Why olpc 20nov10

One Laptop Per Child Senegalone set of laptops for each school

Workshop 1• Why do we need IT in education?• Why laptops and not (second hand) PC's?• Why open source software?• The concept of OLPC• What makes the XO so special?• Software: Sugar and Gnome• The goals of OLPC Senegal

Frits Hoffinnovator/educational technologist

- president foundat ion OpenWijs.nl

- Programmanager Open University Netherlands (OU.nl)

- manager European Associat ion of Distance Teaching Educat ion (EADTU.nl)

- manager Expert isecentre IT

- Projectmanager polytechnic the Hague

- Teacher Physics & IT secondary level

Sources of this information:

OpenWijs.nl: Netherlands, Nicaragua, India, Nepal, Aruba, Antillen, Tanzania, South-Africa, Senegal, Peru.

Internet research & exchange with NGO's like OLE Nepal, Waveplace etc.

Trends in the Netherlands and internationalTesting new hardware (Intel Classmate 4, Notion

Ink Adam, etc.) and software

Why IT in education?

What do we think it means to prepare students for the 21st century? What skills do students need to survive in this new era?

What implications does this have for our current way of doing things and education?

Do we need to change? If so, how?

Why IT in education?• Technical knowledge in the world doubles each

8 months• International world: communication• Flexible education in time, speed and place• Each student learns in another way• Multimedia motivates students• The teacher can easily see who needs extra

help and who can help somebody else• Self assessments with direct feedback

IT in education• Hardware• Software• Content (learning materials)• Internetconnection• Organisation: finance, training, coaching,

projectmanagement, evaluation, maintenance, reparation, etc

Why laptops?PC powerconsumption much higherPower in rural areas not or not always availablePC classrooms need space and are expensiveSecond hand PC's not easy to maintainSecond hand PC's of a lot of brands and types,

not easy to find the spare partsSending second hand PC's expensiveSecond hand PC's not durable, especially where

is dust and salt: eWaste

Why every child a laptop?

PC classrooms inefficient and not always available

each student can use the internet, texteditor, educative program's, etc anytime

digital schoolbooks: actual, flexible and cheapera learning tool with a lot of information at school

and at homeFamily can use the laptop also for learning,

finance and work

Laptops for education * light (< 1,5 kg) * easy to carry (screen < 12 inch) * screen big enough to read A4 and websites

with electronic learning environments (>9 inch, 1024 X 600)

* user friendly* multimedia (webcam, micro, earphone

/speakers)* starting fast (< 1 minute)

Laptops for education

* cheap (< 200,-E) * fast enough (CPU > 1 GHz) * robust (water and dust resistant) * work for one day on battery (> 4 h) * repair it yourself * all the software needed for whole school

period

Alternatives for the XO

• XO: 239,-$ ex VAT• Classmate 2: no extra's• Classmate 4: touchscreen, tablet: 665,-$• Acer One: 2h battery: 250,-$• ASUS EEE: 5h battery: 450,-$

OLPC: Hello children of the world!

Concept OLPC It 's not a LAPTOP project, it is an

EDUCATIONAL project One Laptop Per Child: ownership Open hardware: XO mini laptop Open source software: Sugar & applicat ions Open content: free learning materials Construct ivism, educat ive model

Help from worldwide communitySymbol XO is a statement

Community of 2.000.000 laptops

Also at schools in the West

New York: 50.000 Florence: 15.000 Venice, Milan, 10.000 elk Small pilots worldwide

laptop XO: high-tech! Very cheap: “239,-$” Light (1,3 kg) Tablet = screen can be turned New LCD screen:

− readable in the sun: B/W− perfect for reading eBooks− 200 dpi: scharp

Free and open software: Sugar based upon Linux / open BIOS in the chip

XO Multimedia: webcam (photo/video), speakers,

micro A lot of extra software downloadable Safest laptop: may be used on your lap, highest

UL safety certification Green PC: almost no poison,100% recyclable Theft security Bitfrost: remote on / off

Very low power consumption 0,3 – 7W batterylife 5 – 12 hours Intelligent adapter: 110 – 240V Battery can be load with 11 – 19V: energy of

sun, humans or animals

Green PC's big impact worldwide

Robust: 1.5 m fall down (closed)

Water resistant

Dust resistant

Wireless network Wifi untill 2.000 m Collaboration in each application! No expensive wires needed Fast intranet

XS Schoolserver

Mobile lab: education in nature

Technical education

Flipping the screen: eBooks

Measure

Child of age 12 can repair it

Photo / video camera

IT in education• Hardware• Software• Content (learning materials)• Internetconnection• Organisation: finance, training, coaching,

projectmanagement, evaluation, maintenance, reparation, etc

Why open source software?• Free: no licences, always actual• Safe: no viruses!• Independ of the supplier:

– you can change it without permission– changes are cheaper / collaboration– you can choose your own supplier– If a supplier doesn't offer the right service you

can go to another supplierLower prices and better quality EU promotes open source software, it can save 30 billion

Euro pro year!

Extramadura, Spain

• Very poor, low developed region• Adapted the open source software• 400.000 pc's at school (1 pc : 2 students)• Costs savings 20 million €• Software cost per pc 1,-€ per year• Entrepeneurs also• Much more profit now• European innovation award

Software

Linux / Fedora based: Sugar & Gnome

Easy to learn user interface, not for people used to work with Microsoft

Each program the same interface, tabs for more functions

Complete “Office” package: email, webbrowsing, texteditor, spreadsheet, presentations etc.

> 100 educative programm's to download

Grafic Calculator

Blind / visual impaired / dyslectic Text – to – speach: OSS software, translated

IT in education• Hardware• Software• Content (learning materials)• Internetconnection• Organisation: finance, training, coaching,

projectmanagement, evaluation, maintenance, reparation, etc

IT in education• Hardware• Software• Content (learning materials)• Internetconnection• Organisation: finance, training, coaching,

projectmanagement, evaluation, maintenance, reparation, etc

Goals for SenegalBetter education at schools where there are not

enough teachers or teachers are not educated enough

Actual education, information from the internet, Bridge the digital divide

Set up an expertisecentre OLPC Senegal, evaluation, deployment guide, translation to dialect, finish the XS schoolserver, adapt the Senegalese curriculum to digital education

We need a lot of support, we get it already!

Contact: Stichting Openwijs.nl Gardelaan 7, Maastricht T: +31 - 43 – 325.8215 f.hoff@openwijs.nl www.openwijs.nl