[Olpc-za] Small question !

Jeff jeff at wildcoast.com
Wed Aug 22 06:10:11 EDT 2007


Hi Lungi,

You wrote:

> Dear Jeff,
>
> Thank you for the update . It sounds like some headway is being  
> created here.
>
> The Òcloser to PretoriaÓ part was referring to AntoineÕs input  
> about the invitation from the Dept of Labour. His request was Ò  
> OLPC-ZA has been invited to a workshop in Pretoria hosted by the  
> Department of Labor who are busy looking at options for laptops to  
> use in training programs. (Anyone on the list who lives closer to  
> Pretoria who feels like representing OLPC-ZA there ? Ò . Hence my  
> response was asking what can people living closer to Pretoria, who  
> are in the list do?
Gotcha. ;-)
> Talking about Pretoria (meaning Gov), and open source, the  
> curriculum for distribution via e-text. I am aware of the example  
> of - seeing the XO as simply a more cost effective and durable  
> textbook/jotter replacement, that you have espoused. Can you kindly  
> unpack it a bit more please.

I'll do my best.

The issue was raised about multi-modal learning - referring to the  
integration of the XO into daily class activities. I feel that due to  
the apparent lack of actual CAE content for the 3rd World at present  
(because of insufficient momentum) - that Kenya's lead should be  
followed with digitizing the curriculum and distributing it via all  
available mediums.

The content will never be wasted, regardless of whether XOs,  
Classmates, PCs or other handhelds are used.

That said, and without having actually played on one personally, the  
XO is the best and most cost-effective strategy for our country to  
adopt because of a) it's amazing capabilities b) envisioned economies  
of scale (vis-ˆ-vis software, curriculum, and courseware  
development!) - and obviously - c) it's initial low price which is  
already better than par with the current government spend on (just  
textbooks and jotters alone!) traditional teaching methods.  
Furthermore there is already a grassroots wiki aiming towards  
digitizing the SA syllabus (called eduwiki, IIRC) so government  
needn't really spend a cent on open sourcing the core curriculum.

The point is also that - once available over the net (and especially  
OLPC!) - the syllabus and teaching methods will combine and evolve  
dynamically. Obviously the administration drag will be slipstreamed,  
too.

(Either way, Kenya's curriculum content is apparently also available  
for deployment throughout Africa via WorldSpace satellite - at  
minimal cost.)

> Who do you think can be sensitised within the National Dept of  
> Education, to move in this direction?

The Minister. :-)

I imagine objections are going to come from the entrenched business  
rights and sinecure holders. I don't know about now, but Naspers for  
example, through their Via Afrika holding (now Nasou-Via Afrika) used  
to own the entire education market in the Eastern Cape... including  
the publishing rights to the entire syllabus.

Book distribution is Big Business.  But OTOH it's peanuts compared to  
Media24... and even though small sub-distributors will be negatively  
affected - I'm certainly hopeful that good sense will prevail.

> I know you said you were thinking aloud Ð and I am not going to  
> hold you to it, but maybe, with all of us exploring this idea  
> somewhere we can get a lead. I think there are a number of people  
> that are advising/influencing Gov and probably they are reaching  
> some dead-end. This is could be a taste of fresh air towards that  
> thinking.
> In Gauteng I am aware of some initiative of setting up a ÒdivisionÓ  
> on e-learning. People involved are not that clued up on e-learning,

Yes. Apart from really high-impact, high cost, education systems like  
PLATO courseware which have proven the real (and commercial) value of  
CAE; and although the Open Source frameworks exist with moodle.org  
and various wikis and initiatives - no real content is available yet.  
A huge barrier exists: they call it the digital divide, but in Africa  
it's an economic law. As crippling - in it's way - as apartheid.

I can cite several examples of broken implementations where the  
educational potential has been limited by the communications paradox.  
And that's true on other levels too, when addressing the education  
paradigm; like teacher to pupil ratio, for example, which results in  
top down artificial hierarchies, authoritarianism, over emphasis on  
rote learning (or it's accomplice: spoonfeeding), and the resultant  
psychological and spiritual morass where there should be freethinking  
souls.

I can't express that concept nearly as clearly as Leone, so I'll just  
avoid it from hereon out - and refer to it as "the paradigm".

The point is OLPC addresses the paradigm directly by potentially  
having each child engaged with interesting self-directed (to an  
extent) activities and exploration with an XO when not otherwise  
receiving formal tuition from a live teacher.

(We should also explore the potential of online mentoring a bit more...)

I started teaching computers to Grades 7 - 9 at the school here this  
week - and it's very interesting. My plan was to focus heavily on Tux- 
Typing initially, but we ran into a bottleneck on the server's  
network card (100mb) so I had to improvise, and get people doing  
different things. It was difficult because the several teachers on- 
hand to oversee and assist were quite obstructive and intent on  
following a 1 teacher to many pupils methodology.

Eventually we had a little meeting and I explained that my objective  
was to allow the children to explore as naturally and freely as  
possible - so that I could assess which of them possess technical  
aptitude. I further explained, as respectfully as possible, that I  
wished to subvert their authoritarian methodologies and that I was  
hoping to naturally inspire better literacy (even if only by  
instructing people in English and by getting them to read the screen  
as they explore games and drawing activities...) And to my surprise I  
got 100% agreement and cooperation... although I suspect I have a  
problem with at least one teacher who feels threatened.

There are plenty of games on the server, as well as other activities  
like math and spelling programs - but I haven't identified anything  
practical to work with yet... although it's fun seeing which kids  
bounce around with what apps... and which ones are intent on  
practicing their touch typing - determined to escape their rural  
bounds. It's actually amazing.

To keep children interested and exploring - without a curriculum  
structure - is a major challenge.

My immediate goal is to get each (interested, extracurricular) child  
on a mail server - with their own personal copy of Evolution  
running... and perhaps also get Drupal running on the server so that  
anyone who wants one can have their own "journal"...

> let alone cost-effective but high impact tools such as XO, are  
> available.
Yes!

> We are going to need to talk to such at both Prov level and also  
> Nat level. I totally agree with approaching Nat level first , as  
> this can then filter to all 9 Provs.

No one should own the Copyright to our education syllabus. It needs  
to be instantly adaptable to be permanently relevant.

Okay, I'm starting to go in circles. . .

Thank you very much for your input/s, Lungi.


-Jeff


> From: olpc-za-bounces at lists.laptop.org [mailto:olpc-za- 
> bounces at lists.laptop.org] On Behalf Of Jeff
> Sent: 20 August 2007 21:51
> To: olpc-za at laptop.org
> Subject: Re: [Olpc-za] Small question !
>
>
>
> Lungi Siqebengu (LuW) wrote:
>
>
>
>
> Eastern Cape - can you, Jeff OR Ron elaborate more please on the  
> work that is being done.
>
>
>
> It looks like Ron of eKhayaICT is making good headway linking the  
> disparate groups working towards the same goal.
>
>
>
> There are several ICT projects which have been working  
> independently: namely VA32ûS (Volunteer Africa 32ûSouth), SELF  
> (Solar Electric Light Fund), and the Uniforum/ISPA backed NetDay  
> computer classrooms which are being implemented in the Coffee Bay -  
> Hole in the Wall - Seaview region.
>
>
>
> A WiFi network linking the schools to each other - effectively from  
> Hole in the Wall up the coast to Coffee Bay, and up inland to  
> Zithulele hospital (on a fortunate high-point in line of sight to  
> Tafelahashi / Zwelenqaba) - is being rolled out in November. The  
> aim is to provide internet and support services for the schools and  
> medical care staff - as well as, ultimately (and hopefully), base  
> station infrastructure for the XOs to link up over a large-ish area.
>
>
>
> Various options are being investigated to cover the internet costs.  
> The schools are able to pay about R500 per month each towards  
> bandwidth... at the moment.
>
>
>
> I mentioned Tafelahashi - but I don't really know what's happening  
> there, except that we should be able to link via line of sight from  
> there to Dwesa. The point is that a large WiFi hotspot with  
> broadband internet will be available for the kids using the XOs -  
> at whichever school/s is/are chosen for pilot... including the  
> schools which have recently been computerized (near Dwesa) by the  
> Rhodes / Fort Hare initiatives.
>
>
>
> The biggest hurdle I think we're facing - and I hope you were  
> speaking as euphemistically as I interpreted when you say "closer  
> to Pretoria" - is to get government to open source the core  
> curriculum for distribution via e-text. . . and to start seeing the  
> XO as simply a more cost effective and durable textbook/jotter  
> replacement - initially.
>
>
>
> I'm just thinking aloud, really... I'd welcome some serious  
> criticism and input here.

-- 
Jeff Brown
Website: www.wildcoast.com
Blog: www.wildcoast.com/jeff
Cell phone: +27-74-1015170

8< --
Do not believe in miracles -- rely on them.








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