[Its.an.education.project] Ivan's latest blog entry on OLPC

[Walter Bender]

Javier,

> I doubt that the Ministry of Education (or anyone) will evaluate the impact
> of the current deployment.  Not in a technical way.
> Why? Because I think they will be more than happy to say to the media that
> "240,000 laptops" have been bought by the goverment for the poor children in
> Peru.  Photos, newspapers, and that will be all.  Develop a study to measure
> the impact cost money, and can bring some "not so good news".. it is a
> possibility.  I don't think that is the job of a "normal politician".

Maybe being an outsider I have been mislead as well, but I found the
people that I have been working with at the ministry of education in
Peru and the teachers I have met and worked with to be anything but
political hacks. They are dedicated to improving the lives of the
children of Peru and are putting in an extraordinary effort. The fact
that I am bombarded with questions about how to do things better
suggests that they are interested in more than just phot
opportunities. The fact that they are first targetting the most needy
children is a sign that they are willing to take risks to help those
most in need.

>
> And.. just to start to speak in a right way: you need to establish a "BASE
> LINE".. before you do any deployment, before you do any training, before you
> develop any pilot, before you move one pencil or speak one word in front of
> the general audience.  No base line? Then you can do anything and say that
> it was a success.

I don't know the details of the baseline, but surely there are some
statistics about the current state of learning in Peru--indeed, you
yourself cite one statistic: the current ill state of preparation of
teachers in the country. One of the reasons for chosing a
Constructionist approach is exactly to move the undertrained,
underprepared teacher into a new role where he/she can be of more
utility to the children.

> Here we can see that some people has think that this XO +
> Construccionism + Open Source + Sugar + Linux +... (many other ingredients)
> is the good formula to help the poorest children.  Knowing poverty from
> first hand, and seeing how my own different groups of people (north, south,
> center people) is not the same, don't behave the same, don't think the same,
> don't need the same... then I wonder how the method to introduce this
> "SOLUTION" is just one.

I am not sure that the forumla you cite is so proscriptive as you
suggest. In fact, the whole point is that it is not proscriptive--it
is a methodology of adapting to the authentic needs of the learner. So
in this case it is a wise choice, a rational compromise.

> I think there was a lack of accurate map.

Accurate to what measure? There is certainly knowledge as to where
every school is--and you yourself tel us that every village is known.

> Don't take me wrong: those XOs will be useful.  Oh yes! But the intended
> goals (of the OLPC) has been "wounded" because we have put "the wagon in
> front of the mules".

I don't suggest that things cannot be done better; this is new and
Peru is taking some risks. But they know they will learn and iterate
on the process to improve it. And remember, the riskiest path is the
status quo that we know if failing children. The fact that we can even
have this discuss about Peru is a testament to Oscar and his team.

-walter