I was just reading a friends 2011 resolutions and it got me thinking about what I want to achieve this year. I have done the work objectives bit, but what about at home and the rest of my interests.
2011 is going to be quite a different year for us, with a whole lot of priority changes. I have to cut back on work and get more rest. The garden although doing very well has to look after itself more (or I have to ask for more help, which I have been doing, big thanks to our gardener). We are replacing the benchtops in our kitchen but I think we are leaving off most of the other renovations until later. There is still lots to be organised before June when the world changes.
I have retrieved the cross stitch from the bottom drawer and resumed working on the Beatrix Potter blanket I started ten years ago when my sister was pregnant, and I have also bought some wool to knit a blanket, so my craft expertise will hopefully increase this year.
With regards to olpc, I have asked on the olpc-nz mailing list what others would like to achieve this year. Personally, I would like to find a way to support the Oceania deployments better. I think we would see a dramatic improvement in the schools with the laptops if we could get them some more support; something like - on laptop arrival, three months after deployment, six months after deployment, one year after deployment and two years after deployment. I would like the support to be an experienced teacher travelling to the school with an experienced technical person. On each visit you spend the first day assessing what they have achieved so far and where to from there, then build on what they know. Each visit you take more resources for their school server (or give them USBs if they don't have a school server and if you can't install one). Each visit you get the kids to give you stories and samples of things they have made so you build a portfolio that shows the progress of that deployment, maybe put it all on a website for them to have fans follow their progress. You ask the kids to talk about what they like, what they are learning, and what they aspire to learn. Take lots of photos. That would be awesome. The problem is funding those trips.
I still want to keep olpc testing running every Saturday and hope that we can get more engagement with the development community.
There is Moodlemoot NZ 2011 in July to be organised and Software Freedom Day in September, both events I can stay in Auckland for so quite happy with that.
This year I don't plan on traveling until November when I hope to go to Australia for a long anticipated wedding (or maybe two weddings, busy family).
Well, that is about all I can think of right now... sounds like a busy year already anyway!
