From jsalmons at vision2lead.com Wed Oct 1 10:13:40 2008 From: jsalmons at vision2lead.com (Janet Salmons) Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2008 08:13:40 -0600 Subject: [DDN] Global E-Collaboration Online Panels: A Webinar Series Message-ID: <001601c923cf$e80601c0$b8120540$@com> As everyone on this list knows, online collaboration is transforming the way we work together, motivating researchers to look at emerging practices. The forthcoming IGI publication, a Handbook of Research on Electronic Collaboration and Organizational Synergy, presents a diverse collection of these studies. Join authors from Australia, South Africa, Greece, Finland, Germany, UK and USA for a unique series of (free) online panel discussions at Elluminate Events. Janet Salmons, and Lynn Wilson, editors of the Handbook, will moderate the panels. OCTOBER 29: 3 PM EST ELECTRONIC COLLABORATION WITHIN AND ACROSS ORGANIZATIONS Register at: https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/event/description?instance_id=13285 ? Niki Lambropoulos , London South Bank University, UK ; Panagiotis Kampylis,University of Jyv?skyl?, Finland; Sofia Papadimitriou, Teacher, Athens ? Ingo Frost, Pumacy Technologies AG, Germany NOVEMBER 6: 4 PM EST STUDYING ELECTRONIC COLLABORATION: RESEARCH, THEORIES AND METHODS Register at: https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/event/description?instance_id=13286 ? Frances Deepwell and Virginia King, Coventry University, United Kingdom ? Kenneth Strang, Central Queensland University, Australia ? Sandra Chrystal, Marshall School of Business University of Southern California, USA NOVEMBER 12: 3 PM EST INTERNATIONAL, CROSS-CULTURAL ELECTRONIC COLLABORATION Register at: https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/event/description?instance_id=13288 ? Andre L. Araujo, College of William & Mary, USA ? Tine K?hler, George Mason University, USA ? Kathy Lynch, University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia; Aleksej Heinze, Salford University, England and Elsje Scott, University of Cape Town, South Africa Contact me off-list at jsalmons at vision2lead.com for more information. For more on the Handbook of Research on Electronic Collaboration and Organizational Synergy, coming soon from IGI Global, see: http://www.igi-global.com/reference/details.asp?id=8003 . Janet Salmons Ph.D. VISION2LEAD, INC. Site- http://www.vision2lead.com Blog- http://blog.elearn2lead.com Organizational Perspectives Community - http://www.organizationalperspectives.org PO Box 943 Boulder, CO 80306-0943 303-443-3075 From cnd at knowprose.com Fri Oct 3 11:35:06 2008 From: cnd at knowprose.com (Taran Rampersad) Date: Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:35:06 -0400 Subject: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC In-Reply-To: <4C6AE17B21E84B19A651A880E682B1F7@TOSHIBA> References: <161574.60537.qm@web25805.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> <91f599f00809212055q3c81df76p68f7e40efa36712b@mail.gmail.com> <4C6AE17B21E84B19A651A880E682B1F7@TOSHIBA> Message-ID: <48E63BAA.8060100@knowprose.com> Sarah Blackmun-Eskow wrote: > The problem of "context" has dogged Western-driven "development" since the > 1950s, and brought the demise of many expensive projects. I guess that's why > the World Bank finally started hiring anthropologists in the 1980s--to get > some folks with the ability to see and understand "context." > Indeed. Context is king in just about everything - from interface design to implementing solutions in *any* environment. In the context of the digital divide, understanding the person using the computer is not enough - it never has been. Solutions come from a deep understanding of not only how people do things, but why. The 'how' is simple enough, the 'why' is not. Economics, culture and even personal biases (changeable and unchangeable) are key. As a humorous side note, I must wonder who studies the habits of anthropologists. -- Taran Rampersad cnd at knowprose.com http://www.knowprose.com http://www.your2ndplace.com http://www.opendepth.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/knowprose/ "Criticize by Creating" - Michelangelo "The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine." - Nikola Tesla From cnd at knowprose.com Fri Oct 3 11:38:02 2008 From: cnd at knowprose.com (Taran Rampersad) Date: Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:38:02 -0400 Subject: [DDN] ICT scope (was - Re: PhD research on OLPC) In-Reply-To: <5E5DAB5031BE40AB83C58C5E897E79E1@lishanPC> References: <502154.40378.qm@web62308.mail.re1.yahoo.com> <5E5DAB5031BE40AB83C58C5E897E79E1@lishanPC> Message-ID: <48E63C5A.1040902@knowprose.com> lishan at ictdc.net wrote: > Thanks for the interesting insights. Videos, TVs, radios and ICTs are > enablers. I am not nitpicking, but trying to understand how the phrase 'ICT' is understood by others. To me, ICT includes video, television and radio since they are all information and communication technologies. I am curious if others see the same or if I am a minority. -- Taran Rampersad cnd at knowprose.com http://www.knowprose.com http://www.your2ndplace.com http://www.opendepth.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/knowprose/ "Criticize by Creating" - Michelangelo "The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine." - Nikola Tesla From cnd at knowprose.com Fri Oct 3 11:49:34 2008 From: cnd at knowprose.com (Taran Rampersad) Date: Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:49:34 -0400 Subject: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC In-Reply-To: References: <502154.40378.qm@web62308.mail.re1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <48E63F0E.6000308@knowprose.com> tom abeles wrote: > this conversation in several variances is being considered currently elsewhere on the net, particularly around the issue of virtual worlds > Yes, and virtual worlds are a topic which have been severely overlooked in much discussion related to the digital divide - perhaps because infrastructure lags so much that it isn't even seen as an issue. > Steve's example is right on target. academics hold the center stage because they control the grades/certification which provide for student advancement. > That is the one unique product that universities, in click or brick space have to offer. And it is the one reason in the dominant US model that get's student attention for the sage on the stage > Yes, I agree - though I have a clear bias as an autodidact. But even as an autodidact, I admit and perhaps even celebrate the sage - but sometimes the sage is not in the nestled cave of academia but instead is the person next to you, literally or figuratively. And this is where collaboration comes in - the sages are all over. The trouble is finding the good sages - and not everyone can find the good sages since not everyone considers critical thought and challenging of the sages as good practice. Sages, sages, sages. What we're really talking about is osmosis; the moving of knowledge through a permeable membrane. And let's be fair - people, like water, have a tendency to take the shortest route unless there is some culture that enforces the longer route. 'Here there be dragons', that sort of thing. So here's a good question for people in and out of academia: Which membrane is more permeable, the academic institution or the sea of knowledge (with admitted large portions of debris, some toxic)? > What business has found out, as have many others, is that social networks (those articles that Steve cites as examples) allow knowledge to be gained in entirely different and collaborative fashion, a fashion that academics might call cheating or disrespectful of the sage. While, Mark is right, that these technologies will find a place in The Academy, they are, almost more importantly, a mirror for the educational system which passively makes the point that Steve so eloquently made. The brick space structure with the sage is a vestigial manifestation of the good old days, going back to pre-print where knowledge was transmitted by those who had the information stored in their heads or had access to the very few collections of knowledge such as the libraries of Alexandria. > And those few collections of information were only available to the select few - and those few taught their own perspectives of what they read instead of opening the information to be challenged. > It is not important that universities adopt the technologies as much as that they realize that, all factors considered, a brick space campus in its current embodiment is probably untenable- note the increasing cost in human lives (adjucnts) and rising tuition. > And not to forget the decreased affordability due to large portions of the population not having as much buying power with recent developments in the global economy. -- Taran Rampersad cnd at knowprose.com http://www.knowprose.com http://www.your2ndplace.com http://www.opendepth.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/knowprose/ "Criticize by Creating" - Michelangelo "The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine." - Nikola Tesla From cnd at knowprose.com Fri Oct 3 11:54:41 2008 From: cnd at knowprose.com (Taran Rampersad) Date: Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:54:41 -0400 Subject: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC In-Reply-To: References: <502154.40378.qm@web62308.mail.re1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <48E64041.2020008@knowprose.com> tom abeles wrote: > How long before we figure out that brick-spaces dedicated only for educational purposes need to be repurposed in order to better meet what they are delivering almost like zombies walking down the street. What virtual larning options do is to point out that the current model is like the consumptive in Poe's short story of Valdemer. A snap of the fingers will break the trance and the system will plunge into chaos. The people who have a vested interest in the status quo and the idea of mapping technology in the schools are the schools of education who have no other model. They are like the brakemen in the caboose or the last flight engineer in the 3 person cockpits of modern airliners. > > thoughts? > This smacks of Metzger's 'Academic Freedom in the Age of the University', written in the early 1970s (1971, I believe). And it makes sense, especially in the modern context. Lehrfreheit and Lernfreheit are important factors often overlooked - and were a fair part of the German University, which the American University was modeled after. -- Taran Rampersad cnd at knowprose.com http://www.knowprose.com http://www.your2ndplace.com http://www.opendepth.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/knowprose/ "Criticize by Creating" - Michelangelo "The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine." - Nikola Tesla From dave at digitalraindrop.com Fri Oct 3 13:31:21 2008 From: dave at digitalraindrop.com (Dave Chakrabarti) Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2008 12:31:21 -0500 Subject: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC In-Reply-To: <48E63BAA.8060100@knowprose.com> References: <161574.60537.qm@web25805.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> <91f599f00809212055q3c81df76p68f7e40efa36712b@mail.gmail.com> <4C6AE17B21E84B19A651A880E682B1F7@TOSHIBA> <48E63BAA.8060100@knowprose.com> Message-ID: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Ever been to an anthropology conference? I suspect they frequently study each other :) Dave. -- Dave Chakrabarti Project Manager Chicago Technology Cooperative 312-480-8051 www.chicagotech.org On Oct 3, 2008, at 10:35 AM, Taran Rampersad wrote: > Sarah Blackmun-Eskow wrote: >> The problem of "context" has dogged Western-driven "development" >> since the >> 1950s, and brought the demise of many expensive projects. I guess >> that's why >> the World Bank finally started hiring anthropologists in the 1980s-- >> to get >> some folks with the ability to see and understand "context." >> > Indeed. Context is king in just about everything - from interface > design > to implementing solutions in *any* environment. > > In the context of the digital divide, understanding the person using > the > computer is not enough - it never has been. Solutions come from a deep > understanding of not only how people do things, but why. The 'how' is > simple enough, the 'why' is not. Economics, culture and even personal > biases (changeable and unchangeable) are key. > > As a humorous side note, I must wonder who studies the habits of > anthropologists. > > -- > Taran Rampersad > cnd at knowprose.com > > http://www.knowprose.com > http://www.your2ndplace.com > http://www.opendepth.com > http://www.flickr.com/photos/knowprose/ > > "Criticize by Creating" - Michelangelo > "The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is > mine." - Nikola Tesla > > _______________________________________________ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net > with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. From joel at bayangpinoy.com Fri Oct 3 13:57:17 2008 From: joel at bayangpinoy.com (Joel) Date: Sat, 4 Oct 2008 01:57:17 +0800 Subject: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC In-Reply-To: <268679.80214.qm@web25804.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> References: <91f599f00809212055q3c81df76p68f7e40efa36712b@mail.gmail.com> <268679.80214.qm@web25804.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <91f599f00810031057q7a539e50qf6018d464d748f3d@mail.gmail.com> Hi, Cindy! My post was not intended as a response to your inquiry (to which I extend my apologies), but to segue BACK to the topic (OLPC) by relating it to telecenters. Personally, I am in favor of both developments. BayangPinoy has been working for the implementation of community/telecenters in the Philippines for over 10 years now, and we actually look forward to a $100 PC as something that a community of 100 families can afford 5 units of (as the HW component of the telecenters). FYI, my post was intended to point out that "community centers" (and telecenters) are focused on COMMUNITY, while OLPCs (P - PERSONAL) and other computer technologies are focused on individuals that can afford at least: a) $100 for a computer, b) $20/month for "acceptable broadband", c) understands English (to maximize the value of the material available on the internet) d) has access to electronic bank accounts or credit cards (to be able to participate in ecommerce), and presumably: c) understands English (to maximize the value of the material available on the internet) d) has access to electronic bank accounts or credit cards (to be able to participate in ecommerce), e) has the time / motivation / (?luxury) of "catching up" to all the background knowledge that is a prerequisite of a "point-and-click" networked system. These items (a-e) are definitely not easy (or even possible) for the majority of the citizens of under-developed countries. Regards, J Galgana BayangPinoy Organization, Inc. On Tue, Sep 23, 2008 at 10:26 AM, Cindy Lemcke-Hoong wrote: > Hello Joel, > I think you misunderstood me. I was only asking for clarifications of the differences between the term 'community computers' vs. telecenters. If you read any of my previous posts you would understand that I am not supporter of OLPC. > > To my understanding 'community computers' is no different than telecenters. Just another new terms that says the same thing. > > Telecenter has been in existence for more than 20 years and there are many well researched documents written on telecenter. Why reinventing the wheels? > > Cindy > From joel at bayangpinoy.com Fri Oct 3 14:07:54 2008 From: joel at bayangpinoy.com (joel at bayangpinoy.com) Date: Sat, 4 Oct 2008 02:07:54 +0800 Subject: [DDN] ICT scope (was - Re: PhD research on OLPC) In-Reply-To: <48E63C5A.1040902@knowprose.com> References: <502154.40378.qm@web62308.mail.re1.yahoo.com> <5E5DAB5031BE40AB83C58C5E897E79E1@lishanPC> <48E63C5A.1040902@knowprose.com> Message-ID: <91f599f00810031107t15cd319dw711e97fab9450f93@mail.gmail.com> Hi, Taran! I would hasten to add telephones and cellphones. The Philippine experience of becoming the largest users of SMS was due to the high availability of affordable (prepaid) communications. This was in response to the poor penetration of telephone services (to the point where it was actually mandated by the government). Consider also some of the prevailing "buzzwords" - iPhone, VoIP, Unified Communications, etc. To me, this points to both grassroots acceptance and technology-driven initiatives towards person-to-person real time "ICTs". Regards, J Galgana BayangPinoy Organization, Inc. On 10/3/08, Taran Rampersad wrote: > lishan at ictdc.net wrote: >> Thanks for the interesting insights. Videos, TVs, radios and ICTs are >> enablers. > I am not nitpicking, but trying to understand how the phrase 'ICT' is > understood by others. To me, ICT includes video, television and radio > since they are all information and communication technologies. I am > curious if others see the same or if I am a minority. > > -- > Taran Rampersad > cnd at knowprose.com > > http://www.knowprose.com > http://www.your2ndplace.com > http://www.opendepth.com > http://www.flickr.com/photos/knowprose/ > > "Criticize by Creating" - Michelangelo > "The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine." - > Nikola Tesla > > _______________________________________________ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net > with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. > From steveeskow at gmail.com Fri Oct 3 15:55:38 2008 From: steveeskow at gmail.com (Steve Eskow) Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2008 12:55:38 -0700 Subject: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC In-Reply-To: References: <502154.40378.qm@web62308.mail.re1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Hi Tom, Sorry to be so slow in responding. For some reason I missed this message of yours when it arrived. Perhaps it would be useful to put the matter of moving out of what Bourdieu called "the scholastic enclosure" into the new spaces of communication technology into an action research mode. For example: we know that the poor nations aren't going to meet the Millenium Development Goals for education by erecting buildings to teach and house those now left untaught. The real choice is between online learning or no learning. One question, then, for research is how to bring computers and students together. Sarah talked about "community computers." I've used the term "social computers," to contrast with the taken-for-granted rich country assumption of the "personal computer." The "telecentre" is one approach to the "social" computer, and it has clear limitations. We can put a computer in a school, a church, a kiosk, a cafe and it can serve one, three, five students. Will such an approach do the job? We don't know for sure, but we can try, keep careful records and report results. On the matter of pedagogy: perhaps we need a transitional strategy, rather than insisting that all existing syllabi and curriculum materials and instructional strategies are hopelessly inadequate, an approach guaranteed to frighten or threaten or anger many of the faculty whose support we need. I, for one, would rather make existing instructional strategies made available via ICT than nothing at all. Again, we encourage an action research approach, and we report on how well the traditional pedagogies do when compared to the new ones that seem more authentic and relevant to us. Steve On Tue, Sep 23, 2008 at 9:19 AM, tom abeles wrote: > > Hi Steve > > You are right, there are transitions and there are different models. What > might be appropriate today in Ghana might be different, today in the US. The > approach of education planners is to want to eventually find the one global > model. Yet with technology, as you suggest, there are many models for > learning including different approaches from didactic, sage of stage, to a > problem-based-learning model as examples. The difference, today, seems to > me to revolve around the ability of the knowledge to come to those that need > it when and where they need it. Information packages nicely and doesn't > necessarily require paved four lane controlled access roads. It is strange > and wonderous to see how knowledge travels in dispersed rural communities > where everyone knows everyone's business and problem solving knowledge > travels across fields almost by magic. The issue is one of scarcity and > control. That we learned, in the west from the Church who had a problem when > the Vulgate appeared. > > Just go to the iTunes store and go to podcasts and search for a subject and > see what is available, free. And we are just starting > Think about motivated home school students in the US and students eager to > learn, around the world but who have to work so the family can eat. > > How long before we figure out that brick-spaces dedicated only for > educational purposes need to be repurposed in order to better meet what they > are delivering almost like zombies walking down the street. What virtual > larning options do is to point out that the current model is like the > consumptive in Poe's short story of Valdemer. A snap of the fingers will > break the trance and the system will plunge into chaos. The people who have > a vested interest in the status quo and the idea of mapping technology in > the schools are the schools of education who have no other model. They are > like the brakemen in the caboose or the last flight engineer in the 3 person > cockpits of modern airliners. > > thoughts? > > tom > > tom abeles > ---------------------------------------- > > Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:47:55 -0700 > > From: steveeskow at gmail.com > > To: digitaldivide at digitaldivide.net > > Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC > > > > In a message here filled with much good sense Tom Abeles says this: > > < thinking about mapping click space technology into brick space > thinking.>> > > > > We might begin by trying to understand why radio, television, film--all > the > > earlier technologies that promised to reform education--have failed to > make > > a difference in what goes on in those "brick spaces" that Tom talks > about. > > > > Winston Churchill said this: "We shape our buildings, and then our > buildings > > shape us." > > > > That is: the school building and its classrooms and lecture halls is not > > merely a container that can house instruction organized around the > computer > > or radio or television as easily as it can accommodate teacher-led > > instruction: the building--Tom's "brick space"--shapes what goes on > within > > in it. Anthony Giddens says spatial arrangements are "constitutive". The > > school building, then, is not a neutral container that can house any kind > of > > instruction, but is a decisive and determining factor in the shaping of > > teaching and learning. > > > > Tom proposes abandoning the present building-centered school. > > > > We may need a transitional strategy. > > > > One possibility might be a 3-2 system. Children go to the school building > > three days a week to learn from teachers and each other through > > conversation, dialog, and the older pedagogies, without technologies, or > > perhaps with the help of radio and television if the teacher is > comfortable > > with them. The other two days might be spent with computers: at home, if > the > > home has a computer--perhaps using a pen drive, as "Paperless" > suggests--or > > using a "community computer" which might be in a telecenter, or a > library, > > or in the school building. > > > > The growth of "open universities," with all instruction at a > > distance,suggests that some day Tom's vision of a "school without walls" > may > > be practical. We might want to go there in stages rather than all at > once. > > > > Steve Eskow > > > > On Sat, Sep 20, 2008 at 9:03 AM, tom abeles wrote: > > > >> > >> We are in a transition period where multiple solutions make sense rather > >> than one size fits all. > >> > >> One of the issue to understand is that cost keeps coming down for > digital > >> products. Right now I can have a basic cell phone which will take a > micro > >> chip with 4GB. Cells are already available with most of the technology > >> needed to deliver basic internet type services, even to being able to > test. > >> The cell is a ubiquitous device even in developing countries. So > computers > >> to lap tops to cells is a natural migration both in capabilities, cost > and > >> availability both on wireless and wifi delivery. > >> > >> Thin clients such as Sarah suggests, or variance thereof is what happens > >> with google doc's and other server-based software, even in developed > >> countries- safe/secure and not dependent on keeping data stored on > portable > >> media except for off-line purposes. > >> > >> OLPC is, as both Sarah and Alan suggest was based on the old model of a > >> brick-space synchronous, age-defined cohort model for learning- bricks > >> mapped into clicks from K->20. > >> > >> We need to rethink educational models first and formost rather than > >> thinking about mapping click space technology into brick space thinking. > >> > >> Learning should be anytime/any place- some maybe synchronous in groups > but > >> most, given the exigencies of daily and seasonal life, particularly in > >> countries where even students need to contribute to family income, need > the > >> flexibility offered by virtual technology. > >> > >> The problem is that the learning model has to change and the tech can > help. > >> But thinking about thin clients, portable media and other soft/hard tech > >> will be limited if the models do not also change. > >> > >> tom > >> > >> tom abeles > >> > >>> From: sarahblackmun at cox.net > >>> To: digitaldivide at digitaldivide.net > >>> Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:06:52 -0700 > >>> Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC > >>> > >>> A more practical approach is "community computers" (in contrast to > >> "personal > >>> computers") available in a school, church, community center, etc., > where > >>> everyone in the village can have access. It is much more reasonable to > >>> provide internet connection for one such community computing center > than > >> for > >>> personal laptops. > >>> > >>> A good model is a thin client/server model, in which one powerful > server > >>> would serve programs and internet access to many thin clients with > >> limited > >>> computing and storage capacity. (Community users would have their own > pen > >>> drives for storing their own files.) > >>> > >>> We (Pangaea Network) are testing this idea in Ghana in Asante Akim > >> district. > >>> > >>> > >>> Sarah Blackmun-Eskow > >>> President, The Pangaea Network > >>> 290 North Fairview Avenue > >>> Goleta CA 93117 > >>> 805-692-6998 > >>> sarahblackmun at cox.net > >>> www.pangaeanetwork.org > >>> > >>> -----Original Message----- > >>> From: digitaldivide-bounces at digitaldivide.net > >>> [mailto:digitaldivide-bounces at digitaldivide.net] On Behalf Of > Paperless > >>> Homework > >>> Sent: Friday, September 19, 2008 5:02 AM > >>> To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group > >>> Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC > >>> > >>> Dear Caroline, > >>> > >>> What you are doing is exactly what our project is about. > >>> > >>> We believe that a practical approach should be the way rather than > fancy > >>> ideas about One laptop per child for the developing countries. It isn't > >>> practical even in developed countries much less developing countries. > >>> > >>> It is in this direction that we have created a simple tool to create > >> small > >>> sized tutorials and exercises to enable such multimeda contents to be > >> saved > >>> in diskettes or Pen drives. Yes even diskettes can accommodate > multimedia > >>> contents. So in the end the entire extra financial need of the students > >>> would be digitally connected would be the cost of a pen drive. > >>> It can contain the entire contents for the whole life of the > students.... > >>> that is our aim. > >>> > >>> Computers, students would know how to get access to for those students > >>> without computers. > >>> > >>> The good thing about OLPC project is the development of low cost units > >> and > >>> its low power needs with longer hours of operation. To use OLPC for > each > >>> child in developing countries... it would never come to pass. > >>> > >>> An interesting article about our concept of Practical tech not high > tech > >>> www.paperlesshomework.com/surf > >>> > >>> Currently we have tremendous response to our free for schools > initiative > >> in > >>> Malaysia. We would extend it to other developing countries including > >> China, > >>> India and Indonesia which practically form nearly half the world's > >>> population. If we succeed here , our job is done. > >>> > >>> See videos of our contents here www.paperlesshomework.ning.com/video > >>> > >>> Want to really close the digital divide? Join us. It is the ONLY such > >>> project in the world. > >>> > >>> Regards > >>> Alan Foo > >>> www.paperlesshomework.com > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> www.paperlesshomework.com > >>> An elearning solution for rural areas where online/CDs cannot reach. > >>> > >>> Get the latest happenings through paperlesshomework tool bar > >>> www.paperlesshomework.communitytoolbars.com > >>> > >>> --- On Thu, 9/18/08, Caroline Meeks wrote: > >>> > >>> From: Caroline Meeks > >>> Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC > >>> To: "The Digital Divide Network discussion group" > >>> > >>> Date: Thursday, September 18, 2008, 8:20 AM > >>> > >>> Thank you all for this interesting discussion. > >>> > >>> As someone embarking on a project similar to OLPC I'm interested in > what > >>> advice you have on effective and ethical marketing and corporate > >>> relationships. > >>> > >>> School Key is "One KeyFob per Child". Basically, we question that the > >> best > >>> way for children to have ubiquitous access to computers is to have them > >>> carry laptops with them. Even if they did cost $100 in a city like > >> Boston > >>> kids are not safe carrying home computers. Instead we propose to give > >> each > >>> student a 1GB USB Key (currently $5 at Target, probably closer to $1 or > >> $2 > >>> in bulk) and arrange for them to be able to boot every computer at > >> school, > >>> the library, the ICT center and at home with it. > >>> > >>> When you buy one computer per student it will always be a compromise. > >>> Instead, afterschool programs can have big color screens for art, High > >> use > >>> compuer labs can use low power computers, Science departments can have > a > >>> cart of sturdy laptop with cameras and sensors, and low-cost > referbished > >>> computers, that doen't even need a hard drives, could be supplied for > >> home. > >>> Content can be automatically downloaded when connected to the internet > at > >>> school letting students do homework offline if they don't have internet > >> at > >>> home, then automatically save thier work back to the server when they > >>> reconnect at School. > >>> > >>> Currently this is a Grad school project, developed with open source > >> software > >>> by me and Amy Bisiewicz, a Boston Public Schools IT professional, who > >>> attended Harvard Grad School of Education last year thanks to a > >> scholarship > >>> program for Boston Public School employees. As an Internship for > credit > >> at > >>> HGSE, I am doing very intial pilot work this fall at two Boston > schools. > >>> > >>> Right now we have no grants, no marketing, no corporate partners. Its > >> seems > >>> clear to me that we need to change that, so I'm interested in what you > >> think > >>> OLPC and others have done right and wrong in these arenas. > >>> > >>> Thanks! > >>> Caroline > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > >>> DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > >>> http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > >>> To unsubscribe, send a message to > >> digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net > >>> with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. > >>> > >>> > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > >>> DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > >>> http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > >>> To unsubscribe, send a message to > >> digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in > the > >> body of the message. > >> > >> _________________________________________________________________ > >> Want to do more with Windows Live? Learn "10 hidden secrets" from Jamie. > >> > >> > http://windowslive.com/connect/post/jamiethomson.spaces.live.com-Blog-cns!550F681DAD532637!5295.entry?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_domore_092008 > >> _______________________________________________ > >> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > >> DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > >> http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > >> To unsubscribe, send a message to > digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.netwith the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the > body of the message. > >> > > _______________________________________________ > > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > > DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > > To unsubscribe, send a message to > digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the > body of the message. > > _________________________________________________________________ > See how Windows connects the people, information, and fun that are part of > your life. > http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/msnnkwxp1020093175mrt/direct/01/ > _______________________________________________ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.netwith the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. > From sarahblackmun at cox.net Fri Oct 3 18:17:52 2008 From: sarahblackmun at cox.net (Sarah Blackmun-Eskow) Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2008 15:17:52 -0700 Subject: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC In-Reply-To: <268679.80214.qm@web25804.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> References: <91f599f00809212055q3c81df76p68f7e40efa36712b@mail.gmail.com> <268679.80214.qm@web25804.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <36752A35391B4BA6AF20C1F733F4D07B@TOSHIBA> Reinvent the word, not the concept, because the word "telecenter" does not convey meaning to anyone who doesn't already know what it means. Whereas "community computing center" does convey meaning even if you never heard the phrase before. In other words, "telecenter" is already jargon that has meaning only to insiders (which is the definition of jargon). It seems too early in the work of getting computing into African villages to start using jargon that villagers won't understand. Sarah Blackmun, proponent of community computing no matter what it's called The narratives of the world are numberless. . . . there nowhere is nor has been a people without narrative.--Roland Barthes Sarah Blackmun-Eskow President, The Pangaea Network 290 North Fairview Avenue Goleta CA 93117 805-692-6998 sarahblackmun at cox.net www.pangaeanetwork.org -----Original Message----- From: digitaldivide-bounces at digitaldivide.net [mailto:digitaldivide-bounces at digitaldivide.net] On Behalf Of Cindy Lemcke-Hoong Sent: Monday, September 22, 2008 7:26 PM To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC Hello Joel, I think you misunderstood me. I was only asking for clarifications of the differences between the term 'community computers' vs. telecenters. If you read any of my previous posts you would understand that I am not supporter of OLPC. To my understanding 'community computers' is no different than telecenters. Just another new terms that says the same thing. Telecenter has been in existence for more than 20 years and there are many well researched documents written on telecenter. Why reinventing the wheels? Cindy ============= Cindyhoong at gmail.com --- On Mon, 22/9/08, Joel wrote: From: Joel Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC To: "The Digital Divide Network discussion group" Date: Monday, 22 September, 2008, 5:55 AM On Mon, Sep 22, 2008 at 5:09 AM, Cindy Lemcke-Hoong wrote: > what is the different between telecenters and 'community computers'? If they are the same, for search purpose, perhaps we could keep to the same terms? > Cindy In the 3rd world countries, a PC is generally too expensive for individual ownership (hence the relevance of the OLPC). The cost is not just the purchase price of the HW, but must include the SW costs, and the user's time to learn and use the technology. It is simply that an OLPC is so "out-of-context" in the lives of the average citizen. It is our belief that this is because too little effort is placed in providing appropriate applications / solutions at the 3rd world point-of-view. The telecenter OTOH MUST contextualize at the community level. Can the same be said for the OLPC? J Galgana BayangPinoy Organization, Inc. _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. From sarahblackmun at cox.net Fri Oct 3 18:23:26 2008 From: sarahblackmun at cox.net (Sarah Blackmun-Eskow) Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2008 15:23:26 -0700 Subject: [DDN] Fw: Re: PhD research on OLPC In-Reply-To: <451052.24382.qm@web39805.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <451052.24382.qm@web39805.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <23A7FCA6AFE74D7D971B814842F9C821@TOSHIBA> Oh, yeah! Just go spend a few days in an African village and then come back and tell me what it is you think you can sell there. Composting toilets? (50% of Ghanaian villagers have NO toilets of any kind and use the bushes.) Solar lanterns? Some unknown majority of Ghanaian villagers use KEROSENE (a dangerous poison) to "light" their homes. Post-harvest processing equipment? A big part of every harvest rots in the marketplace because the village doesn't have canning or bottling or packaging equipment. Foot-operated irrigation equipment? 99% of African farms are watered only by rain, only in the rainy season. School uniforms and notebooks for all children, including girls? AT least 1/2 of African girls don't go to secondary school. I bet there are 100 other appropriate, low-cost products that villagers would buy before a laptop computer.... Sarah The narratives of the world are numberless. . . . there nowhere is nor has been a people without narrative.--Roland Barthes Sarah Blackmun-Eskow President, The Pangaea Network 290 North Fairview Avenue Goleta CA 93117 805-692-6998 sarahblackmun at cox.net www.pangaeanetwork.org -----Original Message----- From: digitaldivide-bounces at digitaldivide.net [mailto:digitaldivide-bounces at digitaldivide.net] On Behalf Of arthur richards Sent: Monday, September 22, 2008 5:14 PM To: oel at bayangpinoy.com Cc: digitaldivide at digitaldivide.net Subject: [DDN] Fw: Re: PhD research on OLPC I think quite frankly in the developing world where I was brought up and come from an OLPC is not the first need, it is not the second, it is not the third, nor the fourth need nor the 10th most important need! Business people want to sell and still have their heads in the sand that a parent or government is going to squander $100 or $200 to buy a laptop when that parent does not earn that in one year! Wake up guys! Go to where you want to sell these things and come back. You might just change your mind. Arthur --- On Mon, 22/9/08, Joel wrote: From: Joel Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC To: "The Digital Divide Network discussion group" Received: Monday, 22 September, 2008, 1:55 PM On Mon, Sep 22, 2008 at 5:09 AM, Cindy Lemcke-Hoong wrote: > what is the different between telecenters and 'community computers'? If they are the same, for search purpose, perhaps we could keep to the same terms? > Cindy In the 3rd world countries, a PC is generally too expensive for individual ownership (hence the relevance of the OLPC). The cost is not just the purchase price of the HW, but must include the SW costs, and the user's time to learn and use the technology. It is simply that an OLPC is so "out-of-context" in the lives of the average citizen. It is our belief that this is because too little effort is placed in providing appropriate applications / solutions at the 3rd world point-of-view. The telecenter OTOH MUST contextualize at the community level. Can the same be said for the OLPC? J Galgana BayangPinoy Organization, Inc. _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. Make the switch to the world's best email. Get Yahoo!7 Mail! http://au.yahoo.com/y7mail _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. From joel at bayangpinoy.com Sat Oct 4 01:21:53 2008 From: joel at bayangpinoy.com (Joel) Date: Sat, 4 Oct 2008 13:21:53 +0800 Subject: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC In-Reply-To: <161574.60537.qm@web25805.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> References: <161574.60537.qm@web25805.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <91f599f00810032221y65b3e986w98d3d03c2b26281e@mail.gmail.com> On Mon, Sep 22, 2008 at 5:09 AM, Cindy Lemcke-Hoong wrote: > what is the different between telecenters and 'community computers'? If they are the same, for search purpose, perhaps we could keep to the same terms? > Cindy In response to Cindy's inquiry, please refer to a discussion on the topic in 1994 which I find valid still. The links are as follows: 1) My response to an initial request for a definition of Telecenters: http://mailman-new.greennet.org.uk/pipermail/telecentres/2004-October/000238.html 2) Taran's response re Telecenters: http://mailman-new.greennet.org.uk/pipermail/telecentres/2004-October/000244.html Regards, - Joel From johndenny at alumni.usc.edu Sat Oct 4 03:01:26 2008 From: johndenny at alumni.usc.edu (JTD) Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2008 23:01:26 -0800 Subject: [DDN] ICT scope (was - Re: PhD research on OLPC) In-Reply-To: <48E63C5A.1040902@knowprose.com> References: <502154.40378.qm@web62308.mail.re1.yahoo.com> <5E5DAB5031BE40AB83C58C5E897E79E1@lishanPC> <48E63C5A.1040902@knowprose.com> Message-ID: <22bb86510810040001r18ea83dfm965657c62b2a4d61@mail.gmail.com> Taran Very good point... we must share a definition in order to communicate effectively... I snicker as I recall a story from a friend as he participated in planning meeting for an ICT award by a UN body... the person in charge of the project interrupted the meeting when someone was talking about a experience with community radio... saying loudly: "that is not ICT"... makes me laugh each time I think of the situation... but then again... maybe I am weird... coming from the education side of ICT4D I see all educational technologies as ICT... from overhead projectors to marker boards... they are all technologies used to communicate and share information in a variety of forms... yet I also tend to think ICT must use electricity... nevertheless if you stick to a a definition of storing and retrieving information ---- electricity is not needed on a blackboard... --- so it all depends on the definition one uses... I did a quick search of definitions... sure seems no two are the same.... Tim _________________________________ John "Tim" Denny, Ph.D. Advisor- International Development, Education and ICT Executive Director, PC4peace http://www.pc4peace.org Advisory Board, Masters of Development Studies -RUPP International Journal of Multicultural Education, Electronic Green Journal http://www.avuedigitalservices.com/VR/drjtdenny Join Cambodia Joomla! Users group - http://groups.google.com/jugcam "The diligent farmer plants trees of which he himself will never see the fruit." Cicero (106-43 BCE) lishan at ictdc.net wrote: > > Thanks for the interesting insights. Videos, TVs, radios and ICTs are > > enablers. > I am not nitpicking, but trying to understand how the phrase 'ICT' is > understood by others. To me, ICT includes video, television and radio > since they are all information and communication technologies. I am > curious if others see the same or if I am a minority. > > -- > Taran Rampersad > cnd at knowprose.com > > http://www.knowprose.com > http://www.your2ndplace.com > http://www.opendepth.com > http://www.flickr.com/photos/knowprose/ > > "Criticize by Creating" - Michelangelo > "The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine." - > Nikola Tesla > > _______________________________________________ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.netwith the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. > -- _ From sarahblackmun at cox.net Sat Oct 4 15:52:14 2008 From: sarahblackmun at cox.net (Sarah Blackmun-Eskow) Date: Sat, 4 Oct 2008 12:52:14 -0700 Subject: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC In-Reply-To: <91f599f00810031057q7a539e50qf6018d464d748f3d@mail.gmail.com> References: <91f599f00809212055q3c81df76p68f7e40efa36712b@mail.gmail.com><268679.80214.qm@web25804.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> <91f599f00810031057q7a539e50qf6018d464d748f3d@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Thank you, Joel, for pointing out all the taken-for-granteds implicit in the advocacy of OLPC. Sarah The narratives of the world are numberless. . . . there nowhere is nor has been a people without narrative.--Roland Barthes Sarah Blackmun-Eskow President, The Pangaea Network 290 North Fairview Avenue Goleta CA 93117 805-692-6998 sarahblackmun at cox.net www.pangaeanetwork.org -----Original Message----- From: digitaldivide-bounces at digitaldivide.net [mailto:digitaldivide-bounces at digitaldivide.net] On Behalf Of Joel Sent: Friday, October 03, 2008 10:57 AM To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group Cc: Cindyhoong at gmail.com Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC Hi, Cindy! My post was not intended as a response to your inquiry (to which I extend my apologies), but to segue BACK to the topic (OLPC) by relating it to telecenters. Personally, I am in favor of both developments. BayangPinoy has been working for the implementation of community/telecenters in the Philippines for over 10 years now, and we actually look forward to a $100 PC as something that a community of 100 families can afford 5 units of (as the HW component of the telecenters). FYI, my post was intended to point out that "community centers" (and telecenters) are focused on COMMUNITY, while OLPCs (P - PERSONAL) and other computer technologies are focused on individuals that can afford at least: a) $100 for a computer, b) $20/month for "acceptable broadband", c) understands English (to maximize the value of the material available on the internet) d) has access to electronic bank accounts or credit cards (to be able to participate in ecommerce), and presumably: c) understands English (to maximize the value of the material available on the internet) d) has access to electronic bank accounts or credit cards (to be able to participate in ecommerce), e) has the time / motivation / (?luxury) of "catching up" to all the background knowledge that is a prerequisite of a "point-and-click" networked system. These items (a-e) are definitely not easy (or even possible) for the majority of the citizens of under-developed countries. Regards, J Galgana BayangPinoy Organization, Inc. On Tue, Sep 23, 2008 at 10:26 AM, Cindy Lemcke-Hoong wrote: > Hello Joel, > I think you misunderstood me. I was only asking for clarifications of the differences between the term 'community computers' vs. telecenters. If you read any of my previous posts you would understand that I am not supporter of OLPC. > > To my understanding 'community computers' is no different than telecenters. Just another new terms that says the same thing. > > Telecenter has been in existence for more than 20 years and there are many well researched documents written on telecenter. Why reinventing the wheels? > > Cindy > _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. From paperlesshomework at yahoo.com Sat Oct 4 21:46:16 2008 From: paperlesshomework at yahoo.com (Paperless Homework) Date: Sat, 4 Oct 2008 18:46:16 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <776842.50162.qm@web62304.mail.re1.yahoo.com> Hello steve, ? I do generaly agree with your views except that I would like to change this little bit.. ? You said??" The real choice is between online learning or no learning." ? It would be more appropriate to rephrase it as ?The real choice is between online/offline learning throug ICT or no learning." ? This is because to say online learning is the only choice for ICT in Education is not exactly right. More learning today are learnt through offline than online... in many homes and schools around the world. More people are offline at anyone time than online. ? Another thing, having a computer or two in a telecenter does not mean only 1 or 2 students may benefit.? That is the old model. Today telecenters can make use of 1 or 2 computers to serve entire class of students using projectors etc.? So it depends on how you use the computers. ? Having one computer for each(as originally intended in the OLPC)?is good but in more cases than not ...impractical in third world countries (in fact I really doubt any third world country). ? The real issue of the digital divide as far as schools are concerned today is the inabilities to reach out to the unreached anytime any place and any cost. ? We can talk until the cows come home about other issues highlighted by many contributors here, without this being solved first, we are like trying to teach the rural folks to run before they able able to walk. ? Hence to really close the digital divides among nations around the world, look into issue of reach... then we can start talking about pedagogy. ? Read an article about our initiative here and perhaps most will understand what the world is doing and what she lacks as far as trying to reach the unreached 5 billion. http://www.govtech.com/dc/articles/270167 ? Meanwhile we should not forget about the environment impact our current schools are contributing to the deteriorating environments filling land fills with millions of tons of paper wastes. This in spite of all the high techs. ? Read about about a Practical tech not high tech article by a 14 years experieced ICT journalist. www.paperlesshomework.com/surf ? Regards Alan www.paperlesshomework.com An elearning solution for rural areas where online/CDs cannot reach. Get the latest happenings through paperlesshomework tool bar www.paperlesshomework.communitytoolbars.com --- On Sat, 10/4/08, Steve Eskow wrote: From: Steve Eskow Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC To: "The Digital Divide Network discussion group" Date: Saturday, October 4, 2008, 3:55 AM Hi Tom, Sorry to be so slow in responding. For some reason I missed this message of yours when it arrived. Perhaps it would be useful to put the matter of moving out of what Bourdieu called "the scholastic enclosure" into the new spaces of communication technology into an action research mode. For example: we know that the poor nations aren't going to meet the Millenium Development Goals for education by erecting buildings to teach and house those now left untaught. The real choice is between online learning or no learning. One question, then, for research is how to bring computers and students together. Sarah talked about "community computers." I've used the term "social computers," to contrast with the taken-for-granted rich country assumption of the "personal computer." The "telecentre" is one approach to the "social" computer, and it has clear limitations. We can put a computer in a school, a church, a kiosk, a cafe and it can serve one, three, five students. Will such an approach do the job? We don't know for sure, but we can try, keep careful records and report results. On the matter of pedagogy: perhaps we need a transitional strategy, rather than insisting that all existing syllabi and curriculum materials and instructional strategies are hopelessly inadequate, an approach guaranteed to frighten or threaten or anger many of the faculty whose support we need. I, for one, would rather make existing instructional strategies made available via ICT than nothing at all. Again, we encourage an action research approach, and we report on how well the traditional pedagogies do when compared to the new ones that seem more authentic and relevant to us. Steve On Tue, Sep 23, 2008 at 9:19 AM, tom abeles wrote: > > Hi Steve > > You are right, there are transitions and there are different models. What > might be appropriate today in Ghana might be different, today in the US. The > approach of education planners is to want to eventually find the one global > model. Yet with technology, as you suggest, there are many models for > learning including different approaches from didactic, sage of stage, to a > problem-based-learning model as examples. The difference, today, seems to > me to revolve around the ability of the knowledge to come to those that need > it when and where they need it. Information packages nicely and doesn't > necessarily require paved four lane controlled access roads. It is strange > and wonderous to see how knowledge travels in dispersed rural communities > where everyone knows everyone's business and problem solving knowledge > travels across fields almost by magic. The issue is one of scarcity and > control. That we learned, in the west from the Church who had a problem when > the Vulgate appeared. > > Just go to the iTunes store and go to podcasts and search for a subject and > see what is available, free. And we are just starting > Think about motivated home school students in the US and students eager to > learn, around the world but who have to work so the family can eat. > > How long before we figure out that brick-spaces dedicated only for > educational purposes need to be repurposed in order to better meet what they > are delivering almost like zombies walking down the street. What virtual > larning options do is to point out that the current model is like the > consumptive in Poe's short story of Valdemer. A snap of the fingers will > break the trance and the system will plunge into chaos. The people who have > a vested interest in the status quo and the idea of mapping technology in > the schools are the schools of education who have no other model. They are > like the brakemen in the caboose or the last flight engineer in the 3 person > cockpits of modern airliners. > > thoughts? > > tom > > tom abeles > ---------------------------------------- > > Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:47:55 -0700 > > From: steveeskow at gmail.com > > To: digitaldivide at digitaldivide.net > > Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC > > > > In a message here filled with much good sense Tom Abeles says this: > > < thinking about mapping click space technology into brick space > thinking.>> > > > > We might begin by trying to understand why radio, television, film--all > the > > earlier technologies that promised to reform education--have failed to > make > > a difference in what goes on in those "brick spaces" that Tom talks > about. > > > > Winston Churchill said this: "We shape our buildings, and then our > buildings > > shape us." > > > > That is: the school building and its classrooms and lecture halls is not > > merely a container that can house instruction organized around the > computer > > or radio or television as easily as it can accommodate teacher-led > > instruction: the building--Tom's "brick space"--shapes what goes on > within > > in it. Anthony Giddens says spatial arrangements are "constitutive". The > > school building, then, is not a neutral container that can house any kind > of > > instruction, but is a decisive and determining factor in the shaping of > > teaching and learning. > > > > Tom proposes abandoning the present building-centered school. > > > > We may need a transitional strategy. > > > > One possibility might be a 3-2 system. Children go to the school building > > three days a week to learn from teachers and each other through > > conversation, dialog, and the older pedagogies, without technologies, or > > perhaps with the help of radio and television if the teacher is > comfortable > > with them. The other two days might be spent with computers: at home, if > the > > home has a computer--perhaps using a pen drive, as "Paperless" > suggests--or > > using a "community computer" which might be in a telecenter, or a > library, > > or in the school building. > > > > The growth of "open universities," with all instruction at a > > distance,suggests that some day Tom's vision of a "school without walls" > may > > be practical. We might want to go there in stages rather than all at > once. > > > > Steve Eskow > > > > On Sat, Sep 20, 2008 at 9:03 AM, tom abeles wrote: > > > >> > >> We are in a transition period where multiple solutions make sense rather > >> than one size fits all. > >> > >> One of the issue to understand is that cost keeps coming down for > digital > >> products. Right now I can have a basic cell phone which will take a > micro > >> chip with 4GB. Cells are already available with most of the technology > >> needed to deliver basic internet type services, even to being able to > test. > >> The cell is a ubiquitous device even in developing countries. So > computers > >> to lap tops to cells is a natural migration both in capabilities, cost > and > >> availability both on wireless and wifi delivery. > >> > >> Thin clients such as Sarah suggests, or variance thereof is what happens > >> with google doc's and other server-based software, even in developed > >> countries- safe/secure and not dependent on keeping data stored on > portable > >> media except for off-line purposes. > >> > >> OLPC is, as both Sarah and Alan suggest was based on the old model of a > >> brick-space synchronous, age-defined cohort model for learning- bricks > >> mapped into clicks from K->20. > >> > >> We need to rethink educational models first and formost rather than > >> thinking about mapping click space technology into brick space thinking. > >> > >> Learning should be anytime/any place- some maybe synchronous in groups > but > >> most, given the exigencies of daily and seasonal life, particularly in > >> countries where even students need to contribute to family income, need > the > >> flexibility offered by virtual technology. > >> > >> The problem is that the learning model has to change and the tech can > help. > >> But thinking about thin clients, portable media and other soft/hard tech > >> will be limited if the models do not also change. > >> > >> tom > >> > >> tom abeles > >> > >>> From: sarahblackmun at cox.net > >>> To: digitaldivide at digitaldivide.net > >>> Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:06:52 -0700 > >>> Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC > >>> > >>> A more practical approach is "community computers" (in contrast to > >> "personal > >>> computers") available in a school, church, community center, etc., > where > >>> everyone in the village can have access. It is much more reasonable to > >>> provide internet connection for one such community computing center > than > >> for > >>> personal laptops. > >>> > >>> A good model is a thin client/server model, in which one powerful > server > >>> would serve programs and internet access to many thin clients with > >> limited > >>> computing and storage capacity. (Community users would have their own > pen > >>> drives for storing their own files.) > >>> > >>> We (Pangaea Network) are testing this idea in Ghana in Asante Akim > >> district. > >>> > >>> > >>> Sarah Blackmun-Eskow > >>> President, The Pangaea Network > >>> 290 North Fairview Avenue > >>> Goleta CA 93117 > >>> 805-692-6998 > >>> sarahblackmun at cox.net > >>> www.pangaeanetwork.org > >>> > >>> -----Original Message----- > >>> From: digitaldivide-bounces at digitaldivide.net > >>> [mailto:digitaldivide-bounces at digitaldivide.net] On Behalf Of > Paperless > >>> Homework > >>> Sent: Friday, September 19, 2008 5:02 AM > >>> To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group > >>> Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC > >>> > >>> Dear Caroline, > >>> > >>> What you are doing is exactly what our project is about. > >>> > >>> We believe that a practical approach should be the way rather than > fancy > >>> ideas about One laptop per child for the developing countries. It isn't > >>> practical even in developed countries much less developing countries. > >>> > >>> It is in this direction that we have created a simple tool to create > >> small > >>> sized tutorials and exercises to enable such multimeda contents to be > >> saved > >>> in diskettes or Pen drives. Yes even diskettes can accommodate > multimedia > >>> contents. So in the end the entire extra financial need of the students > >>> would be digitally connected would be the cost of a pen drive. > >>> It can contain the entire contents for the whole life of the > students.... > >>> that is our aim. > >>> > >>> Computers, students would know how to get access to for those students > >>> without computers. > >>> > >>> The good thing about OLPC project is the development of low cost units > >> and > >>> its low power needs with longer hours of operation. To use OLPC for > each > >>> child in developing countries... it would never come to pass. > >>> > >>> An interesting article about our concept of Practical tech not high > tech > >>> www.paperlesshomework.com/surf > >>> > >>> Currently we have tremendous response to our free for schools > initiative > >> in > >>> Malaysia. We would extend it to other developing countries including > >> China, > >>> India and Indonesia which practically form nearly half the world's > >>> population. If we succeed here , our job is done. > >>> > >>> See videos of our contents here www.paperlesshomework.ning.com/video > >>> > >>> Want to really close the digital divide? Join us. It is the ONLY such > >>> project in the world. > >>> > >>> Regards > >>> Alan Foo > >>> www.paperlesshomework.com > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> www.paperlesshomework.com > >>> An elearning solution for rural areas where online/CDs cannot reach. > >>> > >>> Get the latest happenings through paperlesshomework tool bar > >>> www.paperlesshomework.communitytoolbars.com > >>> > >>> --- On Thu, 9/18/08, Caroline Meeks wrote: > >>> > >>> From: Caroline Meeks > >>> Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC > >>> To: "The Digital Divide Network discussion group" > >>> > >>> Date: Thursday, September 18, 2008, 8:20 AM > >>> > >>> Thank you all for this interesting discussion. > >>> > >>> As someone embarking on a project similar to OLPC I'm interested in > what > >>> advice you have on effective and ethical marketing and corporate > >>> relationships. > >>> > >>> School Key is "One KeyFob per Child". Basically, we question that the > >> best > >>> way for children to have ubiquitous access to computers is to have them > >>> carry laptops with them. Even if they did cost $100 in a city like > >> Boston > >>> kids are not safe carrying home computers. Instead we propose to give > >> each > >>> student a 1GB USB Key (currently $5 at Target, probably closer to $1 or > >> $2 > >>> in bulk) and arrange for them to be able to boot every computer at > >> school, > >>> the library, the ICT center and at home with it. > >>> > >>> When you buy one computer per student it will always be a compromise. > >>> Instead, afterschool programs can have big color screens for art, High > >> use > >>> compuer labs can use low power computers, Science departments can have > a > >>> cart of sturdy laptop with cameras and sensors, and low-cost > referbished > >>> computers, that doen't even need a hard drives, could be supplied for > >> home. > >>> Content can be automatically downloaded when connected to the internet > at > >>> school letting students do homework offline if they don't have internet > >> at > >>> home, then automatically save thier work back to the server when they > >>> reconnect at School. > >>> > >>> Currently this is a Grad school project, developed with open source > >> software > >>> by me and Amy Bisiewicz, a Boston Public Schools IT professional, who > >>> attended Harvard Grad School of Education last year thanks to a > >> scholarship > >>> program for Boston Public School employees. As an Internship for > credit > >> at > >>> HGSE, I am doing very intial pilot work this fall at two Boston > schools. > >>> > >>> Right now we have no grants, no marketing, no corporate partners. Its > >> seems > >>> clear to me that we need to change that, so I'm interested in what you > >> think > >>> OLPC and others have done right and wrong in these arenas. > >>> > >>> Thanks! > >>> Caroline > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > >>> DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > >>> http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > >>> To unsubscribe, send a message to > >> digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net > >>> with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. > >>> > >>> > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > >>> DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > >>> http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > >>> To unsubscribe, send a message to > >> digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in > the > >> body of the message. > >> > >> _________________________________________________________________ > >> Want to do more with Windows Live? Learn "10 hidden secrets" from Jamie. > >> > >> > http://windowslive.com/connect/post/jamiethomson.spaces.live.com-Blog-cns!550F681DAD532637!5295.entry?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_domore_092008 > >> _______________________________________________ > >> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > >> DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > >> http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > >> To unsubscribe, send a message to > digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.netwith the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the > body of the message. > >> > > _______________________________________________ > > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > > DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > > To unsubscribe, send a message to > digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the > body of the message. > > _________________________________________________________________ > See how Windows connects the people, information, and fun that are part of > your life. > http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/msnnkwxp1020093175mrt/direct/01/ > _______________________________________________ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.netwith the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. > _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. From paperlesshomework at yahoo.com Sun Oct 5 01:00:24 2008 From: paperlesshomework at yahoo.com (Paperless Homework) Date: Sat, 4 Oct 2008 22:00:24 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [DDN] Fw: Re: PhD research on OLPC In-Reply-To: <23A7FCA6AFE74D7D971B814842F9C821@TOSHIBA> Message-ID: <278244.84812.qm@web62301.mail.re1.yahoo.com> Hello Sarah, ? Yes what you said is true. ? The point however is how you can improve on the current bad situation it already is. ? Let me give you a very simple contribution of a simple OLPC laptop or rather we should use the term ULPC - Ultra Low cost PC rather than One Laptop Per child (which I do agree with you would be silly and does not work ) ? Let us take the extreme example of a remote village without electricity and like you say does not even have a single toilet. ? Now, how can the government start to improve their current situations without huge investment of manpower (manual) and the likes for the whole country? ? With a single ULPC powered maybe by a low cost solar panel (since a single ULPC would not need so much electricity unlike the entire class with ULPC linked with satellite disc etc). ? If there is a simple dial up Internet connection available that would be great to provide instant update of contents. Let us say , this village does not even have that. ? What can? a laptop do? ? Assuming one is able to provide the laptop, we can assume that software can be preinstalled into it. If software contents that have very small footprints that would be even better because much much more contents can be placed into the laptop in initial installation to be updated through say pendrives later. ? With a laptop (without projectors of course), at least a good number of people in that remote village shall be able to learning something. Get trained in the proper methods of agriculture for one, proper storage etc. A teacher shall be able to have?access to right contents and be able to teach / pass on the knowledge to others like peer coaching even though that teacher does not have that skill initially. ? This may not be the ideal situation but I strongly believe the best solution under the circumstances of remoteness, poverty etc is the best solution. ? In fact I would say, the first laptop with its supporting equipments like solar power etc would be the first necessity for that village... not toilets nor how to irrigate their fields. Knowlege and able to reach out to the most remote is the first goal. The rest would take care if itself. ? That people in the village would start to learn how to read, how to irrigate their land etc not because some government teams came to teach them ...but from the little box you call a laptop. ? If there is a simple dial up connection available and contents have very small footprints , it can do wonders especially to the little children of that remote village. ? Alan www.paperlesshomework.com ? ? Oh, yeah! Just go spend a few days in an African village and then come back and tell me what it is you think you can sell there. Composting toilets? (50% of Ghanaian villagers have NO toilets of any kind and use the bushes.) Solar lanterns? Some unknown majority of Ghanaian villagers use KEROSENE (a dangerous poison) to "light" their homes. Post-harvest processing equipment? A big part of every harvest rots in the marketplace because the village doesn't have canning or bottling or packaging equipment. Foot-operated irrigation equipment? 99% of African farms are watered only by rain, only in the rainy season. School uniforms and notebooks for all children, including girls? AT least 1/2 of African girls don't go to secondary school. I bet there are 100 other appropriate, low-cost products that villagers would buy before a laptop computer.... Sarah The narratives of the world are numberless. . . . there nowhere is nor has been a people without narrative.--Roland Barthes Sarah Blackmun-Eskow President, The Pangaea Network 290 North Fairview Avenue Goleta CA 93117 805-692-6998 sarahblackmun at cox.net www.pangaeanetwork.org -----Original Message----- From: digitaldivide-bounces at digitaldivide.net [mailto:digitaldivide-bounces at digitaldivide.net] On Behalf Of arthur richards Sent: Monday, September 22, 2008 5:14 PM To: oel at bayangpinoy.com Cc: digitaldivide at digitaldivide.net Subject: [DDN] Fw: Re: PhD research on OLPC I think quite frankly in the developing world where I was brought up and come from an OLPC is not the first need, it is not the second, it is not the third, nor the fourth need nor the 10th most important need! Business people want to sell and still have their heads in the sand that a parent or government is going to squander $100 or $200 to buy a laptop when that parent does not earn that in one year! Wake up guys! Go to where you want to sell these things and come back. You might just change your mind. Arthur --- On Mon, 22/9/08, Joel wrote: From: Joel Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC To: "The Digital Divide Network discussion group" Received: Monday, 22 September, 2008, 1:55 PM On Mon, Sep 22, 2008 at 5:09 AM, Cindy Lemcke-Hoong wrote: > what is the different between telecenters and 'community computers'? If they are the same, for search purpose, perhaps we could keep to the same terms? > Cindy In the 3rd world countries, a PC is generally too expensive for individual ownership (hence the relevance of the OLPC). The cost is not just the purchase price of the HW, but must include the SW costs, and the user's time to learn and use the technology. It is simply that an OLPC is so "out-of-context" in the lives of the average citizen. It is our belief that this is because too little effort is placed in providing appropriate applications / solutions at the 3rd world point-of-view. The telecenter OTOH MUST contextualize at the community level. Can the same be said for the OLPC? J Galgana BayangPinoy Organization, Inc. _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. Make the switch to the world's best email. Get Yahoo!7 Mail! http://au.yahoo.com/y7mail _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. From donc at internode.on.net Sun Oct 5 07:05:13 2008 From: donc at internode.on.net (Don Cameron) Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2008 22:05:13 +1100 Subject: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC In-Reply-To: <36752A35391B4BA6AF20C1F733F4D07B@TOSHIBA> References: <91f599f00809212055q3c81df76p68f7e40efa36712b@mail.gmail.com><268679.80214.qm@web25804.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> <36752A35391B4BA6AF20C1F733F4D07B@TOSHIBA> Message-ID: <00ab01c926da$3e18aba0$0402a8c0@NBK001> > Reinvent the word, not the concept, because the word "telecenter" does not convey meaning > to anyone who doesn't already know what it means. Whereas "community computing center" > does convey meaning even if you never heard the phrase before. IMO a Telecentre is best defined by the societal context in which it exists - Telecentre's in affluent society's tend to the model of an Internet Caf? - in less affluent places, as centres of civic interest and engagement, a communications centre, somewhere to meet, to train, to plan for business opportunity. A library and perhaps even a medical centre. In the later context computers may be less important than other of the services provided by a Telecentre. Don From adamclare at takingitglobal.org Fri Oct 10 15:07:45 2008 From: adamclare at takingitglobal.org (adamclare at takingitglobal.org) Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:07:45 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [DDN] The future of DDN Message-ID: <.69.159.196.66.1223665665.squirrel@webmail.takingitglobal.org> Hi DDN members! If you've been to digitialdivide.net recently then you would already now that we are planning to make some changes on DDN. Here's why: DDN is a great place to learn about the digital divide and discuss it with other members who are actively bridging the divide - and we want to see DDN continue to be a leader in this regard. Here at TakingITGlobal we would like to see DDN continue to grow, but in a way that is more financially sustainable. We've drafted a plan that we think DDN ought to follow in the coming months. We also believe in the strong community around DDN and would like to hear your thoughts on our plan, we believe that the future of DDN needs your support! After much thinking in the TIG office we've found a way to improve DDN based on the resources available. We have a list of improvements that we'd like to make to the site but don't currently have the finances to make it happen. The fact of the matter is that TIG doesn't get any funding to run DDN and we've tried unsuccessfully to find financing; so we came up with a new way (for TIG at least) to make DDN sustainable. We've outlined what exactly we'd like to do and how we plan on doing on the DDN wiki. Please take a look at our plan and let us know your thoughts. Here's the link: http://wiki.digitaldivide.net/index.php?title=The_future_of_DDN Please remember that it is a wiki and we'd like to see your ideas added to the wiki as well. Thanks and we look forward to DDN's bright future! Sincerely, The TIG DDN team From sbrandt at hoover.k12.al.us Sun Oct 5 17:23:21 2008 From: sbrandt at hoover.k12.al.us (Brandt, Suzan) Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2008 16:23:21 -0500 Subject: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC Message-ID: <04DA66D59BDC664682A818B8A95B669E28056BEBFA@hcsexmb01.Hoover.local> -----Original Message----- From: Paperless Homework Sent: Sunday, October 05, 2008 2:32 PM To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC Hello steve, I do generaly agree with your views except that I would like to change this little bit.. You said " The real choice is between online learning or no learning." It would be more appropriate to rephrase it as The real choice is between online/offline learning throug ICT or no learning." This is because to say online learning is the only choice for ICT in Education is not exactly right. More learning today are learnt through offline than online... in many homes and schools around the world. More people are offline at anyone time than online. Another thing, having a computer or two in a telecenter does not mean only 1 or 2 students may benefit. That is the old model. Today telecenters can make use of 1 or 2 computers to serve entire class of students using projectors etc. So it depends on how you use the computers. Having one computer for each(as originally intended in the OLPC) is good but in more cases than not ...impractical in third world countries (in fact I really doubt any third world country). The real issue of the digital divide as far as schools are concerned today is the inabilities to reach out to the unreached anytime any place and any cost. We can talk until the cows come home about other issues highlighted by many contributors here, without this being solved first, we are like trying to teach the rural folks to run before they able able to walk. Hence to really close the digital divides among nations around the world, look into issue of reach... then we can start talking about pedagogy. Read an article about our initiative here and perhaps most will understand what the world is doing and what she lacks as far as trying to reach the unreached 5 billion. http://www.govtech.com/dc/articles/270167 Meanwhile we should not forget about the environment impact our current schools are contributing to the deteriorating environments filling land fills with millions of tons of paper wastes. This in spite of all the high techs. Read about about a Practical tech not high tech article by a 14 years experieced ICT journalist. www.paperlesshomework.com/surf Regards Alan www.paperlesshomework.com An elearning solution for rural areas where online/CDs cannot reach. Get the latest happenings through paperlesshomework tool bar www.paperlesshomework.communitytoolbars.com --- On Sat, 10/4/08, Steve Eskow wrote: From: Steve Eskow Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC To: "The Digital Divide Network discussion group" Date: Saturday, October 4, 2008, 3:55 AM Hi Tom, Sorry to be so slow in responding. For some reason I missed this message of yours when it arrived. Perhaps it would be useful to put the matter of moving out of what Bourdieu called "the scholastic enclosure" into the new spaces of communication technology into an action research mode. For example: we know that the poor nations aren't going to meet the Millenium Development Goals for education by erecting buildings to teach and house those now left untaught. The real choice is between online learning or no learning. One question, then, for research is how to bring computers and students together. Sarah talked about "community computers." I've used the term "social computers," to contrast with the taken-for-granted rich country assumption of the "personal computer." The "telecentre" is one approach to the "social" computer, and it has clear limitations. We can put a computer in a school, a church, a kiosk, a cafe and it can serve one, three, five students. Will such an approach do the job? We don't know for sure, but we can try, keep careful records and report results. On the matter of pedagogy: perhaps we need a transitional strategy, rather than insisting that all existing syllabi and curriculum materials and instructional strategies are hopelessly inadequate, an approach guaranteed to frighten or threaten or anger many of the faculty whose support we need. I, for one, would rather make existing instructional strategies made available via ICT than nothing at all. Again, we encourage an action research approach, and we report on how well the traditional pedagogies do when compared to the new ones that seem more authentic and relevant to us. Steve On Tue, Sep 23, 2008 at 9:19 AM, tom abeles wrote: > > Hi Steve > > You are right, there are transitions and there are different models. What > might be appropriate today in Ghana might be different, today in the US. The > approach of education planners is to want to eventually find the one global > model. Yet with technology, as you suggest, there are many models for > learning including different approaches from didactic, sage of stage, to a > problem-based-learning model as examples. The difference, today, seems to > me to revolve around the ability of the knowledge to come to those that need > it when and where they need it. Information packages nicely and doesn't > necessarily require paved four lane controlled access roads. It is strange > and wonderous to see how knowledge travels in dispersed rural communities > where everyone knows everyone's business and problem solving knowledge > travels across fields almost by magic. The issue is one of scarcity and > control. That we learned, in the west from the Church who had a problem when > the Vulgate appeared. > > Just go to the iTunes store and go to podcasts and search for a subject and > see what is available, free. And we are just starting > Think about motivated home school students in the US and students eager to > learn, around the world but who have to work so the family can eat. > > How long before we figure out that brick-spaces dedicated only for > educational purposes need to be repurposed in order to better meet what they > are delivering almost like zombies walking down the street. What virtual > larning options do is to point out that the current model is like the > consumptive in Poe's short story of Valdemer. A snap of the fingers will > break the trance and the system will plunge into chaos. The people who have > a vested interest in the status quo and the idea of mapping technology in > the schools are the schools of education who have no other model. They are > like the brakemen in the caboose or the last flight engineer in the 3 person > cockpits of modern airliners. > > thoughts? > > tom > > tom abeles > ---------------------------------------- > > Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:47:55 -0700 > > From: steveeskow at gmail.com > > To: digitaldivide at digitaldivide.net > > Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC > > > > In a message here filled with much good sense Tom Abeles says this: > > < thinking about mapping click space technology into brick space > thinking.>> > > > > We might begin by trying to understand why radio, television, film--all > the > > earlier technologies that promised to reform education--have failed to > make > > a difference in what goes on in those "brick spaces" that Tom talks > about. > > > > Winston Churchill said this: "We shape our buildings, and then our > buildings > > shape us." > > > > That is: the school building and its classrooms and lecture halls is not > > merely a container that can house instruction organized around the > computer > > or radio or television as easily as it can accommodate teacher-led > > instruction: the building--Tom's "brick space"--shapes what goes on > within > > in it. Anthony Giddens says spatial arrangements are "constitutive". The > > school building, then, is not a neutral container that can house any kind > of > > instruction, but is a decisive and determining factor in the shaping of > > teaching and learning. > > > > Tom proposes abandoning the present building-centered school. > > > > We may need a transitional strategy. > > > > One possibility might be a 3-2 system. Children go to the school building > > three days a week to learn from teachers and each other through > > conversation, dialog, and the older pedagogies, without technologies, or > > perhaps with the help of radio and television if the teacher is > comfortable > > with them. The other two days might be spent with computers: at home, if > the > > home has a computer--perhaps using a pen drive, as "Paperless" > suggests--or > > using a "community computer" which might be in a telecenter, or a > library, > > or in the school building. > > > > The growth of "open universities," with all instruction at a > > distance,suggests that some day Tom's vision of a "school without walls" > may > > be practical. We might want to go there in stages rather than all at > once. > > > > Steve Eskow > > > > On Sat, Sep 20, 2008 at 9:03 AM, tom abeles wrote: > > > >> > >> We are in a transition period where multiple solutions make sense rather > >> than one size fits all. > >> > >> One of the issue to understand is that cost keeps coming down for > digital > >> products. Right now I can have a basic cell phone which will take a > micro > >> chip with 4GB. Cells are already available with most of the technology > >> needed to deliver basic internet type services, even to being able to > test. > >> The cell is a ubiquitous device even in developing countries. So > computers > >> to lap tops to cells is a natural migration both in capabilities, cost > and > >> availability both on wireless and wifi delivery. > >> > >> Thin clients such as Sarah suggests, or variance thereof is what happens > >> with google doc's and other server-based software, even in developed > >> countries- safe/secure and not dependent on keeping data stored on > portable > >> media except for off-line purposes. > >> > >> OLPC is, as both Sarah and Alan suggest was based on the old model of a > >> brick-space synchronous, age-defined cohort model for learning- bricks > >> mapped into clicks from K->20. > >> > >> We need to rethink educational models first and formost rather than > >> thinking about mapping click space technology into brick space thinking. > >> > >> Learning should be anytime/any place- some maybe synchronous in groups > but > >> most, given the exigencies of daily and seasonal life, particularly in > >> countries where even students need to contribute to family income, need > the > >> flexibility offered by virtual technology. > >> > >> The problem is that the learning model has to change and the tech can > help. > >> But thinking about thin clients, portable media and other soft/hard tech > >> will be limited if the models do not also change. > >> > >> tom > >> > >> tom abeles > >> > >>> From: sarahblackmun at cox.net > >>> To: digitaldivide at digitaldivide.net > >>> Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:06:52 -0700 > >>> Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC > >>> > >>> A more practical approach is "community computers" (in contrast to > >> "personal > >>> computers") available in a school, church, community center, etc., > where > >>> everyone in the village can have access. It is much more reasonable to > >>> provide internet connection for one such community computing center > than > >> for > >>> personal laptops. > >>> > >>> A good model is a thin client/server model, in which one powerful > server > >>> would serve programs and internet access to many thin clients with > >> limited > >>> computing and storage capacity. (Community users would have their own > pen > >>> drives for storing their own files.) > >>> > >>> We (Pangaea Network) are testing this idea in Ghana in Asante Akim > >> district. > >>> > >>> > >>> Sarah Blackmun-Eskow > >>> President, The Pangaea Network > >>> 290 North Fairview Avenue > >>> Goleta CA 93117 > >>> 805-692-6998 > >>> sarahblackmun at cox.net > >>> www.pangaeanetwork.org > >>> > >>> -----Original Message----- > >>> From: digitaldivide-bounces at digitaldivide.net > >>> [mailto:digitaldivide-bounces at digitaldivide.net] On Behalf Of > Paperless > >>> Homework > >>> Sent: Friday, September 19, 2008 5:02 AM > >>> To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group > >>> Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC > >>> > >>> Dear Caroline, > >>> > >>> What you are doing is exactly what our project is about. > >>> > >>> We believe that a practical approach should be the way rather than > fancy > >>> ideas about One laptop per child for the developing countries. It isn't > >>> practical even in developed countries much less developing countries. > >>> > >>> It is in this direction that we have created a simple tool to create > >> small > >>> sized tutorials and exercises to enable such multimeda contents to be > >> saved > >>> in diskettes or Pen drives. Yes even diskettes can accommodate > multimedia > >>> contents. So in the end the entire extra financial need of the students > >>> would be digitally connected would be the cost of a pen drive. > >>> It can contain the entire contents for the whole life of the > students.... > >>> that is our aim. > >>> > >>> Computers, students would know how to get access to for those students > >>> without computers. > >>> > >>> The good thing about OLPC project is the development of low cost units > >> and > >>> its low power needs with longer hours of operation. To use OLPC for > each > >>> child in developing countries... it would never come to pass. > >>> > >>> An interesting article about our concept of Practical tech not high > tech > >>> www.paperlesshomework.com/surf > >>> > >>> Currently we have tremendous response to our free for schools > initiative > >> in > >>> Malaysia. We would extend it to other developing countries including > >> China, > >>> India and Indonesia which practically form nearly half the world's > >>> population. If we succeed here , our job is done. > >>> > >>> See videos of our contents here www.paperlesshomework.ning.com/video > >>> > >>> Want to really close the digital divide? Join us. It is the ONLY such > >>> project in the world. > >>> > >>> Regards > >>> Alan Foo > >>> www.paperlesshomework.com > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> www.paperlesshomework.com > >>> An elearning solution for rural areas where online/CDs cannot reach. > >>> > >>> Get the latest happenings through paperlesshomework tool bar > >>> www.paperlesshomework.communitytoolbars.com > >>> > >>> --- On Thu, 9/18/08, Caroline Meeks wrote: > >>> > >>> From: Caroline Meeks > >>> Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC > >>> To: "The Digital Divide Network discussion group" > >>> > >>> Date: Thursday, September 18, 2008, 8:20 AM > >>> > >>> Thank you all for this interesting discussion. > >>> > >>> As someone embarking on a project similar to OLPC I'm interested in > what > >>> advice you have on effective and ethical marketing and corporate > >>> relationships. > >>> > >>> School Key is "One KeyFob per Child". Basically, we question that the > >> best > >>> way for children to have ubiquitous access to computers is to have them > >>> carry laptops with them. Even if they did cost $100 in a city like > >> Boston > >>> kids are not safe carrying home computers. Instead we propose to give > >> each > >>> student a 1GB USB Key (currently $5 at Target, probably closer to $1 or > >> $2 > >>> in bulk) and arrange for them to be able to boot every computer at > >> school, > >>> the library, the ICT center and at home with it. > >>> > >>> When you buy one computer per student it will always be a compromise. > >>> Instead, afterschool programs can have big color screens for art, High > >> use > >>> compuer labs can use low power computers, Science departments can have > a > >>> cart of sturdy laptop with cameras and sensors, and low-cost > referbished > >>> computers, that doen't even need a hard drives, could be supplied for > >> home. > >>> Content can be automatically downloaded when connected to the internet > at > >>> school letting students do homework offline if they don't have internet > >> at > >>> home, then automatically save thier work back to the server when they > >>> reconnect at School. > >>> > >>> Currently this is a Grad school project, developed with open source > >> software > >>> by me and Amy Bisiewicz, a Boston Public Schools IT professional, who > >>> attended Harvard Grad School of Education last year thanks to a > >> scholarship > >>> program for Boston Public School employees. As an Internship for > credit > >> at > >>> HGSE, I am doing very intial pilot work this fall at two Boston > schools. > >>> > >>> Right now we have no grants, no marketing, no corporate partners. Its > >> seems > >>> clear to me that we need to change that, so I'm interested in what you > >> think > >>> OLPC and others have done right and wrong in these arenas. > >>> > >>> Thanks! > >>> Caroline > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > >>> DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > >>> http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > >>> To unsubscribe, send a message to > >> digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net > >>> with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. > >>> > >>> > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > >>> DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > >>> http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > >>> To unsubscribe, send a message to > >> digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in > the > >> body of the message. > >> > >> _________________________________________________________________ > >> Want to do more with Windows Live? Learn "10 hidden secrets" from Jamie. > >> > >> > http://windowslive.com/connect/post/jamiethomson.spaces.live.com-Blog-cns!550F681DAD532637!5295.entry?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_domore_092008 > >> _______________________________________________ > >> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > >> DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > >> http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > >> To unsubscribe, send a message to > digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.netwith the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the > body of the message. > >> > > _______________________________________________ > > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > > DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > > To unsubscribe, send a message to > digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the > body of the message. > > _________________________________________________________________ > See how Windows connects the people, information, and fun that are part of > your life. > http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/msnnkwxp1020093175mrt/direct/01/ > _______________________________________________ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.netwith the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. > _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. From sbrandt at hoover.k12.al.us Sun Oct 5 17:23:21 2008 From: sbrandt at hoover.k12.al.us (Brandt, Suzan) Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2008 16:23:21 -0500 Subject: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC Message-ID: <04DA66D59BDC664682A818B8A95B669E28056BEBFC@hcsexmb01.Hoover.local> -----Original Message----- From: Sarah Blackmun-Eskow Sent: Sunday, October 05, 2008 2:32 PM To: 'The Digital Divide Network discussion group' Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC Thank you, Joel, for pointing out all the taken-for-granteds implicit in the advocacy of OLPC. Sarah The narratives of the world are numberless. . . . there nowhere is nor has been a people without narrative.--Roland Barthes Sarah Blackmun-Eskow President, The Pangaea Network 290 North Fairview Avenue Goleta CA 93117 805-692-6998 sarahblackmun at cox.net www.pangaeanetwork.org -----Original Message----- From: digitaldivide-bounces at digitaldivide.net [mailto:digitaldivide-bounces at digitaldivide.net] On Behalf Of Joel Sent: Friday, October 03, 2008 10:57 AM To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group Cc: Cindyhoong at gmail.com Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC Hi, Cindy! My post was not intended as a response to your inquiry (to which I extend my apologies), but to segue BACK to the topic (OLPC) by relating it to telecenters. Personally, I am in favor of both developments. BayangPinoy has been working for the implementation of community/telecenters in the Philippines for over 10 years now, and we actually look forward to a $100 PC as something that a community of 100 families can afford 5 units of (as the HW component of the telecenters). FYI, my post was intended to point out that "community centers" (and telecenters) are focused on COMMUNITY, while OLPCs (P - PERSONAL) and other computer technologies are focused on individuals that can afford at least: a) $100 for a computer, b) $20/month for "acceptable broadband", c) understands English (to maximize the value of the material available on the internet) d) has access to electronic bank accounts or credit cards (to be able to participate in ecommerce), and presumably: c) understands English (to maximize the value of the material available on the internet) d) has access to electronic bank accounts or credit cards (to be able to participate in ecommerce), e) has the time / motivation / (?luxury) of "catching up" to all the background knowledge that is a prerequisite of a "point-and-click" networked system. These items (a-e) are definitely not easy (or even possible) for the majority of the citizens of under-developed countries. Regards, J Galgana BayangPinoy Organization, Inc. On Tue, Sep 23, 2008 at 10:26 AM, Cindy Lemcke-Hoong wrote: > Hello Joel, > I think you misunderstood me. I was only asking for clarifications of the differences between the term 'community computers' vs. telecenters. If you read any of my previous posts you would understand that I am not supporter of OLPC. > > To my understanding 'community computers' is no different than telecenters. Just another new terms that says the same thing. > > Telecenter has been in existence for more than 20 years and there are many well researched documents written on telecenter. Why reinventing the wheels? > > Cindy > _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. From steveeskow at gmail.com Sun Oct 5 17:37:54 2008 From: steveeskow at gmail.com (Steve Eskow) Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2008 14:37:54 -0700 Subject: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC In-Reply-To: <776842.50162.qm@web62304.mail.re1.yahoo.com> References: <776842.50162.qm@web62304.mail.re1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Hello Alan, I think we agree. I said: <> In the US and the other richer nations more than 50 per cent of the college age cohort is in college or has come college education. In Ghana it is 3%. The existing colleges and universities are all at capacity, and beyond, stuffing too many students into too few classrooms and lecture halls and dormitories. For the untaught in West Africa "the real choice is between online learning or no learning." I think your "paperless homework" idea has much to commend it, and I think the idea has implications for college learning as well. And offline learning via ICT is indeed an important direction for improving instruction at all levels. I think it important, though, to insist the needs for higher education in the poorer nations cannot be met by building more traditional "campuses. Steve Eskow On Sat, Oct 4, 2008 at 6:46 PM, Paperless Homework < paperlesshomework at yahoo.com> wrote: > Hello steve, > > I do generaly agree with your views except that I would like to change this > little bit.. > > You said " The real choice is between online learning or > no learning." > > It would be more appropriate to rephrase it as > The real choice is between online/offline learning throug ICT or > no learning." > > This is because to say online learning is the only choice for ICT in > Education is not exactly right. More learning today are learnt through > offline than online... in many homes and schools around the world. More > people are offline at anyone time than online. > > Another thing, having a computer or two in a telecenter does not mean only > 1 or 2 students may benefit. That is the old model. Today telecenters can > make use of 1 or 2 computers to serve entire class of students using > projectors etc. So it depends on how you use the computers. > > Having one computer for each(as originally intended in the OLPC) is good > but in more cases than not ...impractical in third world countries (in fact > I really doubt any third world country). > > The real issue of the digital divide as far as schools are concerned today > is the inabilities to > reach out to the unreached anytime any place and any cost. > > We can talk until the cows come home about other issues highlighted by many > contributors here, without this being solved first, we are like trying to > teach the rural folks to run before they able able to walk. > > Hence to really close the digital divides among nations around the world, > look into issue of reach... then we can start talking about pedagogy. > > Read an article about our initiative here and perhaps most will understand > what the world is doing and what she lacks as far as trying to reach the > unreached 5 billion. > http://www.govtech.com/dc/articles/270167 > > Meanwhile we should not forget about the environment impact our current > schools are contributing to the deteriorating environments filling land > fills with millions of tons of paper wastes. This in spite of all the high > techs. > > Read about about a Practical tech not high tech article by a 14 years > experieced ICT journalist. > www.paperlesshomework.com/surf > > Regards > Alan > www.paperlesshomework.com > An elearning solution for rural areas where online/CDs cannot reach. > > Get the latest happenings through paperlesshomework tool bar > www.paperlesshomework.communitytoolbars.com > > --- On Sat, 10/4/08, Steve Eskow wrote: > > From: Steve Eskow > Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC > To: "The Digital Divide Network discussion group" < > digitaldivide at digitaldivide.net> > Date: Saturday, October 4, 2008, 3:55 AM > > Hi Tom, > Sorry to be so slow in responding. For some reason I missed this message of > yours when it arrived. > > Perhaps it would be useful to put the matter of moving out of what Bourdieu > called > "the scholastic enclosure" into the new spaces of communication > technology > into an action research mode. > > For example: we know that the poor nations aren't going to meet the > Millenium Development Goals for education by erecting buildings to teach > and > house those now left untaught. The real choice is between online learning > or > no learning. > > One question, then, for research is how to bring computers and students > together. > > Sarah talked about "community computers." I've used the term > "social > computers," to contrast with the taken-for-granted rich country assumption > of the "personal computer." The "telecentre" is one > approach to the "social" > computer, and it has clear limitations. We can put a computer in a school, > a > church, a kiosk, a cafe and it can serve one, three, five students. > > Will such an approach do the job? We don't know for sure, but we can try, > keep careful records and report results. > > On the matter of pedagogy: perhaps we need a transitional strategy, rather > than insisting that all existing syllabi and curriculum materials and > instructional strategies are hopelessly inadequate, an approach guaranteed > to frighten or threaten or anger many of the faculty whose support we need. > I, for one, would rather make existing instructional strategies made > available via ICT than nothing at all. Again, we encourage an action > research approach, and we report on how well the traditional pedagogies do > when compared to the new ones that seem more authentic and relevant to us. > > Steve > > > On Tue, Sep 23, 2008 at 9:19 AM, tom abeles wrote: > > > > > Hi Steve > > > > You are right, there are transitions and there are different models. What > > might be appropriate today in Ghana might be different, today in the US. > The > > approach of education planners is to want to eventually find the one > global > > model. Yet with technology, as you suggest, there are many models for > > learning including different approaches from didactic, sage of stage, to > a > > problem-based-learning model as examples. The difference, today, seems > to > > me to revolve around the ability of the knowledge to come to those that > need > > it when and where they need it. Information packages nicely and > doesn't > > necessarily require paved four lane controlled access roads. It is > strange > > and wonderous to see how knowledge travels in dispersed rural communities > > where everyone knows everyone's business and problem solving knowledge > > travels across fields almost by magic. The issue is one of scarcity and > > control. That we learned, in the west from the Church who had a problem > when > > the Vulgate appeared. > > > > Just go to the iTunes store and go to podcasts and search for a subject > and > > see what is available, free. And we are just starting > > Think about motivated home school students in the US and students eager > to > > learn, around the world but who have to work so the family can eat. > > > > How long before we figure out that brick-spaces dedicated only for > > educational purposes need to be repurposed in order to better meet what > they > > are delivering almost like zombies walking down the street. What virtual > > larning options do is to point out that the current model is like the > > consumptive in Poe's short story of Valdemer. A snap of the fingers > will > > break the trance and the system will plunge into chaos. The people who > have > > a vested interest in the status quo and the idea of mapping technology in > > the schools are the schools of education who have no other model. They > are > > like the brakemen in the caboose or the last flight engineer in the 3 > person > > cockpits of modern airliners. > > > > thoughts? > > > > tom > > > > tom abeles > > ---------------------------------------- > > > Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:47:55 -0700 > > > From: steveeskow at gmail.com > > > To: digitaldivide at digitaldivide.net > > > Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC > > > > > > In a message here filled with much good sense Tom Abeles says this: > > > < thinking about mapping click space technology into brick space > > thinking.>> > > > > > > We might begin by trying to understand why radio, television, > film--all > > the > > > earlier technologies that promised to reform education--have failed > to > > make > > > a difference in what goes on in those "brick spaces" that > Tom talks > > about. > > > > > > Winston Churchill said this: "We shape our buildings, and then > our > > buildings > > > shape us." > > > > > > That is: the school building and its classrooms and lecture halls is > not > > > merely a container that can house instruction organized around the > > computer > > > or radio or television as easily as it can accommodate teacher-led > > > instruction: the building--Tom's "brick space"--shapes > what goes on > > within > > > in it. Anthony Giddens says spatial arrangements are > "constitutive". The > > > school building, then, is not a neutral container that can house any > kind > > of > > > instruction, but is a decisive and determining factor in the shaping > of > > > teaching and learning. > > > > > > Tom proposes abandoning the present building-centered school. > > > > > > We may need a transitional strategy. > > > > > > One possibility might be a 3-2 system. Children go to the school > building > > > three days a week to learn from teachers and each other through > > > conversation, dialog, and the older pedagogies, without technologies, > or > > > perhaps with the help of radio and television if the teacher is > > comfortable > > > with them. The other two days might be spent with computers: at home, > if > > the > > > home has a computer--perhaps using a pen drive, as > "Paperless" > > suggests--or > > > using a "community computer" which might be in a > telecenter, or a > > library, > > > or in the school building. > > > > > > The growth of "open universities," with all instruction at > a > > > distance,suggests that some day Tom's vision of a "school > without walls" > > may > > > be practical. We might want to go there in stages rather than all at > > once. > > > > > > Steve Eskow > > > > > > On Sat, Sep 20, 2008 at 9:03 AM, tom abeles wrote: > > > > > >> > > >> We are in a transition period where multiple solutions make sense > rather > > >> than one size fits all. > > >> > > >> One of the issue to understand is that cost keeps coming down for > > digital > > >> products. Right now I can have a basic cell phone which will take > a > > micro > > >> chip with 4GB. Cells are already available with most of the > technology > > >> needed to deliver basic internet type services, even to being > able to > > test. > > >> The cell is a ubiquitous device even in developing countries. So > > computers > > >> to lap tops to cells is a natural migration both in capabilities, > cost > > and > > >> availability both on wireless and wifi delivery. > > >> > > >> Thin clients such as Sarah suggests, or variance thereof is what > happens > > >> with google doc's and other server-based software, even in > developed > > >> countries- safe/secure and not dependent on keeping data stored > on > > portable > > >> media except for off-line purposes. > > >> > > >> OLPC is, as both Sarah and Alan suggest was based on the old > model of a > > >> brick-space synchronous, age-defined cohort model for learning- > bricks > > >> mapped into clicks from K->20. > > >> > > >> We need to rethink educational models first and formost rather > than > > >> thinking about mapping click space technology into brick space > thinking. > > >> > > >> Learning should be anytime/any place- some maybe synchronous in > groups > > but > > >> most, given the exigencies of daily and seasonal life, > particularly in > > >> countries where even students need to contribute to family > income, need > > the > > >> flexibility offered by virtual technology. > > >> > > >> The problem is that the learning model has to change and the tech > can > > help. > > >> But thinking about thin clients, portable media and other > soft/hard tech > > >> will be limited if the models do not also change. > > >> > > >> tom > > >> > > >> tom abeles > > >> > > >>> From: sarahblackmun at cox.net > > >>> To: digitaldivide at digitaldivide.net > > >>> Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:06:52 -0700 > > >>> Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC > > >>> > > >>> A more practical approach is "community computers" > (in contrast to > > >> "personal > > >>> computers") available in a school, church, community > center, etc., > > where > > >>> everyone in the village can have access. It is much more > reasonable to > > >>> provide internet connection for one such community computing > center > > than > > >> for > > >>> personal laptops. > > >>> > > >>> A good model is a thin client/server model, in which one > powerful > > server > > >>> would serve programs and internet access to many thin clients > with > > >> limited > > >>> computing and storage capacity. (Community users would have > their own > > pen > > >>> drives for storing their own files.) > > >>> > > >>> We (Pangaea Network) are testing this idea in Ghana in Asante > Akim > > >> district. > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> Sarah Blackmun-Eskow > > >>> President, The Pangaea Network > > >>> 290 North Fairview Avenue > > >>> Goleta CA 93117 > > >>> 805-692-6998 > > >>> sarahblackmun at cox.net > > >>> www.pangaeanetwork.org > > >>> > > >>> -----Original Message----- > > >>> From: digitaldivide-bounces at digitaldivide.net > > >>> [mailto:digitaldivide-bounces at digitaldivide.net] On Behalf Of > > Paperless > > >>> Homework > > >>> Sent: Friday, September 19, 2008 5:02 AM > > >>> To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group > > >>> Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC > > >>> > > >>> Dear Caroline, > > >>> > > >>> What you are doing is exactly what our project is about. > > >>> > > >>> We believe that a practical approach should be the way rather > than > > fancy > > >>> ideas about One laptop per child for the developing > countries. It isn't > > >>> practical even in developed countries much less developing > countries. > > >>> > > >>> It is in this direction that we have created a simple tool to > create > > >> small > > >>> sized tutorials and exercises to enable such multimeda > contents to be > > >> saved > > >>> in diskettes or Pen drives. Yes even diskettes can > accommodate > > multimedia > > >>> contents. So in the end the entire extra financial need of > the students > > >>> would be digitally connected would be the cost of a pen > drive. > > >>> It can contain the entire contents for the whole life of the > > students.... > > >>> that is our aim. > > >>> > > >>> Computers, students would know how to get access to for those > students > > >>> without computers. > > >>> > > >>> The good thing about OLPC project is the development of low > cost units > > >> and > > >>> its low power needs with longer hours of operation. To use > OLPC for > > each > > >>> child in developing countries... it would never come to pass. > > >>> > > >>> An interesting article about our concept of Practical tech > not high > > tech > > >>> www.paperlesshomework.com/surf > > >>> > > >>> Currently we have tremendous response to our free for schools > > initiative > > >> in > > >>> Malaysia. We would extend it to other developing countries > including > > >> China, > > >>> India and Indonesia which practically form nearly half the > world's > > >>> population. If we succeed here , our job is done. > > >>> > > >>> See videos of our contents here > www.paperlesshomework.ning.com/video > > >>> > > >>> Want to really close the digital divide? Join us. It is the > ONLY such > > >>> project in the world. > > >>> > > >>> Regards > > >>> Alan Foo > > >>> www.paperlesshomework.com > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> www.paperlesshomework.com > > >>> An elearning solution for rural areas where online/CDs cannot > reach. > > >>> > > >>> Get the latest happenings through paperlesshomework tool bar > > >>> www.paperlesshomework.communitytoolbars.com > > >>> > > >>> --- On Thu, 9/18/08, Caroline Meeks wrote: > > >>> > > >>> From: Caroline Meeks > > >>> Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC > > >>> To: "The Digital Divide Network discussion group" > > >>> > > >>> Date: Thursday, September 18, 2008, 8:20 AM > > >>> > > >>> Thank you all for this interesting discussion. > > >>> > > >>> As someone embarking on a project similar to OLPC I'm > interested in > > what > > >>> advice you have on effective and ethical marketing and > corporate > > >>> relationships. > > >>> > > >>> School Key is "One KeyFob per Child". Basically, > we question that the > > >> best > > >>> way for children to have ubiquitous access to computers is to > have them > > >>> carry laptops with them. Even if they did cost $100 in a > city like > > >> Boston > > >>> kids are not safe carrying home computers. Instead we > propose to give > > >> each > > >>> student a 1GB USB Key (currently $5 at Target, probably > closer to $1 or > > >> $2 > > >>> in bulk) and arrange for them to be able to boot every > computer at > > >> school, > > >>> the library, the ICT center and at home with it. > > >>> > > >>> When you buy one computer per student it will always be a > compromise. > > >>> Instead, afterschool programs can have big color screens for > art, High > > >> use > > >>> compuer labs can use low power computers, Science departments > can have > > a > > >>> cart of sturdy laptop with cameras and sensors, and low-cost > > referbished > > >>> computers, that doen't even need a hard drives, could be > supplied for > > >> home. > > >>> Content can be automatically downloaded when connected to the > internet > > at > > >>> school letting students do homework offline if they don't > have internet > > >> at > > >>> home, then automatically save thier work back to the server > when they > > >>> reconnect at School. > > >>> > > >>> Currently this is a Grad school project, developed with open > source > > >> software > > >>> by me and Amy Bisiewicz, a Boston Public Schools IT > professional, who > > >>> attended Harvard Grad School of Education last year thanks to > a > > >> scholarship > > >>> program for Boston Public School employees. As an Internship > for > > credit > > >> at > > >>> HGSE, I am doing very intial pilot work this fall at two > Boston > > schools. > > >>> > > >>> Right now we have no grants, no marketing, no corporate > partners. Its > > >> seems > > >>> clear to me that we need to change that, so I'm > interested in what you > > >> think > > >>> OLPC and others have done right and wrong in these arenas. > > >>> > > >>> Thanks! > > >>> Caroline > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> _______________________________________________ > > >>> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > > >>> DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > > >>> http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > > >>> To unsubscribe, send a message to > > >> digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net > > >>> with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> _______________________________________________ > > >>> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > > >>> DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > > >>> http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > > >>> To unsubscribe, send a message to > > >> digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE > in > > the > > >> body of the message. > > >> > > >> _________________________________________________________________ > > >> Want to do more with Windows Live? Learn "10 hidden > secrets" from Jamie. > > >> > > >> > > > > http://windowslive.com/connect/post/jamiethomson.spaces.live.com-Blog-cns!550F681DAD532637!5295.entry?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_domore_092008 > > >> _______________________________________________ > > >> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > > >> DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > > >> http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > > >> To unsubscribe, send a message to > > digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.netwith the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the > > body of the message. > > >> > > > _______________________________________________ > > > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > > > DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > > > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > > > To unsubscribe, send a message to > > digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the > > body of the message. > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > > See how Windows connects the people, information, and fun that are part > of > > your life. > > http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/msnnkwxp1020093175mrt/direct/01/ > > _______________________________________________ > > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > > DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > > To unsubscribe, send a message to > digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.netwith the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the > body of > the message. > > > _______________________________________________ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.netwith > the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > DIGITALDIVIDE at digitaldivide.net > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-request at digitaldivide.netwith the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. > From arden at halenet.com.au Sun Oct 5 19:06:57 2008 From: arden at halenet.com.au (Catherine Arden) Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2008 09:06:57 +1000 Subject: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC References: <502154.40378.qm@web62308.mail.re1.yahoo.com> Hi Tom I agree that the "sage on the stage in the brick space structure" is an outdated model of education that perhaps has more to do with maintaining power and control than teaching and learning....However, there are nonetheless real challenges working within our new paradigm. For instance, how do we value knowledge? How do we teach 'instrumental' skills such as literacy and numeracy effectively and how do we know they are learned? How do we recognise scholarly achievement? How do we 'transmit' cultural values? Are these questions really still about hegemony and fear of losing control or do we need to have some way of controlling education if we are to further our human development and not find ourselves wallowing in a sea of pseudo? Catherine Arden ----- Original Message ----- From: "tom abeles" To: "The Digital Divide Network discussion group" Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 1:36 AM Subject: Re: [DDN] PhD research on OLPC > > this conversation in several variances is being considered currently > elsewhere on the net, particularly around the issue of virtual worlds > > Steve's example is right on target. academics hold the center stage > because they control the grades/certification which provide for student > advancement. > That is the one unique product that universities, in click or brick space > have to offer. And it is the one reason in the dominant US model that > get's student attention for the sage on the stage > > What business has found out, as have many others, is that social networks > (those articles that Steve cites as examples) allow knowledge to be gained > in entirely different and collaborative fashion, a fashion that academics > might call cheating or disrespectful of the sage. While, Mark is right, > that these technologies will find a place in The Academy, they are, almost > more importantly, a mirror for the educational system which passively > makes the point that Steve so eloquently made. The brick space structure > with the sage is a vestigial manifestation of the good old days, going > back to pre-print where knowledge was transmitted by those who had the > information stored in their heads or had access to the very few > collections of knowledge such as the libraries of Alexandria. > > Even pre-internet, social networking provided ways for gaining critical > information. What ICT's show us is that we now have m