Siraj Log
Contents
Fri Apr 17, 2020
- Updated list of potential dates for workshops starting August. Cleaned this up so that its a bit more readable. There are some uncertainties especially for the Taiwan dates as these are not as familiar to me. I need to confirm with the relevant teachers here: File:Candidate Dates (v0.1).ods
- Quick note about payment problems in Taiwan. Local shopping is a little slower. Some problems may occur as a result of not having a local bank card. This will slow down purchasing. Currently dealing with these problems for the test kit. Working out a solution. Compared to Mainland China, Taiwan's supply chain and online purchasing platforms aren't as developed for engineering applications.
Sat Apr 11, 2020
- D3D Universal - https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/File:D3D_Universal_Assy.fcstd
- Aug potential workshop.
- Try the remote workshop if disease ramps up
- Ship kit beforehand.
- Taipei
- YouTube Live - questions can be typed in. But one way stream.
- Instructor Test
- Shredder for next workshop
Sat, Apr 4, 2020
First draft BOM for D3D Universal can be found here: File:D3D Universal BOM - Siraj.ods
More updates to come shortly as parts are ordered and the test build proceeds.
Thu Apr 2, 2020
There are four types of printers
- D3D
- D3D Universal: https://github.com/OpenSourceEcology/D3D_v19.04
- D3D Pro
- D3D mini
D3D Universal will be used for initial workshops. BOM coming soon.
Sun Mar 9, 2020
Summary of Workshops
Each workshop is one day and roughly divided into the following topic categories
- Workshop 1: FreeCAD & 3D Printer (https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/D3D_Universal_Build_Manual, https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/D3D_Universal#CAD, https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Tutorials)
- Workshop 2: KiCAD, Plotter, Etching & Arduino (https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/D3D_CNC_Circuit_Mill, https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/D3D_Universal_Plotter)
- Workshop 3: Motor, Motor Control, CNC Mill
- Workshop 4: Battery, Charger, Welder
- Workshop 5: Cordless Drill
- Workshop 6: Raspberry Pi Tablet
- Workshop 7: Aerial Drone
- Workshop 8: Business, Economics, Online Retail
- Workshop 9: Video Production & Editing (Kdenlive?), AR
Some link through to scheduling considerations for STEAM Camps
- https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/STEAM_Camp_Schedule
- https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/January_2020_STEAM_Camp
- See log from Feb. 23rd, 2020
Parts Procurement in Taiwan & China
Today and this week I'll be figuring out where to get the parts
- Examination: https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Instructor_Exam
- OSE Dev Kit: https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/OSE_Dev_Kit_Packing_List.
- OSE STEAM BOM: https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/January_2020_STEAM_Camp_Kits_BOM
Additional concerns
- (No)Refund policy needs to be carefully considered. And considerations need to be made for student dis-satisfaction
- In the event that the student doesn't show up, but has paid, we need to make arrangements to get the parts and supplies and course content to him/her in a packaged digestible and consumer friendly form.
- What would be the new price point for the four day, as opposed to 9 day workshop
Sun Feb 23, 2020
Scheduling of Workshops in Taiwan, Mainland China, Japan
Main concerns
- 9 day workshops aren't going to be practical in any of these countries as work culture doesn't allow for much available time
- The best case scenario is to hold the 9 day workshops during Golden week, National day and Chinese new year holidays. Shorter holidays will include labour day, bank holidays, etc.
- Alternatively, breakdown workshops into smaller chunks offered on weekends.
- Typically, students will study on Saturday in Mainland China.
- Company staff will be working on Saturdays often in both Taiwan and China.
- Long work hours during the week are common in all three countries so evenings unavailable.
- We need to be concerned about income differences and workshop pricing in Asia v.s. North America and Europe.
- English as sole language may be an issue in market reach
- Marketing budget and time far too inadequate.
- Prep. time and budget inadequate.
- OSE business model may have fundamental flaws outside of N.America and Europe. There is no OSE reputation and extensive leg work required by man on ground in Asia.
- Payment approaches need to be considered, especially for China
- Eliminate over use of google, facebook, amazon API. Add analytics and tracking. And obtain additional demographic data.
- Landing pages for registration need to be translated in to Chinese (simplified/traditional) + Japanese.
- Prep. material, presentations for teaching. Plus presentations for marketing and negotiating with organizations, schools, companies seem to be limited.
- Regulatory constraints for foreigners setting up teaching activities might be an issue.
- Versioning and packaging of files for each workshop development and teaching kit needs to be done.
Income Differences
Below is the per capita average income for countries. Workshop price needs to factor in the level of disposable income available and the size of market. There are significant demographics of parents with siginificant disposable income in China that can be a good market to whom these workshops are accessible.
- U.K. = $42,558 usd/pp
- U.S. = $62,606 usd/pp
- Japan = $39,306 usd/pp
- Taiwan = $24,971 usd/pp
- China = $9,608 usd/pp
Potential Schedules
I'm interested in doing these workshops in three potential countries: Japan, Taiwan, China - I have links and familiarity with all three markets to varying extents
Marketing Targets
- Direct to teachers marketing: Approach international schools especially those focused on sending students to U.S. and European Universities to provide extracurricular activities via these workshops. Here provide teachers with training during the summer and winter holidays to provide students with club projects and the like. Approach the local board of education in each location and individual schools. Workshops will need to be adapted to suit the needs of and schedule of the schools.
- Direct to company marketing: New hires or team building related activities for networking and for skill development. Willingness for such training is more likely with foreign companies in Taiwan, China and Japan. Local companies have training.
- Hacker Community, Art Co'ops, Incubators, Accelerators: Many hackerspaces in Taiwan and a large community of enthusiasts. Here we can make use of the hackerspace itself. Incubators are a major thing in both China and Taiwan. Must be careful as there are many fake incubators and accelerators in China.
- University Staff, Students and High-School/Middle School Students: Direct to student (and parent) marketing. University students are the only group that may be able to truly attend the full 9 day workshops. Though school students can attend during summer and winter holidays, etc. Approaching University staff to arrange induction class for engineering, art and science students might be an avenue of entry. Though Chinese universities tend to be closed to these ideas somewhat. Taiwan universities are also closed somewhat (though less than China) - same for Japan. The key is to have existing internal ties and relationships. So these will need to be built.
- Continuing Education of the Elderly: This group in China will be a hard break in community as there is a higher proportion of under-educated people. But a lot of free time available and an interest in showing off to their community. A community building tool for social support for the elderly. Especially important in Japan where isolation may be a serious problem. Though also some issues in China and Taiwan.
- Family activities and outings: Family activities for younger kids may be a good in road for workshop marketing. Multi-generational involvement to build strong families relationships - potential problem in China and Japan compared to Taiwan.
- Foreign and Local Tourism: Taiwan is a major holiday destination for tourists from Japan, S.Korea, (formerly) China, U.S., Indonesia. Work with travel agency to offer tourist learning packages. Airbnb, couchsurfing, meetup might provide special experiences for marketing.
- Bilingual Language Exchange: Business English training for engineers and scientists. Opportunity for networking and language learning.
- Conference events: There are a number of conferences and related events into which these workshops could plugin (at least in Taiwan)
- Charity groups: Groups that provide volunteer opportunities for adults and those from special circumstances. Not as many significant players in China as compared to Taiwan and Japan perhaps.
Documents Produced
- Planning Document (text): File:Planning Document (v0.1).odt Version 0.1
- Planning Document (spreadsheet): File:Planning Document (v0.3).ods Version 0.3
