Date:12/10/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/quest/200710/stories/2007101250170200.htm Quest
A new classmate PAROMITA PAIN A fully functional PC with an integrated and specialised educational feature set allows teacher-student and teacher-parent collaboration. At work: Students of Delhi Public School, Vasundhara use the Classmate PC. Imagine a computer that is especially designed for teaching and learning, and for the school goer, complete with all safety devices. The Classmate PC, powered by Intel, is a small, mobile learning assistant and educational solution that has been specially developed for students in developing countries. This fully functional PC has no moving parts (no hard disk) and is equipped with features including a water-resistant keyboard; an integrated and specialised educational feature set that allows teacher-student and teacher-parent collaboration; an advanced theft-control feature based on network-issued digital certification and is capable of running mainstream applications including video and educational software. "The idea is to equip children around the world with technology that will help advance learning and support collaborative learning environments primarily for K-12 schools," says Satyajit Singh, Platform Solutions Manager, Emerging Market & Platform Group, Intel The content for students includes primary curriculum as well as other resources such as encyclopaedias and dictionaries. Students practise their learning through tests and e-assessments, ensuring that they not only learn but also improve their scores. Using a digital pen, the platform allows them to continue using their conventional handwritten notes by capturing and storing them for viewing, referring, and easy sharing. Internet browsing is allowed and the PC has built in controls and monitoring software through which the teacher at school and the parent at home can exercise control over the child's surfing experience. Learning platform Since parents can access feedback from the teachers on the system, it serves to help them coach their children better besides enabling easy and flexible communication with teachers. The Classmate PC is Intel's response to the challenge thrown out by the United Nations at two World Summits of Information Society (WSIS) in 2003 and 2005 to technology players to create PC platforms for education. The Classmate PC was conceived and co-developed by a core team at the Intel's Bangalore development centre. In India, Intel ran the first Classmate PC pilot with DPS Delhi Public School, Ghaziabad, Vasundhara. The project was a two month effort with Std. VI students where the Classmate PC was used by the teachers to encourage collaborative learning by activities like sharing notes, emails, developing content and solving puzzles. "In March this year, we signed a MoU with Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) to start a pilot project with the NVS Mothuka, Faridabad, where we gave 60 Classmate PCs to class VII students. The batch of 45 students at the school will be exposed to 1:1 teaching methodology. This pilot project will help initiate the next wave of ICT based education in schools. We have initiated our third pilot at Padma Sheshadri Bal Bharati, Bangalore with fourth grade students," says Singh. Intel is working with various hardware and education partners who are bringing this product to the market. HCL in association with Intel has already launched the Classmate PC in the India market (July 21st, 2007). The PC is priced at Rs 18,000 range and will be retailed through schools. HCL Infosystems expects to organise 3,000-5,000 Classmate PCs over the next nine months to a year. Intel is collaborating with leading educational service providers like Educomp and Edurite to provide content for the Classmate PC. Interested users can get information from http://www.classmatepc.com. To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
