[Olpc-Haiti] Technology vs Learning
christinewlow
christinewlow at gmail.com
Wed Feb 3 15:40:58 EST 2010
Yes, early years in the Haitian countryside does shape one to be a
more interdependent thinker. My daughter is 10 and she spent her first
4 years in Haiti and since then about 30%-50% of her time has been
there depending on the year and my work.
So far the creative life of making art out of trash that the kids find
in the fields is still very strong. They are only allowed in the
computer lab for a limited time during the day, and we do not have our
prek-3rd graders on computers at all. A few have some informal contact
looking over the shoulders of older kids.
Early one the teachers already saw the computer "as a drug". They see
how foreign visitors are so drawn to our wireless. They do not spend
that much time in the lab. The face to face social interactions still
take priority, thank goodness. People can still come to Matenwa and
learn how to be social and interdependent.
Chris
Chris Low
MCLC Co-director
www.matenwaclc.org
617 543 8844 USA
011 509 3 711 0661 Haiti
011 509 2 513 0217 LKM
"If you have come to help me you are wasting your time, but if you
have come because your liberation is bound up with mine then let us
work together."
Aboriginal Activists
Please donate to MCLC through Beyond Borders
By check made to: Beyond Borders/MCLC
In memo line: Matènwa Earthquake Relief Fund
Mail to:
Beyond Borders
P.O. Box 2132
Norristown, PA 19404
By credit card online at: www.matenwaclc.org
Click on: "Donate" button on right side
MAKE SURE TO GO TO: "Please let us know where to direct your gift"
AND SELECT: Matènwa Earthquake Relief Fund
Complete: form and submit
On Feb 3, 2010, at 12:30 PM, Kenold Pierre-Louis wrote:
> Christ -
>
> I cannot thank you enough for sharing this insight with us! I
> wholeheartly agree with your comments. It's interesting that they
> asked for a garden as well.
>
> I grew up to be found of computers - made my career on it - but I
> cannot even begin to tell you in insight how I believe that my early
> school years in Haiti was instrumental to my success. Back then
> maybe 1% of Haitian had access to an Atari but that did not stop me
> to dream. It's hard to explain how not having a computer-based
> centric curriculumn really broaden my horizon. The closest
> explanation I can come up with is a Waldorf Education - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldorf_education
>
> Obviously time had change but I am glad we share the same ideal of
> "innocence" a kid should still be encourage to explore and connect
> with nature. Computers need to be part of the curriculumn but it
> will be a shame if its is a central part of that - particulary in
> Haiti (a country still in a agriculture age).
>
> Thank you again for the comments and feedback.
>
> Ken
>
>
>
>
>
> CC: degraff at mit.edu; carminablaise at gmail.com;
> timothy at pedal.laptop.org; olpc-haiti at lists.laptop.org; support at pedal.laptop.org
> ;haiti2010 at media.mit.edu; teefal at waveplace.com; support-gang at laptop.org
> ; meta.sj at gmail.com; jrigdon at researchonline.net
> From: christinewlow at gmail.com
> To: kenold at kenold.com
> Subject: Re: Technology vs Learning
> Date: Wed, 3 Feb 2010 11:23:56 -0500
>
> I am heading up the pilot in Lagonav. Please go to our website and
> click on MOTHER TONGUE BOOKS. There is a link there where you can
> see examples of our child made books. We are using laptops as a next
> step to handmade books that children at our school have been doing
> for years. This next steps allows multiple copies to be printed if
> needed so that child authored creole libraries can be developed
> throughout Lagonav and in interested schools across the mainland of
> Haiti.
>
> I agree with the hesitation for computers in a romantic world (I
> have a home in the mountains of Lagonav.) When I arrived there was
> no public anything, no roads, no electricity, no plumbing, etc.)
> But the people wanted a good school that had hands on learning,
> gardens for one. But they also wanted a library with computers and
> internet connection so they could access information. So I think
> listening to the people is important and taking their lead. Cyber
> cafes have popped up everywhere in the last 5 years in Haiti. In the
> cities schools are starting to require research done by going on the
> Internet. So students will benefit from this technology in their
> Haitian educational environment.
>
> I loved my "innocent" world out there in the mountains (I am sitting
> in Cambridge right now). But people should not be denied access to
> knowledge if they are asking for it. And kids should have tools
> that promote creativity and self teaching. The Waveplace lessons,
> ETOYS as the first pilot example, does just this. It allows kids to
> discover and create. I agree that the internet for this age group
> is not the most important part of the project. The chatting between
> themselves and sharing creative projects that they are doing on the
> XO's is the beauty and self education that they are happy about and
> want more of.
>
>
> Chris
>
> Chris Low
> MCLC Co-director
> www.matenwaclc.org
> 617 543 8844 USA cell
> 011 509 3 711 0661 Haiti cell
> 011 509 2 513 0217 LKM
> "Live simply so others can simply live."
>
> Please donate to MCLC through Beyond Borders
>
> By check made to: Beyond Borders/MCLC
> In memo line: Matènwa Earthquake Relief Fund
> Mail to:
> Beyond Borders
> P.O. Box 2132
> Norristown, PA 19404
>
> By credit card online at: www.matenwaclc.org
> Click on: "Donate" button on
> right side
> MAKE SURE TO GO TO: "Please let us know where to direct your gift"
> AND SELECT: Matènwa Earthquake Relief Fund
> Complete: form and submit
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Feb 3, 2010, at 8:19 AM, Kenold Pierre-Louis wrote:
>
> Michel; (sorry to change your thread but felt my comments differs
> than the general consensus... )
>
> Thanks for your input about the language.
>
> I think their FAQ is well worth reviewing by anyone seeking a deeper
> understanding of the language situation. Kreyòl definitely has a
> greater socio-political context than most languages. http://creoletrans.com/pages/about_creole.html
>
> On another topic
> Reading your post and others on this forum - it brought me back to
> my school years in PaP. My personal experience is that education
> does not have to be computer based. Often western culture feels
> that they know best for another culture.
>
> I am having some reservation about every child (or even 1Million) in
> Haiti needs a laptop. Time might have change but it might be
> worth considering because after all a love for nature and a passion
> for learning is not develop based on technology alone.
>
> In any country where power is limited - a book is more likely to
> have more mileage in my humble opinion.
>
> I am all for getting a coordinated donation - maybe to a specific
> school or for modernizing the government administration.
>
> I understand this might be a dissident voice in this forum...
>
> In any event - you might be interested in this publisher if you are
> in need to publish more books like this:
> http://www.lightmessages.com/lmjom/
>
>
> > Date: Wed, 3 Feb 2010 00:36:38 -0500
> > From: degraff at MIT.EDU
> > To: carminablaise at gmail.com
> > CC: Timothy at mail.laptop.org; Chriswlow at aol.com; olpc-haiti at lists.laptop.org
> ; Support at pedal.laptop.org; haiti2010 at media.MIT.EDU;christinewlow at gmail.com
> ; teefal at waveplace.com; support-gang at laptop.org; meta.sj at gmail.com; jrigdon at researchonline.net
> > Subject: Re: [Olpc-Haiti] our Haiti translation site's now in
> English+ French + on Facebook too!
> >
> >
> >
> > Carmina et al,
> >
> > Thank you for sharing your own experience with us vis-à-vis Kreyòl
> > writing.
> >
> > When it comes to the education of Kreyòl speaking children, my own
> > belief is that a (substantially) imperfect Kreyòl translation will
> do
> > more harm than good. In my view, the XO, like any computer, is a
> > _tool_, not an end. The quality of the materials that are
> installed on
> > the XO is key to its success as a tool. And we certainly do not
> want our
> > children to be using an instrument that uses an imperfect version of
> > their language---a language that has long been stigmatized out of
> "class
> > bias," to use John Rigdon's term. And the socio-political message
> would
> > be problematic as well: it would be as if Kreyòl-speaking children
> do
> > not "deserve" the same quality of materials as children speaking
> > English, French, Spanish, etc.
> >
> > One unfortunate fact is that the social history of Kreyòl, steeped
> in
> > (neo-)colonialism and slavery, is very different from that of
> English,
> > French, Spanish, and so on. And the predicament of Kreyòl speakers
> who
> > cannot write Kreyòl is one consequence of that history, and we do
> need
> > to take this history into account in planning educational projects
> for
> > Haiti. But Kreyòl also has its strengths (e.g., in its uniform
> > spelling system) which can be an asset for technology design---for
> > example, text-to-speech software like "Speak" on the XO.
> >
> > Another good news is that there do exist professional Kreyòl
> > translators. For example:
> >
> > http://creoletrans.com/
> >
> > I hope this helps,
> >
> > -michel.
> >
> _____________________________________________________________________
> > MIT Linguistics & Philosophy 77 Massachusetts Ave Cambridge MA 02139
> > degraff at MIT.EDU http://web.mit.edu/linguistics/people/faculty/
> degraff
> >
> _____________________________________________________________________
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Message from carminablaise at gmail.com ---------
> > Date: Tue, 2 Feb 2010 23:47:02 -0500
> > From: Carmina Blaise <carminablaise at gmail.com>
> > Reply-To: Carmina Blaise <carminablaise at gmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [Olpc-Haiti] our Haiti translation site's now in
> English+
> > French + on Facebook too!
> > To: Michel DeGraff <degraff at mit.edu>
> >
> >
> > > Michel, John,
> > >
> > > This conversation rings so true to me being one of the Haitians
> who speak
> > > but not write Kreyol.
> > > It also explains the reticence or what I perceived as a lack of
> enthusiasm
> > > from my peers when trying to recruit volunteer translators.
> > >
> > > It's not because my Haitian brothers and sisters don't care, but
> because
> > > like me, I suppose that they are intimidated by the task at hand
> > > and maybe even embarrassed to admit that they can not write
> Kreyol.
> > >
> > > Your idea of paying "professional" Kreyol translators is an
> interesting one
> > > with many positive ramifications
> > >
> > > But the problem as I see it is where do we find "professional"
> Kreyol
> > > translators?
> > >
> > > Is an imperfect Kreyol translation worse than no translation?
> > >
> > > Looking forward to hearing your suggestions
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > > Carmina
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > &*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*
> > > Do you speak Creole?
> > > Haiti needs your help!
> > > Can you Help?
> > > www.raisehaitiup.com
> > > &*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*
> > >
> > >
> > > On Tue, Feb 2, 2010 at 10:00 PM, Michel DeGraff
> <degraff at mit.edu> wrote:
> > >
> > >>
> > >> John,
> > >>
> > >> I agree with your comment re:
> > >>
> > >> > It has been my experience that most Haitian adults in the
> diaspora do
> > >> > not read Kreyol well, although they speak it because they were
> > >> > essentially educated in French before
> > >> > leaving Haiti.
> > >>
> > >> And they often write it even less well. And this is not their
> fault: as
> > >> you point out, most educated Haitian adults above certain age
> were never
> > >> trained to write in Kreyòl. These issues need to be kept in
> mind as
> > >> "volunteers" from the diaspora are being enlisted to translate
> > >> interface, software and courseware that are meant to Kreyòl-
> speaking
> > >> children.
> > >>
> > >> This is a point I've stressed many times to OLPC folks, but it
> has often
> > >> fallen on (apparently) deaf ears: translation should be taken
> as a
> > >> serious professional activity on a par with the sort of
> activities that
> > >> OLPC employees and consultants (in Haiti and elsewhere)
> routinely get
> > >> paid for. I think we have to closely monitor the quality of
> Kreyòl
> > >> translation, especially when it comes to languages like Haitian
> Creole
> > >> that, for too long, have been dismissed as "broken languages"
> by too
> > >> many (though not all) French-speaking Haitians. Of course, this
> is
> > >> related to the "class bias" that you mention in your email---a
> class
> > >> bias with deeply entrenched historical and socio-economic roots.
> > >>
> > >> Kreyòl pale, kreyòl konprann...
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> -michel.
> > >>
> _____________________________________________________________________
> > >> MIT Linguistics & Philosophy 77 Massachusetts Ave Cambridge MA
> 02139
> > >> degraff at MIT.EDU http://web.mit.edu/linguistics/people/faculty/degraff
> > >>
> _____________________________________________________________________
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> ----- Message from jrigdon at researchonline.net ---------
> > >> Date: Tue, 2 Feb 2010 21:08:28 -0500
> > >> From: John Rigdon <jrigdon at researchonline.net>
> > >> Reply-To: John Rigdon <jrigdon at researchonline.net>
> > >> Subject: Re: [Olpc-Haiti] our Haiti translation site's now in
> English+
> > >> French + on Facebook too!
> > >> To: Michel DeGraff <degraff at mit.edu>, Samuel Klein
> > >> <meta.sj at gmail.com>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> > Thank you for the clarification Michel.
> > >> >
> > >> > It has been my experience that most Haitian adults in the
> diaspora do
> > >> > not read Kreyol well, although they speak it because they were
> > >> > essentially educated in French before leaving Haiti.
> > >> >
> > >> > It is only those under the age of about 25 who both read and
> speak
> > >> Kreyol.
> > >> >
> > >> > It has been my experience in visiting Haiti over the last few
> years
> > >> > that the majority of the schools are still being taught in
> French,
> > >> > and there is a strong "class" bias to try to learn French and
> > >> > demonstrate profiency. I hope I'm not being offensive here. I
> > >> > really don't mean to be.
> > >> >
> > >> > Happily the young children under about age 12 are really
> proud of
> > >> > their ability to read Kreyol and overwhelmingly they want to
> learn
> > >> > English and Spanish. I think generally these younger children
> > >> > understand Spanish and English better than they do French.
> > >> >
> > >> > When I first visited Haiti about 8 years ago, I identified 55
> books
> > >> > in Kreyol at that time. I think the universe of titles may be
> close
> > >> > to 400 now - maybe double that if you include pamphlets,
> tracts, and
> > >> > brochures.
> > >> >
> > >> > John Rigdon
> > >> > www.ngohaiti.com
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> ----- End message from jrigdon at researchonline.net -----
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> _______________________________________________
> > >> Olpc-haiti mailing list
> > >> Olpc-haiti at lists.laptop.org
> > >> http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/olpc-haiti
> > >>
> > >
> >
> >
> > ----- End message from carminablaise at gmail.com -----
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Olpc-haiti mailing list
> > Olpc-haiti at lists.laptop.org
> > http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/olpc-haiti
>
>
>
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