site links in the wiki.

I also see Nucleuskore added content in the 'Email System' page. Thank you.

Today, added content under Email clients (same page - Email System). Only outlook express and Thunderbird. Which others to add ? Zimbra may be ?

Also, that page may need a cleanup as I added a lot from Wikipedia especially under the section - Thunderbird.

Max added a new category - People. Famous people related to IT. I think that is sure a good idea. Like at the end of every class, we can mention one form the list and just like a small story, can give more details about them

Please comment on...

To all the members who contributed / planning to contribute in the wiki site and members who gave suggestions in the forum.

Planning to include video bio.

OK, this is for the intro session I am planning to take before selecting the students / before starting the course. This is for giving them an idea of the group of people who are behind this wiki / syllabus, how they help the students, their expertise in the field of IT / other fields etc.

This is different from the video session classes (in which we are planning direct interaction of the contributing people with the students. May be 15 or 20 mins, but that is after starting classes).

Four options,

I prefer the first one as I think that will make it look more professional.

1. If you do not mind showing your face in the cam and not worried too much of revealing your details, please make a video bio !

Nothing serious, just a 4 or 5 minutes video bio where you mention your name, educational / job details, how you met me (online), which section you are contributing (if you are contributing in the wiki - else omit this section, but you can mention something about the syllabus / wiki), whether you maintain any software project / blog / site etc, how the IT course will benefit them and finally a good-luck message ! Thats it.

2. You are not comfortable with a video session and you prefer audio.

Everything goes as case 1, but record only audio.

3. You are not comfortable with audio too !!

Make a plain bio (text / photo etc) writing details as mentioned above.

4. You prefer to be totally anonymous, do not even want to give out your name.

Make a plain bio with a nick / username in TD forum and rest as above.

*itjalakam.info/User:Max_demon

Something just pointed me here... And i must say wow - this is a really nice initiative ! Even i wish to contribute with whatever i can...

S.K said:
Hi
Saurabh kakkar very old member to digit forum but i dont know why they have permanently banned me from this forum (No reason specified) .

Regards
Saurabh kakkar

What was your old login id? Maybe i can have a look into it.

@staticsid

Thank you for the kind words. Please feel free to join the wiki website. Add whatever you can / whenever you can. Even listing important points matters.

I am planning to go there (Village) by this month end / September first week. Sent an email to the IT teacher for some clarifications - mostly the class timings etc. Will keep you updated.

And guess what ?

The senior member (now not very active) Mehul was online today. As I bug everyone regarding this, I imed him and talked a lot about this. He told me he is sure interested and want to contribute. He created a username and started adding content in the wiki.

So happy it goes very well so far. Will keep you updated.

S

@ @staticsid
Here is my old Login Id
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/member.php?u=16827

Thanks for your support

S.K said:
@ @staticsid
Here is my old Login Id
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/member.php?u=16827

Thanks for your support

PM him, plz...

@Saurabh Kakkar (S.K)
I've unbanned you.

As for this thread i'm going to clean it up by deleting all these posts.

Regards,
staticsid

@staticsid

Thank you, I see your username in the wiki site, I upgraded the status to Admin, so that now you can add / edit everything in the Wiki site.

On a related topic ..

One of the IT teachers got slightly confused it seems. He told me they ((Two IT teachers) will be able to manage the class and they can do it even in between the regular classes. But I am not in favor of that. I mean, first mixing up the regular (official) syllabus and this may not be a good idea, especially this is meant for a small group who are really interested in IT. Another thing is, they are not supposed to teach anything closed source during the class (during the official class time), so they will be in trouble if they do so.

Also why I suggested I will take (either me or anyone from the IT field itself) the class coz, what we write in wiki or what we teach them is all form our experience. Like for example, we use an email client, we use twitter or we know (comparatively) how to behave in a forum or mailing list. So if the children ask some questions related to these, we will be able to answer it in a better way.

What do you think ? This is not for underestimating the IT teachers, but they are all new to IT. When I mentioned email client, micro blogging, Linux live CD etc, they had no clue about it. So I think if they mix it up, it may lose the charm and children may not get benefited as we planned.

I have sent an email to him and waiting for the reply. May be I need to convince them talking directly. I will keep you updated.

Friends, please comment on this and correct me if my idea is wrong.

@din, I agree with u...

Tell the teacher (i guess u've already done) that this course is not a mandatory one. Its only targeted to interested students. That way it wont cause extra pressure/nurden to students...etc. Put some senti stuff, like...u r very much grateful to them for the education and now u think u should give them back. They should not take this opportunity from u etc... (don't u see movies? :-D

)

Now, one thing I want to warn u, don't teach the children anything directly related to syllabus. Because, tomorrow when u won't be there, students may ask their students "but Din sir told something else", which will just embarrass them. (well, this is not a valid point, but it can happen)

@Crazykiller - Thank you for joining. Upgraded your status to admin in the wiki.

@rhitwick - Yes, I already mentioned it without hurting them. I told the IT teachers, it will be a burden if they have to take this class too, they will have to spend more time etc. Also mentioned, it may need not be me, but anyone from the IT field.

And yes, I was thinking about it yesterday, I mean the second point you mentioned ! But there are some which may overlap. For example, text book shows max capacity of a memory card as 4 GB or so. When I tell them it is 16 GB or more, that will be a small problem.

I am planning to warn the students never to mix up the course with the official syllabus. For the school exam, they have to write whatever is there in their text book, plus they should not show any 'superiority' in the regular class knowing lil more than the rest. I will sure keep this in mind, thanks for the point and it is sure a valid one.

OK, just checking.

Anybody has sound cards that you do not need anymore ? Like non working cards will be pretty OK too. I will pay the shipping charges. (Of course you are not supposed to charge for the non working sound card

)

Idea is to show the students parts of computer. I already have (and purchased few parts like memory etc) working parts for the assembling session. But this is for them to have a look, not for assembling.

Like I have 56kbps modem, old network cards, floppy drive etc ! Which may be obsolete but can show them those. And can open things like HDD, CD drive (non working) and show them the internals. Good idea ?

din sir,
Awesome initiative. Unfortunately, I can't contribute much for various reasons (read excuses).

By the way, where is your school?

@drgrudge

Thank you. Happy to see you back in TDF after a long time.

No problem, I understand. If you have any suggestions/comments, please post here or even in chat.

School is in Wayanad District of Kerala state. Near to Kerala / Karnataka border. Typical village.

Gentle reminder (another name of bugging lol)

Those who contributed in the wiki site / posted their suggestions in this thread / those who are planning to contribute -

Would you please send the bio that I mentioned in the previous post ? I will be going to the village next week, creating a multimedia presentation (using openoffice) now.

I will mention the names of people behind this initiative and show their bios in the presentation.

A

I'm still using an antique PC, so cant even think of contributing unless i get a new one
:-(

@rhitwick

Thank you, I see you added more content.

I will be leaving on Sunday. Will take a print out of the entire wiki to show the teachers. But please feel free to add/modify content after that too, as introduction, PC assembling class etc will take few weeks (seems only weekends can be used for taking the classes, but will confirm once I reach there).

Sorry for being "away" for so long. My motherboard has gone for a warranty replacement. Am making do with my netbook for the time being

@NucleusKore

PC ok now? Please send resume once you get time ok ?

The students are having their exams this week. Will be able to go and give the intro talk on Monday.

I will keep you updated.

Wish me good luck

din said:
The students are having their exams this week. Will be able to go and give the intro talk on Monday.

Eagerly waiting for this day.
Well, going home this 18th for two weeks. Will be away from forum for the same duration. So, won't be able to celebrate wid u...

But...don't forget to post updates.

din said:
@NucleusKore

PC ok now? Please send resume once you get time ok ?

The students are having their exams this week. Will be able to go and give the intro talk on Monday.

I will keep you updated.

Wish me good luck

I just got it back yesterday. Will send you the resume.

Finally !!!

Went to School yesterday. It was nice to be with the teachers and students again. Did the intro session and a small (open office impress) presentation explaining the course, why they need it, advantages etc etc. The students are really interested and eager to know latest things in IT.

Will be selecting the small group (16 numbers) by Monday (Will leave it to the students and teachers) and will be starting the regular classes from next week. May be 3 days a week or only on weekends. Yet to finalize on that.

Showed the names of all TDF members participated in the discussion and that of people who contributed and sent their resumes. They thought it is really a great thing as a group of people, especially from a wide variety of fields are behind this. The students and teachers asked me to convey their thanks and regards to all of you

Seems it is going in the right track even though it got delayed a bit. I will sure keep you updated.

Once again - Thank you all.

It is very heart-warming to hear about that. Hats off to you, Din for taking up the initiative!

I know this is bumping an old thread after about 1 year !

But, things didn't work as planned and the classes were not regular last year. Didn't get much days to spend with the students, So I had to stop in between.

I made a new plan and was testing it, yes, another crazy idea.

I started with the present batch of students - using voice and video chat

Yes, it is working pretty nice so far. Main advantage is, instead of going there and taking class, I can take class from here. Instead of long hr classes, can take class like thrice in a week or more. And the students are interested and picking up very fast. Actually much faster than what I thought.

The syllabus need some updates, like google buzz was not there last year, iPad was not in market and news like that ! I will keep in mind the new things when I take class. I am not going to make it 100% online but will use it maximum.

Once again, thanks a lot to all those who helped me in this venture and just keeping you updated that I didn't drop the plan

Better late than never !

Note: ITJalakam site is under renewal process, will be up again next week - if anybody wondering what happened to the website.

nice to know its coming back again.

The second day with video chat today. There were network issues and we got disconnected few times, but much better and relaxed pace in teaching now. 1 hr session from 09:00 to 10:00 in the morning.

Today's topic was E-Mail, history of E-Mail, functions, Gmail etc. I think it will take 1 or 2 classes more before going to the email clients! They are all excited as its all new to them, and the response so far is really good. Fast learners from village!

I will keep you updated.

din said:
The second day with video chat today. There were network issues and we got disconnected few times, but much better and relaxed pace in teaching now. 1 hr session from 09:00 to 10:00 in the morning.

Today's topic was E-Mail, history of E-Mail, functions, Gmail etc. I think it will take 1 or 2 classes more before going to the email clients! They are all excited as its all new to them, and the response so far is really good. Fast learners from village!

I will keep you updated.

I'm glad to hear this!

And "fast learning" is very much influenced by "good teachers"!

The students with the help of Alumni and teachers conducted a small 'Install Fest' near their school. Mainly installing Ubuntu in few systems which was brought by the audience, then listing the open source alternatives in Windows etc. It was not just open source, but to make people aware of the advantages of IT.

Regarding classes, had two QA sessions and with today's class the 'Email' chapter is over. Moving to Email clients from tomo. I will keep you all updated.

Installing Ubuntu? Nice.

More exposure to FOSS, the better

Regarding E-Mail clients. hopefully you would discuss with Thunderbird or similar Open Source E-Mail Client than Outlook/Windows Mail

I feel really happy to see updated stuff on this thread