[OLPC library] Lessons learned from Navajos - OLPC for kids - Graphics first, lessons second - Motivate the learner (Here's an example)

Wed Jan 30 11:54:40 EST 2008

My wife was Computer Coordinator for Gallup Public Schools.1984-1993.
This school district covers an area the size of NJ.
She managed 28 schools in 1990. They have added a new school a year since.
It is mainly composed of Navajo children.
We could have used the OLPC then.
Today networks are available in all schools.
However curriculum is still lacking.
The digital divide continues. 
They have basic health care and no physics in High School at BLM schools.
They live on the largest and poorest Indian reservation and largest radioactive waste dump.
Many Navajos live in nuclear tailings:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-navajo22nov22,0,7024230.story?page=1
They also own the largest coal reserves in America.
http://dinecare.org/
Dine Care is working on Scratch cartoon to educate kids about coal power on Navajo res. and global warming.
They are cannibalizing my fusion and power grid cartoons: (How about a Peruvian Mining cartoon?)
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/RangerRick/11273
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/GeneMachine/34906
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/GeneMachine/77493

Now we can add MATLAB/Linear Algebra global warming sim for high school kids.
For Navajo/Hispanic kids with Algebra:
http://www.mathworks.com/academia/student_center/tutorials/mltutorial_launchpad.html

MATLAB for Problem Solving (Global Warming)

Excellent tutorial on MATLAB  and data management on global warming.
Contact:
Eul-Shik.Hong at mathworks.com

Can we create math/global warming cartoons for lower grades?

Ask any kid in 6th grade in US what is their main concern (Global Warming).
Ask kids on Navajo reservation? Ask kids in Peru?

Now Peru is OLPC biggest customer.
http://www.olpcnews.com/sales_talk/countries/olpc_in_south_america.html
They need software for kids on dangers of smelters and mining for kids.
http://ncronline.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2008a/012508/012508j.htm
How do we write software to educate and motivate these kids?
Political backlash? A cartoon can change minds?
Example:
My son went through defunct silver mines in Colorado on a tour.
He lost his ticket and the mine tour guide gave him a hammer and chisel and said he would come back for him.(as a joke)
Then he turned off the lights to let us see what mining was like in 1880's and that children did the work.
Peru still does this today. How does OLPC give kids an education in mine safety and math?
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/peru404/
http://www.worldlearning.org/wlid/news/2005/peru_mining_story.html
http://bmi.state.nm.us/msab.htm

Henry Brown
henry.brown at state.nm.us
cell 795-3680
office 505 827-2509

________________________________

From: katie [mailto:katie at belisle.org]
Sent: Wed 1/30/2008 8:56 AM
To: Brown, Henry, DoIT
Cc: Ivan Krstic; Edward Cherlin; arjunsarwal at gmail.com; library at lists.laptop.org
Subject: Re: [OLPC library] Curriculum for developing world OLPC - 3D Maya -> Scratch -> 3DOrbiter - Application based learning

Greetings,

I have created a wiki template Mathematics that simply adds the
Mathematics category to a page. This can be expanded in the future.

http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Category:Mathematics

Meanwhile, I will attempt to add the salient points of this thread to
the talk page.

I am a professional mathematician and a long time school volunteer with
enrichment maths (my daughter tells her friends that her Mamma is a
Mathemagician!).  Children learn to fear the subject of Mathematics at
about Middle School, and if they don't learn to love Mathematics during
elementary school, we've lost them.

When I became involved with OLPC as a volunteer my primary goal was to
bring some of the best maths software to the XO, either as a complete
Sugar port, Browse activity access or other thin client, and help young
children understand the beauty and importance of Mathematics, which is
the fundamental language of the universe.

Right now I am helping Adam and Kim with the G1G1 support queue, but I
want to capture these ideas for near-future development. These are
fantastic ideas.

-Kate

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