[OLPC-Chicago] FW: Children's Low Cost Laptop Bill

Thu Apr 3 23:17:08 EDT 2008

Hey Jason, Larry and folks - (resending trimmed so it hopefully fits into
the OLPC 40k limit)

I had an opportunity to do some thinking/writing on these questions last
weekend. These notes are in rough form, with some very half-baked ideas of
mine (e.g., what kind of organizational structure might be necessary to
support a deployment of laptops state-wide - I think we need to look at OLPC
Nepal and Birmingham and see how other smaller-scale deployments are
structured and extrapolate based on that.) However, I tried to lay out the
business case, using No Child Left Behind as part of the case *for* a laptop
program. I also think a key aspect of a laptop deployment would be the
increasing size of the support community. As more teachers are using the
laptops, more materials will be available, more networking between schools
will be possible, etc. I have seen this happen in another non-profit I work
with, and it's truly powerful when people from across the country/globe are
supporting each other because their tasks are similar and now they have a
method to connect with one another. 

I tried to keep these notes "low-cost laptop" focused, but you'll see near
the end I started to slide and talk more specifically about the XO. 

Anyway - it's a start. We're headed out of town for a while and I wanted to
throw this out there for consideration in the meantime. Feel free to do with
it whatever you want. :-) The offer still stands for my 6 year old and I to
come present about OLPC and what this particular laptop can do for a child
at the bottom end of the age spectrum. Let us know!

Karen Smith

St. Charles, IL

3/28/08

Children's Low-Cost Laptop Bill Notes/FAQ

Karen T. Smith

- What evidence is there that providing every child with a laptop is
beneficial?

-- look at laptop.org. (some possible links:
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Learning_Vision

http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Core_principles)

-- In today's education climate here and abroad, there is still a disparity
between communities and the quality of education. While No Child Left Behind
has made an attempt to create standards and a system of accountability, I
think we can all agree that it's still a work in progress, and that it fails
completely in many areas such as education of children who do not speak
English as their first language, and special needs students. The emphasis on
the high-stakes testing leaves precious little classroom time for the
broader exploration that should be childhood learning experiences. By
leveraging low-cost laptops for all Illinois schoolchildren, we have an
opportunity to level the playing field, and to give students a powerful
learning tool that will propel them even farther in their educational
journey. Each child having their own laptop means they each have access to
the best educational content that the global village we live in can provide.
Because low-cost laptops are being deployed globally right now through
innovative programs like One Laptop Per Child, our schoolchildren in
Illinois can create learning experiences with students from all over the
world. They can enrich their learning experiences by exchanging content and
messages with children in Uruguay, Mongolia, and Peru. Units on the Incas
can be augmented with exchange work with students from Peru. 

- What benefit do the children derive from owning a laptop of their own?

-- Child ownership is the crux of this bill for a particular reason.
Children act differently when given responsibility for the care and
maintenance of something of importance. By giving Illinois schoolchildren
low-cost laptops, we are telling them that their educational experience is
important, that we believe they can create real things, contribute to the
community, and teach others in their community - be it their parents, their
peers, or community members.

Quote the laptop.org child ownership line item.
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Core_principles

What support (deployment, ongoing, repair) exists within the One Laptop Per
Child Program?

-- Any bill funded by the Illinois house and senate would need to consider
the matter of support. Existing systems of support within schools will need
to be augmented at the community level. Low-cost laptops all leverage
open-source software, such as the Linux operating system. This instantly
delivers a business benefit of no need for site or individual licenses for
software.  The software available for low-cost laptops is all free. It is
supported by a huge (find reference to estimate the size of the open source
community) community of developers and technologists who passionately
support open-source software efforts. (list of some open-source software
societies and conferences, education specific if at all possible.) Still
some portion of funding will need to be spent on the development of a
deployment plan, infusion of local support options (some of which may
benefit from partnerships with local universities and chapters from
organizations like One Laptop Per Child) and maintenance.

- Why would we want a Linux-based machine instead of a Windows one?

-- While the world revolves around software developed by Microsoft,
technology literacy does not. Due to the high cost associated with licenses
for proprietary software like that which is developed by MS, this option
would immensely increase the cost of this bill. Furthermore, the system
requirements to run operating systems like Windows are much more expensive
to buy, and few options for durable child-friendly design exist. 

Linux-based systems offer further benefits. Because the operating system is
open-source, children who are interested in this aspect of technology
development are able to view the inner workings of the computer systems.
Linux systems are more easily configured than other systems. The operating
system is simply more efficient for low-cost hardware. Furthermore, with the
extensive base of open-source developers, new applications can be created
quickly. Additionally, with many scripting programming languages available
on Linux systems, older students would be able to design and build learning
activities that younger students could use. This could create a kind of
collaboration within and between schools that would drive a strong sense of
community.

-How will purchasing laptops help increase student test scores?

-- The learning activities students engage on with the laptops would need to
be structured around existing curriculum goals as determined by No Child
Left Behind. The strong benefit of a flexible Linux-based platform is that
if those curriculum goals change over time, if No Child Left Behind
undergoes significant changes in goal or aim, the content taught via the
laptops can also change. 

Because the activities on low-cost laptops would largely be child directed,
students will engage with a higher level of reasoning. They will retain more
information if they are active explorers of information rather than passive
receptacles for it. 

- Won't the laptops get broken a lot?

-- A rugged child-friendly laptop would be best for this deployment, so as
to avoid some of the problems that could happen to a high-cost laptop that
would render it unusable. Some key features that should be sought for an
Illinois child laptop program would include:

- Rugged case design

- Weather/spill-proof or resistant keyboard

- Reinforced hinges and other flex points

- Sturdy screen, preferably one that maintains readability in sunlight so
students can use laptops in outdoor exploration units.

- A handle or other easy carrying device built-in, so that students aren't
as likely to drop it.

- Reinforced corners, in the event of a drop, to help protect the laptop.

- Solid-state computing should be considered. Hard drives have spinning
parts that are delicate and generate a lot of heat. Most low-cost laptops
are using a different method of storage called Flash memory, which runs on
fewer parts, generates less heat, and is less prone to defect.

- How are the teachers going to learn how to use this new tool?

-- Any major technology deployment needs strong support from teachers to be
successful. A deployment plan will need to be created with emphasis on
teacher training and education. Local champions will be needed to work
within each school to encourage teachers in their use of the laptops and to
answer curriculum questions. This role should be separate from any local
level support, so as to not overwhelm one resource with extra work. The
initial need for teacher support will be high, one of the highest demands of
the program, however the benefit is that in a few short years, teachers will
build a base of activities and learning content that can be shared
state-wide. It will create opportunities for collaboration and for synergy,
and could even reduce teacher workload in the long run as the library of
available activities grows and is added to and modified over time. 

- What infrastructure is required to support every child having a laptop?

-- A likely use scenario of a laptop deployment would include roles such as:

- Local Deployment manager -

Responsible for receiving laptop shipments for a school or district.
Deployments should happen on a school-by-school basis so that all students
receive laptops at the same time. 

Community Champion - working via school boards and other local
organizations, the laptop deployment should look for community champions who
will be willing to talk about the details of the deployments planned for
their community. This person could serve as a primary resource for questions
about the local impact of these laptops in the community. This post would
last from 6 months before deployment of laptops through at least 12 months
after. After that, this post could move to a volunteer-level position. 

Community outreach and communication events could be planned to introduce
the laptops to parents and members of the community.

School-level support- technology support within each school may need to be
augmented depending on existing resource levels. If a school currently has a
laptop program, those resources could be adapted to include low-cost laptop
support.

Educational champion - at the local level a minimum of one teacher per
school should be identified to serve as the educational champion. This
person will answer questions from other teachers about how to use the laptop
within the core curriculum of the classroom. This resource can also conduct
periodic surveys of teachers in their school to determine the adoption curve
for the laptops. This will help provide metrics about the success of the
program, both for identifying ways to improve the program, and also for
identifying the program benefits so that Illinois lead can be followed by
other states.

- In addition to the price of the laptop, what are the other costs?

-- Schools that aren't currently networked will need network infrastructure.
Schools that are currently networked may need their networks augmented to
support the large number of laptops that would be operating within their
walls.  In addition, some portion of the funding from this bill should be
allocated to repair and maintenance concerns, such as the purchase of
additional machines and/or spare parts, the creation of a central office to
manage the deployment at least on a temporary (2 year) basis. There will
also need to be funds allocated to stipends for community, support, and
education champions. Again these positions should have a few year span,
after which time the community liaison role would become volunteer, and the
teacher and local support may be able to be reduced.

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