Re: Design for Isolated and Inexperienced user base

Thu, 16 Mar 2006 10:56:27 -0800

Is there a plan on how the schools will use these computers? Or will it just be left to the teachers?

My observations on what teachers in the US often do with computers is not too inspiring:
keyboarding (=typing), programs like MathBlaster for drill in arithmetic, teaching kids to do high-level plagiarism in PowerPoint.

On the other hand, I recall a news report that told about an Indian enterpreneur who put internet-connected computers out on the streets (embedded in walls) in a destitute neighborhood just to see what kids would do with them with absolutely no instruction. They learned enough typing and English on their own to surf the web.

Is anyone planning to do observations and research on what happens with this project? (If not, maybe I'll volunteer.  ;-)   I'm semi-serious--I was involved for some years in an ethnomathematics project in Alaska, developing math curriculum based on traditional Yup'ik skills.)

Electric power: solar? stationary bicycle? I'm dreaming of the hand-cranked $100 laptop that the MIT gang is trying to produce.

On Mar 14, 2006, at 10:18 AM, Jonathan D. Proulx wrote:

Hi,

Forgive me if this isn't stricly a "devel" question, but it's a bit
long for IRC and there's apparently not a "users" list for Edubuntu
that I can see at least.

I have a bit of an unusual system design task. I need to create a
software environment to be used for school children in remote Fijian
for some sparse background.

Basicly neither the student nor the teachers are expected to have any
exposure to computers.  The school houses don't even have electricity,
so the hardware platform is IBM Thinkpads with extended batteries and
they will need to be taken to an other location by the teacher for
recharge.

Edubuntu has a simple install and a nice kid centric GUI and defaults
to having the right software set, so seems like a very nice fit.

So my questions or areas of uncertainty are what UI changes to make
(if any) for peopel with absolutely zero prior computer contact and no
recourse to anyone who does or the internet, and what issues I might
run into running hte system without network connection.  The
applications, particularly the KDE Edutainment suite, are very
transparently networked, to the point I didn't realize quitte howmuch
of the kstars data was nonlocal.

I'm a little blind as I don't have direct knowlege of the population
this is to serve and my experience is with rather overly experienced
users, I also won't be able to tweak the systems once they're in the
field so there's a bit of pressure to get it right the first time.

Any pointers would be most welcome.

Thanks,
-Jon



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Susan Addington
Math Department, California State University, San Bernardino

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