<div class="gmail_quote"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;"> From: Edward Cherlin <<a href="mailto:echerlin@gmail.com">echerlin@gmail.com</a>> Subject: Re: [IAEP] [OLPC-SF] Current OLPC Metrics <a href="http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_research" target="_blank">http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_research</a> . </blockquote><div> My list of questions (brain dump) with regards to using olpc laptops running Sugar and Gnome in NZ (extremely ethnically diverse island nation) ... <ul><li>How does the introduction of olpc laptops and philosophy impact the learning experience? </li><li>Does the introduction of olpc translate to better achievement of learning outcomes? (evidence can be collected from Journal and from school server) </li><li>How much difference does it make using a Child ownership model over just lending laptops to students? </li><li>What measurable difference is there when students can take home a laptop from school? </li><li> What year group do personal laptops make the biggest difference? Does it matter how long they have the laptop? If they only got to use it for one year, which year is best?</li><li>NZ schools have computers. What if we just add Sugar to these machines? Is that enough to see a difference? What if we give Sugar on a Stick to every child? </li> <li>Do we need to implement the 5 principles of olpc to be successful? </li><li>How important is the inclusion of community? Parents? </li><li>How would an olpc deployment help Maori students' performance? Other ethnic groups and demographics? </li><li>What difference does it make when you localise with Maori language being used on the laptop? Other ethnic groups and demographics? </li><li>What about mixed languages in the same classroom - allowing students to choose language on laptops? </li><li>What about shared content creation and student portfolios of work? team versus self identity construction - see <a href="http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-documents/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum">http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-documents/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum</a> </li><li>What impact does olpc have on Child wellbeing? </li><li>what is the impact of perceived ownership of laptop on student engagement </li><li>what is the impact of giving students control of software on their laptop </li><li>What is the impact on teaching when students have control of their software on their laptop? </li><li>What is the impact on teaching when students have control of the language they use on their laptop? </li><li>What curriculum area does Sugar and Gnome have the biggest impact? </li><li>How does a computer at home for one of the children affect family dynamics? </li><li>Does it impact on homework completion? </li><li>Can we apply new technologies to existing school curriculum, resources and infrastructure? </li><li>How will we get teacher engagement? </li><li>What is the impact by shifting responsibility of computer maintenance to student? considering impact on problem solving skills development, as well as things like sense of achievement and control </li><li>students sharing and creating own content and impact on learning (this happens to some degree in schools already, but maybe not as a philosophy and driver?) </li><li>What are the teachers' impressions? Do XOs increase perceived stress levels? Do XOs increase or ease lesson preparation? Do teachers feel that XOs make their lives easier or harder? Do they think they have to know more than the students? Is it a threat? Do they think olpc will help their students and in what ways? How would they like to be supported? What other infrastructure would they like? </li></ul>They obviously need a lot of refining, but good to get them out of my head again - started this as a google doc when I was wondering if I can use a research project as a way to increase changes of getting funding for a deployment. I also want to be able to point to research and say "here is why I am telling you that you need to let the kids take the laptops home" and "here is why I am telling you that you need to include the parents not just the teachers". It would really help when I talk to deployments / potential deployments, some of whom are not keen on kids taking laptops home, consider laptops to be school property not childrens, and don't understand the need for community inclusion. Tabitha </div></div>