Kalliope

• zur Sprachtrainigs-Seite: http://kurs.kalliope.at/

• Es wird noch ein bisschen dauern, bis wir in Wels die ersten Rechner ausliefern. Im Moment laufen Gespräche bzgl. evtl. Kooperationen (streetwork hilft auf alle Fälle mit).

• Wenn jemand Hardware-Quellen hat, bitte an peter@valug.at wenden

• aus dem Projekt http://kalliope.at/ Wien, das schon seit einigen Jahren existiert:

The project Kalliope
Die Muse Kalliope, zustaendig fuer Rhetorik, Philosphie und Wissenschaft - und die weiseste aller Musen
What do we do?

We, that is Michael, Clifford and me, Astrid, collect computers and computerparts, we clean them, test them, and install software on them. What kind of software? Ubuntu, containing Open office of course, VLC so that the users can watch movies, and an mp3-player. And we wrote (and are still at it) an open source software that allows foreigners to learn German (Austrian German, that is). At the moment this software consists of 3 parts: one part to get to know the keyboard, one part to learn the approximately 2.200 most important nouns, and one part for learning irregular verbs. What's special in this software is is that it teaches Austrian German and not german German, as all the other software on the market does, which is totally unappropriate when somebody is going to live in Austria: first the person is a stranger, and then the person is a stranger who learned the wrong language. It bridges a gap in the market. People (also you, should you wish to) can use it to learn German. The software is still being expanded, but it is being used by lots of people even now. Should you wish to explore it: http://kurs.kalliope.at

(If you have no further plan to use it, log in as Test, no password)
Having done all that, we give the aformentioned computers away for free to people in need of learning German who don't have the ressources to buy a computer themselves.

What do you do?

Spread the word. Tell others about this project, on the one hand people who need it that there is this software for learning German, show it to them, teach them how to use it (might take half an hour or an hour of your time, but in doing so you might open a world to this person). On the other hand tell people who have old computers or computerparts that we are running this project and should they wish to donate the parts to it lots of good marks for their karma could be gathered ;-) Either way, everybody wins.
So, again, what could you do?

    * Donate old computers (or even newer ones if you want to get rid of them)

    * Help us to build computers with the hardware we got and to install the software on them

    * If you feel able to: help us to carry stuff. Physically.

    * If you work at a company where they are about to throw away old computers tell us.

    * Tell immigrants about the project and show them where to find the German-course

    * Tell people who might want to donate old computers or computerparts about this project

    * Start a similar project in your area.

    * Should you be skilled in drawing: we need some (actually a lot of) drawings to illustrate
      the meaning of lots and lots of irregular verbs

    * Should you know about some funding-possibilities let us know.

    * If you know some poor immigrant who might need a computer: tell her or him to contact us (or assist her oder him in doing so)

    * Smile at a refugee. Being nice can be soo helpful, can make a difference.

    * Give us nice feedback. We need that. :-)