schooltool-developers team mailing list archive

[Tom Hoffman <tom.hoffman@xxxxxxxxx>]

What's the timeframe at this point for a CanDo .deb that works for
Lucid?  What are the remaining steps?  I don't want David to be
mucking around with these source packages.

--Tom

On Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 8:25 AM, David Ally <david_ally@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Hi Alan,
>
> Yes, I have been traveling a lot and the other stakeholders on the project
> have also not been much around, I have been to NIEPA several times between
> my last email and now. We are doing the ground work first before the getting
> the final management stakeholders requirements finalize. I'm running lucid
> now.
>
> I tried installing from bzr but I ran into this problem;
>
> david@ubuntupc:~/sandbox$ bzr branch lp:~aelkner/cando/lucid_release cando
> ssh: connect to host bazaar.launchpad.net port 22: Connection timed out
> bzr: ERROR: Connection closed: Unexpected end of message. Please check
> connectivity and permissions, and report a bug if problems persist.
>
> I guess this is more of configuration on LP problem, so please guide me.
>
> There would be a broader stakeholders' meeting anytime from 12th June, and I
> need to test things before then.
>
> David
> ________________________________
> From: Alan Elkner <aelkner@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: Tom Hoffman <tom.hoffman@xxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: David Ally <david_ally@xxxxxxxxx>; Justas Sadzevicius <justas@xxxxxx>;
> Gediminas Paulauskas <menesis@xxxxxx>
> Sent: Tue, May 11, 2010 1:36:23 AM
> Subject: Re: Welcome to the SchoolTool Grant/Pilot Project
>
> David,
>
> Tom makes a good point about getting the new version to you faster by
> way of bzr checkout.  Please follow these instructions and let me know
> if you have any problems:
>
> 1) Pick a directory as the parent directory of the checkout.  I'll
> assume you picked ~/sandbox.
>
> cd
> mkdir sandbox
> cd sandbox
> bzr branch lp:~aelkner/cando/lucid_release cando
> cd cando
> sudo make ubuntu-environment
> make
> make run
>
> 2) If everything goes well, you should have an instance of cando
> running on port 7080.  If not please let me know.
>
> Let me know ow it turns out either way,
> Alan
>
>
>
> On Mon, May 10, 2010 at 5:27 PM, Tom Hoffman <tom.hoffman@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> Just to try to sum this up...
>>
>> In the immediate term David just needs some kind of instructions to
>> get a demo going -- bzr checkout, whatever we can get working,
>> preferably with current CanDo and up to date SchoolTool.
>>
>> David, in the longer run, we'll want your schools to be using Ubuntu
>> packages on Lucid and then Maverick.  Those are the target platforms.
>>
>> --Tom
>>
>> On Mon, May 10, 2010 at 6:13 AM, David Ally <david_ally@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>> Alan,
>>>
>>> Ok, i just confirmed that 10.4 is LTS release, sorry for my
>>> misinformation.
>>> So, give me the instructions on how to carry out the installation, I can
>>> install from svn repos.
>>>
>>> Thanks!
>>>
>>> David
>>>
>>>
>>> ________________________________
>>> From: Alan Elkner <aelkner@xxxxxxxxx>
>>> To: Tom Hoffman <tom.hoffman@xxxxxxxxx>
>>> Cc: David Ally <david_ally@xxxxxxxxx>; Justas Sadzevicius
>>> <justas@xxxxxx>;
>>> Gediminas Paulauskas <menesis@xxxxxx>
>>> Sent: Mon, May 10, 2010 5:13:12 AM
>>> Subject: Re: Welcome to the SchoolTool Grant/Pilot Project
>>>
>>> David,
>>>
>>> I got cando to work with the latest scholtool on lucid.  I know you
>>> are urgently waiting for the debian package for your proposal, so I
>>> will advise you as soon as that last step has been completed by our
>>> packaging team which should be very soon.
>>>
>>> I'll keep you informed day by day,
>>> Alan
>>>
>>> On Thu, May 6, 2010 at 5:29 PM, Alan Elkner <aelkner@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>> Will do, and I'll report my findings to the developers mailing list
>>>> tonight.
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, May 6, 2010 at 2:07 PM, Tom Hoffman <tom.hoffman@xxxxxxxxx>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>> Alan,
>>>>>
>>>>> Can you test CanDo with the latest SchoolTool?
>>>>>
>>>>> --Tom
>>>>>
>>>>> On Thu, May 6, 2010 at 1:15 PM, Alan Elkner <aelkner@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>>>> David,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> It's true that CanDo is dependent on an older version of schooltool.
>>>>>> I will confer with our team to see what it would take to get it to use
>>>>>> a newer version.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>> Alan
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Thu, May 6, 2010 at 6:16 AM, David Ally <david_ally@xxxxxxxxx>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>> Hi Allan, and team members,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I just read the several emails, I have been on trips and was only
>>>>>>> able
>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>> glance at emails. I'm due in NIEPA next week to finalize what initial
>>>>>>> deployment of SchoolTool and other frameworks should be. But I
>>>>>>> recently
>>>>>>> tried installing the combined latest SchoolTool and Cando with no
>>>>>>> success,
>>>>>>> however, I was able to install Cando from svn repository, meanining
>>>>>>> an
>>>>>>> older
>>>>>>> version of SchoolTool, Alan, please how do I get this done using the
>>>>>>> latest
>>>>>>> version of SchoolTool? I need this for final presentation to
>>>>>>> management
>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>> team at NIEPA for final decision on scope for the phase I deployment.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Other issues would be communicated to the group after my
>>>>>>> presentations.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thank you!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> David
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> ________________________________
>>>>>>> From: Alan Elkner <aelkner@xxxxxxxxx>
>>>>>>> To: Tom Hoffman <tom.hoffman@xxxxxxxxx>
>>>>>>> Cc: gonzaloportal56@xxxxxxxxx; sis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; David Ally
>>>>>>> <david_ally@xxxxxxxxx>; Douglas Cerna <douglascerna@xxxxxxxxx>; Jen
>>>>>>> Overgaag
>>>>>>> <jovergaag@xxxxxxxxx>; shadoschools shadoschools
>>>>>>> <shadoschools@xxxxxxxxx>;
>>>>>>> Justas Sadzevicius <justas@xxxxxx>; Gediminas Paulauskas
>>>>>>> <menesis@xxxxxx>
>>>>>>> Sent: Tue, May 4, 2010 10:27:51 PM
>>>>>>> Subject: Re: Welcome to the SchoolTool Grant/Pilot Project
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hello everyone,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I just wanted to briefly add to Tom's introduction of myself.  I've
>>>>>>> been a software developer for over twenty years now, working on
>>>>>>> technologies ranging from assembly language on the IBM mainframe to
>>>>>>> Microsoft Visual Studio C++ and Basic.  For the last five years, my
>>>>>>> work has been with the Python programming language and, more
>>>>>>> recently,
>>>>>>> the Zope 3 web development platform and SchoolTool.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I must say that being a part of the SchoolTool project, developing
>>>>>>> software that benefits the world at large, is a welcome change from
>>>>>>> developing software that merely makes profits for one company.  I
>>>>>>> look
>>>>>>> forward to working with you all on the three grants that have been
>>>>>>> assigned to me.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Please feel free to contact me at any time no matter what the
>>>>>>> question.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> --Alan Elkner
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 10:27 PM, Tom Hoffman <tom.hoffman@xxxxxxxxx>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Today marks the official beginning of the 2010 SchoolTool
>>>>>>>> development
>>>>>>>> grant cycle.  I thought I should start with an overview of what I
>>>>>>>> anticipating happening next and brief introductions.  Apologies for
>>>>>>>> the length of this email.  It is probably the longest you'll get
>>>>>>>> from
>>>>>>>> me.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> In particular this email is directed at the schools who are working
>>>>>>>> with our developer Alan Elkner, that is, Mpelembe Secondary School
>>>>>>>> in
>>>>>>>> Kitwe, Zambia, Sulaimon Shado Schools in Lagos Nigeria, and the
>>>>>>>> National Institiute for Educational Planning and Administration
>>>>>>>> (NIEPA), Ondo State, Nigeria.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I'll introduce myself and briefly introduce the other players and
>>>>>>>> what
>>>>>>>> our plans are for each.  I'm doing this in part to give you a chance
>>>>>>>> to correct my understandings of who you are all, so feel free to
>>>>>>>> expand on this in a response and don't hesitate to correct me!
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Tom Hoffman -- Managing the SchoolTool project has been my full time
>>>>>>>> job for over five years.  A lot longer than I thought it would take
>>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>>> get this far, to be honest, but Mark Shuttleworth and I were willing
>>>>>>>> to see the project through some initial setbacks, and basically
>>>>>>>> re-making many of the classic mistakes in software development, and
>>>>>>>> we
>>>>>>>> both feel SchoolTool is on the verge of taking off and helping many
>>>>>>>> schools around the world save money, run more efficiently and better
>>>>>>>> educate their students.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I gradually migrated from teaching to my current role.  I have a
>>>>>>>> Masters of Arts in Teaching English from Brown University, I taught
>>>>>>>> English in the Providence Public Schools for two years, then helped
>>>>>>>> design a small high school in Providence where I served as a
>>>>>>>> technology coordinator, then, when that position was eliminated by
>>>>>>>> budget cuts, found myself working on SchoolTool, to which I had made
>>>>>>>> some volunteer contributions.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I live with my wife and two daughters, aged 1 and 3, in Providence,
>>>>>>>> Rhode Island, which is not an island but a state on the east coast
>>>>>>>> between Boston and New York.  I blog at http://tuttlesvc.org
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Alan Elkner has been a full time SchoolTool developer for over two
>>>>>>>> years, and volunteered before that.  He has worked on the CanDo
>>>>>>>> competency tracking component, the gradebook, and developed the
>>>>>>>> Intervention package with Science Leadership Academy in
>>>>>>>> Philadelphia.
>>>>>>>> He lives outside Philadelphia in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Mpelembe Secondary School is a technical high school in Kitwe,
>>>>>>>> Zambia.
>>>>>>>>  They're a leader in the use of ICT in Zambian schools, particularly
>>>>>>>> through their participation in the ENEDCO project -- Enhancing the
>>>>>>>> Visual and Presentation of Educational Content.  Gonzalo Portal is
>>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>> ENEDCO project leader, Jennifer Overgaag is a volunteer (from the
>>>>>>>> US?)
>>>>>>>> working with the school on IT, and Peter Walinkonde is a full time
>>>>>>>> IT
>>>>>>>> administrator for the school.  They're currently managing the school
>>>>>>>> on paper and with spreadsheets.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Sulaimon Shado Schools is a... actually, I'm not 100% sure, is there
>>>>>>>> a
>>>>>>>> primary and secondary school and a small college, or just primary
>>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>>> secondary schools? ... located in Lagos, Nigeria.  Their deployment
>>>>>>>> will also be supported by a local firm, PeopleSoft Technologies.
>>>>>>>>  They
>>>>>>>> have actually been using a different open source SIS, FocusSIS, so
>>>>>>>> this gives us an opportunity to work on a migration.  Hajia Taiwo is
>>>>>>>> the school principal and Balogun Kazeem is our contact at
>>>>>>>> PeopleSoft.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> At NIEPA, we have an opportunity to integrate SchoolTool into the
>>>>>>>> process of training school administrators in Nigeria, an exciting
>>>>>>>> possibility.  Especially if we can successfully promote that work
>>>>>>>> through their connections at UNESCO and UNICEF.  Our contact here is
>>>>>>>> David Ally, a local consultant for Techno-Science Ltd.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> So, as you can see we have three schools and one developer.  We have
>>>>>>>> three months before instances need to be set up and teachers
>>>>>>>> starting
>>>>>>>> to be trained at Mpelembe and Shado Schools.  The timeline is less
>>>>>>>> distinct so far at NIEPA.  Probably we still need to find a specific
>>>>>>>> school to act as a site for them.  David is still working out the
>>>>>>>> details.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Early on, the pattern will be to focus on one school at a time for
>>>>>>>> perhaps two week intervals, probably repeating each step with each
>>>>>>>> school.  Get Mpelembe's data imported, get Shado's data imported,
>>>>>>>> etc.
>>>>>>>>  I do want to start with trying to import Mpelembe data from the FET
>>>>>>>> open source timetable generation software -- they've provided us
>>>>>>>> with
>>>>>>>> an XML export.  Alan started looking at that today.  We'll put a
>>>>>>>> week
>>>>>>>> into that and then evaluate how much longer it might take an
>>>>>>>> prioritize from there.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> In terms of the time alloted in the grant award, we may end up
>>>>>>>> spending more time than was estimated/budgeted.  Those are not hard
>>>>>>>> limits.  If Alan ends up working with the three of you for the rest
>>>>>>>> of
>>>>>>>> the year, and other developers have to chip in some help, but these
>>>>>>>> pilots are a success, I'll be happy.  I'll be ecstatic if we get
>>>>>>>> done
>>>>>>>> with time left over, but the point is, we're not going to say "times
>>>>>>>> up" at the end of August and walk away.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> However, by January 2011 we'll want to focus elsewhere so we should
>>>>>>>> all try to expose and fix as many problems as possible before the
>>>>>>>> end
>>>>>>>> of the year.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> We will also try to prioritize such that we take care of the things
>>>>>>>> that have to be ready to start school first.  We may push back
>>>>>>>> things
>>>>>>>> like end of year reporting requirements that aren't required until,
>>>>>>>> well, the end of the year.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Communication:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> * When you're emailing Alan or me, please cc: the other so we both
>>>>>>>> know what is going on.  I'm not sure if it will make sense to create
>>>>>>>> one or more mailing lists to make sure all the right people are
>>>>>>>> getting relevant mails.  We'll see how that develops.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> * If you are comfortable using IRC, we do have a chat channel on
>>>>>>>> freenode.net.  We have a weekly staff meeting there Mondays at 1330.
>>>>>>>> The channel is logged here:  http://schooltool.pov.lt/irclogs/
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> * We use Launchpad for most administrative tasks, particularly
>>>>>>>> tracking bugs.  If possible we'd like to have you entering bugs
>>>>>>>> directly (rather than sending us emails and having us copy them into
>>>>>>>> the bug tracker), but we can do it either way.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> * If you prefer a certain mode of text, audio or video chat, let me
>>>>>>>> know.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> That should be enough for starters!
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Looking forward to working with you.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> --Tom Hoffman
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>