[IAEP] Haiti OLPC pre-pilot evaluation report

[Donna Benjamin]

Hi all,

Forgive me if this has been circulated, but I've not seen it before.
Thought some of you might also be keen to read this.

OLPC Haiti Pre-Pilot Evaluation Report 
http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=2062678

Key points from the executive summary:
 - tracked approx 2,340 hours of daily student usage of the XO laptop 
 - 1:2 computing doesn't work as well as 1:1 
 - 4 of the 17 available activities are used 88% of the time 
 - kids fear taking home the XO in case they're robbed 
 - teachers need training and ongoing support to transition effectively
from teacher centred to student centred learning.

Those of you who saw my Open Road presentation will remember I was keen
to hear about this pilot... as Haiti was hit by devastating succession
of cyclones not long after the machines were deployed. 

For those who don't have time to download and read the whole document, I
have edited the executive summary below. Note: It doesn't include any of
the methodology or specifics - get the full report if you want detail.

Hope someone finds this useful :)
------------------------------------------------------------- 
Executive Summary
The Haitian Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MENFP)
introduced 1:1 constructivist computing in the Haitian primary school
system. Initial implementation was a pre-pilot project conducted in
collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). 

The purpose of the pre-pilot was to ascertain effective teacher
preparation by identifying successful training methods and important
content to be addressed during teacher training sessions.

The OLPC pre-pilot project was implemented at the Ecole Nationale
Republique du Chili (ENRC), an all-female public school located in
Port-au-Prince. 

The evaluation tracked approximately 2,340 hours of daily student usage
of the XO laptop, not including home usage.

Perceived improvement in student reading and writing in Haitian Creole
and French, as well as a general perception of the XO laptop as a symbol
of opportunity and progress. 

Problems with one-to-two computing resulting from unequal sharing of the
XO laptop. 

Students who are more knowledgeable about the XO laptop or have more
advanced academic skills tend to dominate the use of the XO laptop,
depriving students most in need the opportunity for academic improvement
if the partner dominates the XO laptop.

Student attention span per XO Camp session declines in proportion to
battery life and availability of electrical outlets.

Four of the 17 activities available on the XO laptop (Record, Write,
Browse Internet, and Paint) represented 88 percent of laptop usage for
the XO Camp participants.

Moreover, student exploratory usage of the XO declined under the
following circumstances: 

 (1) When XO laptop activities were formally introduced as part of a
teacher’s lesson plan, 
 (2) when interest in organized group activity increased, and 
 (3) when student focus level was high. 

This was especially evident during Week 2 of the evaluation, when the
fifth-grade class drastically reduced usage of the Paint and Record
programs after being formally introduced to the Internet and receiving
an essay-writing assignment.

Greater teacher engagement decreases student distraction. 

Participants reported an increased need for help in learning to use the
XO and transitioning from teacher-centered to student-centered learning.
In-depth technical and pedagogical training session prior to the
implementation of the OLPC pilot is needed, as well as continued support
over the course of the project. 

Majority of respondants spoke of the benefits of allowing students to
take the XO laptops home. But more than half the students were afraid to
take the XO laptop home because they might be robbed.
 
OLPC pre-pilot evaluation report (Haiti) 
by Emma Näslund-Hadley[et al.]
Inter-American Development Bank
Education Division - SCL
Working Paper #2

Download the OLPC Haiti Pre-Pilot Evaluation Report here:
http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=2062678

-- 
Donna Benjamin - Executive Director
Creative Contingencies - http://cc.com.au
ph +61 3 9326 9985 - mob +61 418 310 414
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