[ASLO] Note about assembly, and our impending trip's agenda

[Stephen Jacobs]

Very Cool.

Field test the $500 “OLPC Solar Suitcase”
We will see if we can create a fully portable, solar powered internet café for USD$500 using the following:

How can we help?  I can see if the RIT Networking Profs are willing to pitch in


Stephen Jacobs
Associate Professor
Interactive Games and Media
Rochester Institute of Technology
102 Lomb Memorial Drive
Bldg 70
Rochester, NY 14618
sj at mail.rit.edu<mailto:sj at mail.rit.edu>
585-475-7803

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On Mar 4, 2010, at 11:31 AM, Mark Battley wrote:

I will get the UCC Computer Science guys to send their stuff...but in a couple of weeks...we are heading off to March Break, and I am leaving for our OLPC site in Kenya in an hour. For whatever it is worth, here is our agenda. I am going with another teacher (Kevin Olds: Head of Computer Science) and four students (16-17 yrs old):

I think we now have a terrific focus – or foci -for our trip. This still needs to be approved by Lewa and Ntugi, but it gives us an ambitious plan:

Help Ntugi with better, quicker smarter use of the laptops, Internet and Google
We will talk about safe-surfing, sign-out, storage, cleaning, repairing, Google Custom Search, smart searching for links, within domains, and by country, verifying websites’ authority, spam, scams, etc.
Amal leading, all participating


Work with Lewa/Ntugi/Subuiga to cost out, plan, and fundraise for a summer lab construction and implementation of 50 OLPC 1.5’s
Jacob will travel from Nairobi to meet with Faith, Phineas, Godfrey and our team. In turn, we will meet with suppliers (Joel for solar). We will plan, seek sponsorship, and fundraise for the construction of a computer lab/outreach centre, solar power on the roof, and 50 new laptops, and wireless hardware and date time.
Mark and Kevin leading, all participating, Adam, Derek and KG supporting from Toronto


Field test the $500 “OLPC Solar Suitcase”
We will see if we can create a fully portable, solar powered internet café for USD$500 using the following:

 *   OLPC XO1.5 $229
 *   Lightweight, flexible GP 10/14V solar panel $36
 *   Cradlepoint PHS300 $130
 *   iGo Controller $60
 *   Safaricom USB Modem $25

The idea is to explore the viability of a student kit that could also be used as a micro-business in their local community, and that might also have applications for rangers as well as aid, health, and environmental fieldworkers.
Kevin leading, all participating, Adam, Derek and KG supporting from Toronto.


Set up “Horizons” Kenya and visit  Subuiga Primary with a Ntugi implementation team to demo the OPLC’s
If we have a successful implementation of the 50 new OLPC 1.5’s in the summer, Ntugi would like to re-purpose the old 20 laptops to Subuiga Primary. We taught for a single afternoon at Subuiga last year and it was remarkably successful. . We will work with Ntugi to train a small group of senior students who, like our own boys at UCC, will run an outreach/teaching program at Subuiga. We will explain how our “Horizons” pay-it-forward and peer-to-peer program works and encourage them to experiment with this model. We will also photograph and videotape the results of last years library construction
Connor and Amal leading, all participating


Explore collaborative curriculum in Science/Computer Science
Ntugi already has some sense of the overlap between our two curricula. Kevin will explore this further, and show them the possible application of the Vernier data sensors.
Kevin leading


Collaborate with Ntugi students in a variety of social workshops

 *   Juggling (Matt)
 *   Sax, Recorders and Singing (Matt)
 *   Mural Painting (Richard)
 *   Digital Photography and Video (Amal and Connor)
 *   Blogging (all)
 *   Badminton (Amal)

The goal here will be to work collaboratively, record those collaborations in sound, photo and video, and post the results on a collaborative blog. We will be bringing over two waterproof, dustproof, shockproof Casio Exilim EX-G1 Digital Cameras in support of that project, and leaving them so that the school can capture photos and videos for their blog. The best thing about this camera, other than the fact that you can drop and submerge it, is that it mounts on the OLPC and you can easily access videos and pics.
All participating


Work with Lewa on Possible Internships and Ongoing Wireless Sponsorship
Cian O’Neill-Kizoff, a UCC/College Film grad, who is now studying engineering and solar innovation at Queens University, has expressed interest in volunteering to work with Lewa and Ntugi to develop their program, and in helping them connect to other similar implementations in Kenya and around the world. We have had a number of other offers like this. Mark will meet with Dr. Jonathan Moss and Faith Riunga, the Lewa Educational Executive Officer, to discuss whether there is capacity at Lewa to accommodate this kind of offer. They will also meet to explore ways to meet the costs ongoing data usage at Ntugi.
Mark leading

Anyway, folks, that’s the plan. It will, of course, develop and change.  If you have any concerns, feedback, suggestions, please feel free to add to the discussion.

M

Mark Battley
Head of Digital Media
Upper Canada College
416-488-1125 #3306



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