[Marketing] Miller-McCune article: more bad press for OLPC

[Caroline Meeks]

I thought this paragraph was interesting.

Linden also led one of the few experimental studies to show a positive
impact from the use of computers — a project in India that provided
computers and education software to schools and randomly assigned some
schools to use the software during school hours and others to encourage
computer use after hours. This study found that using computers during
school hours —essentially substituting computers for teachers — actually
hurt learning, while using them after hours as a supplement to traditional
classroom teaching had dramatic positive effects on the weakest students.
Even this outcome doesn't really support the OLPC mission, though; the
software evaluated is very much in the "drill and practice" model that
Negroponte has explicitly derided.


I agree that its vital that we get computer usage into the homes and
out-of-school time.  We should emphaisis this in our marketing as many of
the alternative practices in the US are not giving kids access to computers
out of school.  Often students are not allowed to take laptops home, or the
access is to a virtual desktop and can only been accessed through a
broadband network.  I'd like to work to change TCO calculations to give us
cost per hour of student use not cost per computer per student.

Interesting that the drill and practice model that he is saying works here
is the one that didn't work in the USDept of Ed study.  This author seems
willing to bend studies around to make his point.  I suspect that both drill
and practice and constructionist computing that extend learning time help
learning.  I am very pleased that Sugar is not being religiously
constructionist and becoming a broad based platform for learning.  This is
another point that we need to bring out in our marketing message.  Sugar
supports a wide range of learning activities.

On Thu, Aug 20, 2009 at 1:58 PM, Sean DALY <sdaly.be at gmail.com> wrote:

> Computer Error?
>
> http://www.miller-mccune.com/business_economics/computer-error-1390?article_page=1
>
> "Repeated calls and e-mails to OLPC and Negroponte seeking comment on
> OLPC did not receive a response."
>
> As is often the case, some factual inaccuracies, a two-year-old
> screenshot, and no mention of Sugar.
>
> Interesting anecdotes about combating teacher absenteeism though, and
> analysis suggesting that teacher training dramatically improves
> learning with computers.
>
> Sean.
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>



-- 
Caroline Meeks
Solution Grove
Caroline at SolutionGrove.com

617-500-3488 - Office
505-213-3268 - Fax
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