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: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To: digitaldivide@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: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> To: digitaldivide@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 >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> www.pangaeanetwork.org >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 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@digitaldivide.net >>> http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide >>> To unsubscribe, send a message to >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list >>> DIGITALDIVIDE@digitaldivide.net >>> http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide >>> To unsubscribe, send a message to >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 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@digitaldivide.net >> http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide >> To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] the word UNSUBSCRIBE in >> the body of the message. >> > _______________________________________________ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > DIGITALDIVIDE@digitaldivide.net > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] 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@digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
