[IAEP] CA digital textbooks (was Re: Afghan Village Banking Update)

[Edward Cherlin]

On Thu, Jun 11, 2009 at 11:52 AM, george pope<gpope111 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Back in CA. Last night heard Ed Cherlin give excellent talk about
> digital text books relative to OLPC last night.
>
> CA's budget for text books dropped from 419 last year to 350 billion
> dollars.

We aren't that far gone. That would be 'million'.

> California is out of money. Here the Governor is talking
> about replacing US $100 text books _astronomical_ with digital.
> Rest assured, poor schools here are being hit the hardest.

There is much more to this story. Printed textbooks are of abysmal quality.

http://www.textbookleague.org/103feyn.htm
Judging Books by Their Covers
Richard P. Feynman

The Gubernator has failed to explain how students without computers
are to cope. Either they or their schools will have to bear the cost
of printing out copies of the electronic materials locally.

In fact computers are much cheaper than textbooks. We should get on
with one-to-one computing, and not nickel and dime teachers, school
boards, students, and parents.

> What is the average book cost as paid by Ghana Government? Its budget
> for these?
>
> http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hfHxHQeOOEBGeR3_JC0Hnl_DeWyAD98O2OF00
>
> http://www.opensourcetext.org/
>
> I sure like the idea that given an XO a 3rd formers attitude toward
> him/her self can be improved. Ms. Mavis Nyarko more or less confirmed
> this. I think that this is a big deal on mater when a student is faced
> either by apparently hopeless poverty or gang ridden neighborhoods.

One of the most important and least known facts about human nature is
that we can be taught to be helpless, then taught not to be helpless,
but after that we cannot be taught a second time to be helpless.

Helplessness: On Depression, Development, and Death (A Series of Books
in Psychology) by Martin E. P. Seligman (Paperback - Jun 1992)

Human Learned Helplessness: A Coping Perspective by Mario Mikulincer
(Kindle Edition - Oct 31, 1994) - Kindle Book

Learned Helplessness: A Theory for the Age of Personal Control by
Christopher Peterson, Steven F. Maier, and Martin E. P. Seligman
(Paperback - Oct 5, 1995)

Whats Stopping You: Overcome Learned Helplessness & Do What You
Dreamed Possible by Nicky Marone (Paperback - Jun 3, 1993)

> She is OLPC teacher at Kanda No. 5 Primary (027 709 4576. op. GH TV).
> Hers is one of the country's 2 pilot projects is under way.
> Interestingly she had never touched a computer until exposed to the
> OLPC set up team's intensive coaching. Now she speaks confidently
> about her class and their XOs.

Exactly.

> george


-- 
Silent Thunder (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) is my name
And Children are my nation.
The Cosmos is my dwelling place, The Truth my destination.
http://earthtreasury.org/worknet (Edward Mokurai Cherlin)