[OLPC India] Beginning a rural school experiment inspired by OLPC

Sun Nov 2 23:36:23 EST 2008

Thanks Edward,

I am sending a few attachements on the grant proposal to you off this list.

rakesh

On 11/3/08, Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On Sat, Nov 1, 2008 at 10:51 PM, Rakesh Biswas <rakesh7biswas at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > Thanks Edward, Saurabh and Subbu for your kind comments and
> encouragement.
> >
> > To answer Edward's question first:
> > The village has electricity supplied for 2 to 4 hours a day, mostly
> > at night (which the people there reportedly utlize for TV viewing).
>
> We will need to provide deep-cycle storage batteries and possibly
> renewable power generation so that the computers can run when the
> power is out.
>
> > I tried
> > out the BSNL EVDO data card internet connection on my friend's lap top
> and
> > it failed miserably on that particular day. However I can access the net
> > through airtel on my pda mobile phone through which I could access google
> > images during the course of my discussion with one of the teachers who
> had a
> > particular medical problem (to illustrate/show him how the anatomical
> area
> > of his disease looked like - just type planter fascitis in google images
> and
> > see the anatomical diagrams that can be very useful in helping explain to
> > patients).
>
> If necessary, we can organize a broadband wireless system.
>
> > I have presently engaged more with the teachers than with the
> > students and plan to gradually engage more with them once I get their
> > collected parent's life stories (and their parents through them). I also
> > plan to make home visits if necessary in as much non intrusive a manner
> as
> > possible. Right now the principal has given this as a Diwali homework and
> I
> > hope to see some preliminary results soon on my weekly visits.
>
> At some point we can discuss telemedicine systems.
>
> > Edward it would be great if we could still have a computer or two for the
> > school.
>
> If we do this at all, Earth Treasury insists on one OLPC XO per child,
> or two desktop or tower computers. The children must have computer
> access at school and at home. Students will also get flash drives with
> bootable Linux and Sugar preinstalled, so that they can carry their
> work with them everywhere, and work on any computer they are allowed
> to use anywhere. We are talking with NGOs that provide computers by
> the shipping container load.
>
> > Perhaps the internet may work after all through the data card and we
> > could keep it charged during the time of day electricity appears. More
> > importantly it will encourage the teachers further.
> >
> > I have collaborated on similar conceptual models for health care delivery
> > with Intel Innovation center KL, Malaysia where I was teaching for the
> last
> > two years and presently am collaborating for a grant proposal with NDRC,
> > Ireland in designing a similar conceptual model. Do let me know if any of
> > you are interested in reading about those models(already published).
>
> Please let us know more about your grant proposal. We may be able to
> assist.
>
> > In the meantime I felt I needed to try this out on my own in a small
> manner
> > even if it may remain paper based and not exactly an electronic health
> > record at the moment. It would be great to hear from your friends in the
> GIS
> > community if they want to get involved.
>
> I heartily approve of your paper-based prototype trial. Then we will
> know what we are trying to put on the computer.
>
> Some people in the GIS community are excited about this opportunity.
> We have to convince the others that it is real. CITRIS has expressed
> interest in funding such projects.
>
> > rakesh
> >
> > On 11/1/08, Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> On Sat, Nov 1, 2008 at 3:08 AM, Rakesh Biswas <rakesh7biswas at gmail.com>
> >> wrote:
> >> > If we can create threads around specific issues faced by village
> >> > schools,
> >> > school committees and NGOs and how ICT solved them, then we could make
> >> > some
> >> > real progress towards building world-class learning environment for
> >> > every
> >> > child.
> >> > Thanks Subbu for raising this.
> >> >
> >> > I am not sure if this is the issue you had in mind but I would just
> like
> >> > to
> >> > mention how I was inspired by the OLPC idea to try out a rural school
> >> > experiment.
> >> >
> >> > I am a physician teacher presently involved in trying to create a
> system
> >> > of
> >> > "User driven health care" in rural India by utilizing rural school
> >> > children
> >> > to interview their parents and create their basic electronic health
> >> > records
> >> > ( to start with in the form of a story of their parent's lives) as a
> >> > part of
> >> > their co curricular activity.
> >>
> >> Earth Treasury has proposed similar projects for children to gather
> >> data on health, weather, environment, and other subjects over wide
> >> areas that could be brought together for analysis and mapping. We have
> >> friends in the GIS community (Geographic Information Systems). NASA
> >> and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) who would
> >> like to get involved.
> >>
> >> http://www.globe.org.uk/ is doing this for weather around the world.
> >>
> >> > At present although the rural school where I visit doesn't have a
> single
> >> > computer I feel if we just made a beginning using paper and then
> follow
> >> > up
> >> > these parents/patients utilizing a weekly evaluation of the data the
> >> > students gather from their parents (again on paper to begin with) we
> >> > could
> >> > eventually create a record base that would definitely create patient
> >> > awareness and improve health care outcomes (particularly as at present
> >> > we
> >> > have very little foreground information on the patients we get to
> >> > interview
> >> > only for a few minutes in a busy outpatient department). It would off
> >> > course
> >> > be also useful for health education at a primary school level (where
> >> > students learn from their parents experiences on health).
> >> >
> >> > I have been lucky in finding a rural school principal who has been
> >> > giving
> >> > full support to the idea and we soon hope to see how it develops.
> >>
> >> How much information do you propose to gather? Would students taking
> >> turns on one computer be able to handle it all? If so, I'm sure we can
> >> get you one. Or more than one, if necessary.
> >>
> >> Does the school have adequate electricity? Can it get an Internet
> >> connection?
> >>
> >> > Hope to hear from others who may be interested to see if it can be
> >> > developed
> >> > in their own schools for which I would be glad to provide details on
> >> > operational strategies.
> >> >
> >> > rakesh
> >> >
> >> > Rakesh Biswas MD
> >> > Professor,
> >> > Department of Medicine,
> >> > People's college of medical sciences,
> >> > Bhanpur, Bypass road,
> >> > Bhopal-462010 (M.P.) India
> >> > Office Tel: +91 - 755 - 4005210
> >> > Office Fax: 91 - 755 - 4005112
> >> > Residence:+91-755-2682502
> >> > Mob:9755619861
> >> > email:rakesh7biswas at gmail.com <email%3Arakesh7biswas at gmail.com>
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > On 11/1/08, K. K. Subramaniam <subbukk at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >> On Saturday 01 Nov 2008 10:38:34 am Satish Jha wrote:
> >> >> > How do banks finance education? It did not exist in the country
> just
> >> >> > a
> >> >> > few
> >> >> > years ago.. Now the banks finance @$50,000 per year for students
> who
> >> >> > can
> >> >> > get admission overseas.. How did that happen??
> >> >> Not a good example because it deals with students who have completed
> >> >> basic
> >> >> education. Even assuming they did, this scheme will not scale to
> >> >> hundreds
> >> >> of
> >> >> millions of children.
> >> >>
> >> >> > Rs 15,000 can be a huge thing and can be a small thing..
> >> >> It is way beyond affordability by rural communities. The current
> >> >> per-capita
> >> >> income of land-holding farmers in Karnataka is about INR 10,500 [1].
> >> >> The
> >> >> Education Department in Karnataka allocates INR 7,500 per child with
> >> >> INR
> >> >> 450
> >> >> going towards learning environment.
> >> >>
> >> >> [1] http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/01/stories/2008020154340600.htm
> >> >>
> >> >> > I spoke to the IT minister of another country and suggested they
> >> >> > should
> >> >> > go
> >> >> > to IDA and raise funds at low interest rates with a 12 year
> >> >> > moratorium.
> >> >> > They are moving in that direction. Will the Indian education
> minister
> >> >> > or
> >> >> > IT
> >> >> > minister think along those lines?
> >> >> Primary education interventions are best done at state level due to
> the
> >> >> large
> >> >> variations in language, culture and education infrastructure.
> >> >>
> >> >> BTW, I would prefer if we can get back to discussing possible
> >> >> deployment
> >> >> scenarios rather than broad economics. Because of the huge variations
> >> >> in
> >> >> educational infrastructure, aggregation tends to gloss over show
> >> >> stoppers
> >> >> at
> >> >> community level.
> >> >>
> >> >> If we can create threads around specific issues faced by village
> >> >> schools,
> >> >> school committees and NGOs and how ICT solved them, then we could
> make
> >> >> some
> >> >> real progress towards building world-class learning environment for
> >> >> every
> >> >> child.
> >> >>
> >> >> Subbu
> >> >> _______________________________________________
> >> >> India mailing list
> >> >> India at lists.laptop.org
> >> >> http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/india
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > _______________________________________________
> >> > India mailing list
> >> > India at lists.laptop.org
> >> > http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/india
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Don't panic.--HHGTTG, Douglas Adams
> >> http://www.obamapedia.org/page/polls
> >> In landslide territory!
> >> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/User:Mokurai For the children
> >>
> >> Silent Thunder (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) is my name
> >> And Children are my nation.
> >> The Cosmos is my dwelling place, The Truth my destination.
> >> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/User:Mokurai
> >>
> >> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/User:Mokurai
> >> Give One, Get One, from Nov. 17
> >> http://www.amazon.com/xo
> >> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/XO_Giving/International
> >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Don't panic.--HHGTTG, Douglas Adams
> http://www.obamapedia.org/page/polls
> In landslide territory!
> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/User:Mokurai For the children
>
> Silent Thunder (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) is my name
> And Children are my nation.
> The Cosmos is my dwelling place, The Truth my destination.
> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/User:Mokurai
>
> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/User:Mokurai
> Give One, Get One, from Nov. 17
> http://www.amazon.com/xo
> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/XO_Giving/International
>
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