I think back to the various work (especially Piaget, Vygotsky, and Papert) that investigates learning as a social phenomenon.<div>The XO Laptops and Sugar derive directly, in my humble opinion, from these principles, especially Papert's concept of Constructionism.</div> <div>The issue for me, then, is not schools versus laptops (or some other technology), but how these devices and their software can be used to shape the learning environment itself. </div><div>I have seen classrooms in my school change (in terms of student independence) as a result of the students being deeply engaged with the XOs and Sugar. This change has been reflected in both the students and their teachers. </div> <div>I think more focus should be spent on this ecosystem of learning.</div><div> </div><div>Best,</div><div>Gerald <div class="gmail_quote">On Sun, Dec 5, 2010 at 8:51 PM, Blake Elias <<a href="mailto:blakeelias@gmail.com">blakeelias@gmail.com</a>> wrote: <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">It's not that Ministries of Education should *stop* their core activities, but another possibility to consider before *starting*. A physical school where children can learn and work together is wonderful. In some situations where it's a struggle to build a physical school, where it really may be a dichotomy between buildings/laptops because of the expense, maybe they want to make digital collaboration their main goal instead of building with brick and mortar. Blake Elias <div><div></div><div class="h5"> On Sun, Dec 5, 2010 at 6:47 PM, Edward Cherlin <<a href="mailto:echerlin@gmail.com">echerlin@gmail.com</a>> wrote: > What he said. I hate false dichotomies. They abound in discussions of > education and in the politics of education, indeed in any situation > where the more extreme the position, the more likely it is to be > heard. > > On Sun, Dec 5, 2010 at 18:04, Ian Thomson <<a href="mailto:IanT@spc.int">IanT@spc.int</a>> wrote: >> Personally, I think the whole approach is wrong. You will never convince >> Ministries of Education to stop their "core" activities just because >> there are laptops. >> >> The better approach is to show how laptops can enhance education in >> schools. >> This should not be an "either/or" approach. We can do both. >> >> As a simple example, children can leave the school earlier after >> suitable teaching and complete work on the laptops at home or other >> locations. This will free up the school to take a second shift of >> students. >> Teachers can restructure their teaching to have groups working together >> to learn, so freeing them up to take more students. >> >> Ian Thomson >> ICT Outreach Section >> Economic Development Division >> Secretariat of the Pacific Community >> B.P. D5 - Noumea Cedex - 98848 >> New Caledonia >> >> Phone +687-265419 >> >> Fax +687 26 38 18 >> <a href="http://www.spc.int" target="_blank">http://www.spc.int</a> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: <a href="mailto:iaep-bounces@lists.sugarlabs.org">iaep-bounces@lists.sugarlabs.org</a> >> [mailto:<a href="mailto:iaep-bounces@lists.sugarlabs.org">iaep-bounces@lists.sugarlabs.org</a>] On Behalf Of Bernie Innocenti >> Sent: Monday, December 06, 2010 8:36 AM >> To: Timothy Falconer >> Cc: <a href="mailto:olpc-haiti@lists.laptop.org">olpc-haiti@lists.laptop.org</a>; grassroots OLPC; >> <a href="mailto:olpc-open@lists.laptop.org">olpc-open@lists.laptop.org</a>; Squeakland List; Maho 2010; IAEP; >> <a href="mailto:ht2011-winter@waveplace.org">ht2011-winter@waveplace.org</a> >> Subject: Re: [IAEP] [realness] a school is not a building >> >> On Sun, 2010-12-05 at 15:18 -0500, Timothy Falconer wrote: >>> Hi all, >>> >>> A favor: help me make this case (or refute it) as we prepare once >>> more for Haiti ... "spend money on training & laptops instead bricks >>> and mortar". >>> >>> <a href="http://waveplace.com/news/blog/archive/001035.jsp" target="_blank">http://waveplace.com/news/blog/archive/001035.jsp</a> >> >> It's a beautiful thought that touches deep into my hacker spirit, but >> the conclusion seems weak: what is it that we are advocating for? Remote >> learning? Home-schooling? Having classes under a tree? It's unclear. >> >> The point that you were making with the military canteen vs cooking at >> home metaphor is that compulsory education doesn't follow individual >> inclinations. Then, the conclusion should state the proposed solution >> for this problem. >> >> -- >> // Bernie Innocenti - <a href="http://codewiz.org/" target="_blank">http://codewiz.org/</a> >> \X/ Sugar Labs - <a href="http://sugarlabs.org/" target="_blank">http://sugarlabs.org/</a> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) >> <a href="mailto:IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org">IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org</a> >> <a href="http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep" target="_blank">http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep</a> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) >> <a href="mailto:IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org">IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org</a> >> <a href="http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep" target="_blank">http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep</a> >> > > > > -- > Edward Mokurai (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) Cherlin > Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation. > The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination. > <a href="http://www.earthtreasury.org/" target="_blank">http://www.earthtreasury.org/</a> > _______________________________________________ > IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) > <a href="mailto:IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org">IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org</a> > <a href="http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep" target="_blank">http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep</a> _______________________________________________ IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) <a href="mailto:IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org">IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org</a> <a href="http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep" target="_blank">http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep</a></div></div></blockquote></div> </div>