[IAEP] SG Discussion of Deployments and Planning

[Caryl Bigenho]

Hi Again,



We have had an interesting discussion going over at the Support Gang lists.  This evening I got this message from Martiin Dengler about it:
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"I found this a great exchange and forwarded some of it to the OLPC UK mailing list as it's quite relevant to the pilot planning we're doing now.


Caryl/Sameer, Please consider forwarding the thread in its entirety to
IAEP or other open mailing list!
Martin

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So, I will cut and paste the parts together and do just that!  It all began with an email a couple of days ago from Christoph Derndorfer: 

"An interesting take on OLPCorps from one of the participants currently 
in Rwanda:


http://olpckenema.wordpress.com/2009/06/16/caught-in-a-ponzi-scheme/


Definitely interesting food for thought I'd say!


Cheers,
Christoph

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Then the replies...

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Nice... just what we need...


Tiago

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Wow!  Just read the rant.  I have to admit this is sort of what I had in mind when I encouraged Yama to get a pilot school started in Bolivia, in an area not in but near La Paz, where teachers could come to see the XOs in action. 


But, I would want lots of training and evaluation to happen with teachers, students, parents, and community members involved.  That is how a grassroots movement could get started.  Sounds like that isn't going to happen with OLPC Corps.  Too bad.


Caryl

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Hi Support-Gang,


Lots of planning and training isn't really necessary. After all, we
are talking about "setting small fires that will set the forest
ablaze". If you take a look at how FOSS works, it isn't lots of
planning and training. Its rapid prototypes with minor course
corrections as often as possible. Instead of grand plans, we have
"something that works" and then we fix it every couple of days. We
could apply some such thing to these projects. In fact, it has been my
experience that lots of planning doesn't work in many such service
learning projects.


I would highly recommend "The Cathedral and the Bazaar" to really
understand how this works. http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596001087/


Now, as for the rant mentioned above, I've thought about it as well.
One really cannot implement and train much in a short period.
Sustainability of 100 XOs in the hands of a remote school + NGO really
depends on the school and the NGO and not so much on the interns. So,
in the few weeks they have, these teams will have to excite the
schools and NGOs about the value proposition that comes with the XO.
Ruggedness, screen readability, etc. on the hardware side, Sugar bits
on the software side, and offline connectivity on the network side
(for schools that don't have Internet backhaul). The rest is up to the
recipients. I'm not sure how many of these XOs will get shelved in
store rooms. That happens all the time. However, even if a few of
these cases make it through, they will be good enough to set the
forest ablaze.


What's happening in Ethiopia (a recent OLPCNews article) isn't that
troublesome, really. In fact, its somewhat expected. We know that
teachers will resist. We know that these devices are disruptive. Its
like what happened when we got Wi-Fi back in 2001 in our classrooms.
Professors wanted radio jammers in classrooms! Such losers :-) Make
your classes interesting enough, and students won't get distracted by
ebay auctions. Use a lot of web references, and the network becomes a
support mechanism and not a disruption. I like the fact that these
teams will also be deploying school servers. That way, content gets
delivered via the XO, network, schoolserver, etc. and will hopefully
make the system integral and not extracurricular. That's probably the
problem in Ethiopia. The XO isn't curricular.


Anyway, now that rubber has hit the road, let's provide as much
support and help as we can to these teams. Be sure to leave
encouraging comments on their blogs. Many of them are away from home
and doing this for the first time. They need to know that they have a
solid team standing behind them.


cheers,
Sameer
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Hi,


I disagree with Sameer's position on the importance of planning and teacher training.  I spent many years working in educational technology staff development with teachers in LAUSD.  You must, I can't emphasize the must enough, get solid support for teachers for any innovation in education.  They must see it as something they can easily do, something that will help them be better teachers (but not make more work for them or take over their jobs), something that will enrich their student's educational experience, something that will improve their students achievement levels (testing and evaluation come in here), and above all, fun for both them and their students. Remember, learning should be fun and teachers are "Master Learners."


To do this, there must be excellent planning.  This seems to have been done in Peru where the teacher training resources online (finally) are excellent.  One really great plan that can be localized does fit all.


There is a great old saying that was one of my mantras as a teacher: "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."


Sorry for the rant, but I obviously feel very strongly about this.


Caryl
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I think we agree? At any rate, it's nice to see people who believe in planning and infrastructure...


Nikki
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I don't say planning isn't important. Its just that given OLPCorps'
timeline, a *lot* of planning isn't possible. They have to make do
with what they have, and hope they light a fire.


Not sure if I agree with the "teacher as a Master Learner" business. I
work with plenty of "teachers" who are absolute luddites about their
area, and stick to what's in the textbook. They are such a disservice
to the student body. Imagine my discontentment at their attitude - I
am ranting about them on a public forum! Just last week, I overheard
one who said he was going to think this "power point" thing over this
summer. He's well-known for transparencies, many of which show their
age with water and coffee stains.


Again, it isn't planning that I am against. Its a *lot* of planning
that I'm not sure is necessary. We are working with variables that
change rapidly. Technology, Governments, Economies. Our models need to
be swift and resilient. Here's another mantra. "Release early, release
often". See http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/cathedral-bazaar/ar01s04.html
for reference. Khairat in India had very little planning and training
compared to Peru. They are still up and running. They've had to make
several changes over the last year and a half. The teacher is very
progressive and open to change. The energy in children there is
amazing. They are definitely past their hype stage. Yes, teacher
buy-in is important, but it doesn't need a huge planning effort to get
off the ground.


Differing opinions are always welcome. That's why we are here :-)


cheers,
Sameer
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And there you have it, FWIW.  You can add to it, think about it, or ignore it.  But I think Martin's idea to share was a good one.
Caryl
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