[IAEP] XO and other costs

[george pope]

Post into the list then saw submission directions. Sorry for any confusion.

https://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#inbox/12999093b9b9d1d8

Re. Item 3. OLPC Bahamas

You request only 2 laptops? Think that reflects how costly it is to
bring computers to poor students.

I know a primary school in Accra with about a 1000 students. It is
divided into 5 schools. Kanda Primary # 5 is one of these serving this
working class district of the city. It was selected for an XO trial 2
years ago. The wireless server went down in the fall 0f '09. I found a
lunux guy to come with me to see about this. We didn't know that it
had been taken some place to be worked on. Now I've returned to
California and neither my Linux engineer friend (who I think works
mostly on bank problems) nor school officials have returned my email.

Never the less this years 3rd grade teacher and lasts year's do not
have  email..I'm sure because money. They do remain enthusiastic about
their olpc trial.

Your Bahama students have D averages. About half of Ghana children do
not attend primary school because they have to "help support their
families". There are stories in the press of the police apprehending
18 wheelers full of children being taken to work on plantations
sometimes to other countries. One hears many similar stories.

I think that you are spot on trying to bring XOs to your students. The
idea of students LEARNING TO SOLVE PROBLEMS through on line
collaboration is part of the solution of getting out of this economic
mess.

But it will cost.

Get 200 rotating XOs for one fifth of Kanda students US $32000
Hypothetical factory price in China or Tiawan? plus shipping.

5 sugarized desk tops per class room, 6 grades, #1-#5 kanda primaries $18000

1000 soas pin drives, $10000. These are needed to allow students to
"own" their own share in the problems that they help solve.

Comes out to about US $60000. This does not include to cost of a
volunteer tech support persons.

But in Ghana the number of primary school students plus the children
who ought to be in school probably pushes a million.

we have to start some place. good luck

george pope
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