Hello Edward (and all)
I will comment the next questions...
... How can we ask that question and make sure we can hear the answer? ... (related to
the previous question: "... What content do Peruvians particularly need?..")
email lists? forums? I suggest that FORUMS is the answer. a FORUM for the Children and
Teachers... then they can put there all what they think about the XOs and the OLPC... and
the other side would be "People that want to talk / share ideas about what children
and teachers have to say".
I will install a phpBB this weekend... (lucky me! (smile)). And I will try to publish the
existence of this phpBB as soon as possible. I can call Arahuay and Tumbes... so I can be sure to
speak with the teachers in charge... (oh my God! what am I doing!!! This is a "Bolshevik
revolution"! or a "French revolution".. I will watch MY head!)
... We don't hear enough from the target countries about the XO program. ...
Why? I understand that ALL goverments want to have THEIR things inside their
own 4 walls... and that is the reason the FOIA exist in the U.S. (here, in
Peru, we have a similar law... very hard to get it done... the law was launch
on year 2003 and ALL the public offices published their data and documents that
year.. for many of them (the smaller ones) that was the first and last time
they updated their info...). So I can understand that the governments CLOSE
their doors.
But, is not ALL that information in the hands of the OLPC foundation? How we
can do to get that info from the other side of the equation?
To the best of my knowledge, these would be the ones that can talk about how
the XO program is developing in Peru:
* The top authorities of the Secretary of Education (Ministerio de Educacion,
the Secretary: Mr. Chang, or the vice-minister)
* The person that is responsible for "development of technologies" in the
Secretary of Education (Mr...)
* The tech person that is in charge of the program: Mr. Hernan Pachas.
* Is there a OLPC team here in Peru? (I have read there is one... who leads it?
Walter? They could be another source)
* The local educative authorities in the regions (like your states, in some way) or in
the municipalities (like your "counties"...in some way).
* The directors of the Regional offices of the Secretary of Education
* The directors of the UGELs (Educative Local Units) in charge of this or that
number of schools.
* The teachers of the schools in Tumbes and Arahuay (the ones that have been published as
"pilots" that got the first XOs some months ago)
* The children of those schools that have been using the machines
* The group of peruvian volunteers that are triying to "pass the voice" about
all the potential benefits that the XOs and OLPC can bring for Peru and our children (our
society, as a whole!).
* Individuals that are not part of any movement but know about the project?
* Critics that publish openly their disagreement with this or that aspect of
the project?
If there are SO MANY WAYS to learn what is happening with the projects... why is this
aspect not working? IF we find this "WHY" then we can solve the issue.
My best guess is that we need to put the project in the eyes of the public with
more intensity, then all kind of things will start of happen and then it will
be like a Tsunami: you see it is coming and you can not stop it... you run or
TAKE YOUR SURFBOARD and go for it! (I like the second option... theoretically!)
For my records: PUT THE PROJECT IN THE EYES OF THE PUBLIC.
... Also, we have no way to contact the schoolchildren to ask them how to improve
the XO. ... "
And I can imagine that the kids (and the teachers) doesn't have any idea that
there is a group of talented volunteers on this (and others lists)...
uhmmm... are the XOs in Peru (in Arahuay and Tumbes) connected to the Internet? I suppose the answer is yes. There was gMAIL access? I suppose the answer is yes. How many children got gMail accounts? I don't know. Do they know that they can send some request or questions?
I am sure the answer is no (because we (the old people) have not implemented such a system).
Enough for today,
Best regards,
Javier Rodriguez
Lima, Peru
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Hello Edward
You say
"... What content do Peruvians particularly need?..."
And I comment...with the most humble tone and recognizing that MOST of the work
is done by volunters or by contracted personal that is doing his/her best in a
no so perfect enviroment (timing, political issues, pressure, deployment of XOs
and fixing things while you are rediscovering, etc. I understand all these
factors and I don't envy to all the great teams here in Peru, U.S. and other
places).
_*Content*_
Once, when I was 14 years old, my school (private,rich) ask volunteers to install pipes in a poor
village. When we arrive there was a group of people helping us and other group asking as: why are you
installing pipes? we didn't ask you... what we need is that the water trucks come more frequently, then
we can buy water tanks more frecuently. Now with the pipes we will have to pay for water "basic
sevice" every month, are you working for the "city water company" ? we don't want to get
a huge bill for water that we don't use... we have seen that in other places... please, go to your home
and try to fix your own problems BEFORE you come here to dig, damage your beatifull hands and cry like
children... ".
Today, here in Peru, we have a lot mining projects. The law ask the BEFORE you send just one
engineer to study the lands you will request: permit of the andean community that lives on that
area. Second: a "base line" study. Third: A "closing" study (what will be
done with the leftovers of the minery, what will be done with the buildings, holes, trash areas,
and how the panorama will be left after the mine close its activities in 20 or 30 years).
All that, in analogy, should have been done (or it has been done and it is in
the desk of a functionary? nah! that has not happen!)
But 40,000 computers have arrived and it is too late to cry over the spill
milk. We need to put them to work and we need to provide content (some content
is better than no content? I am not sure... bad if you do, bad if you don't...
catch 22 situation!)
So, let's be brave.. and let's do our best in generating and providing content... or the tools to be generated or provided... (abstract level layer?)
We need to provide the best content that we can imagine... so the key question is what is
the main purpose of the XOs/OLPC program? Teaching programming? Improving
health/nutrition? Solve poverty? Give more educational opportunities? Improve the markets
so they become "perfect markets" with fair trade? What? We need to categorize
and give priorities.
My first guess, in my very personal point of view, is that NOTHING can be done if the kid doenst
know how to read. 95% (or 85 or 90% percent of the peruvian children doens't understand what they
read... ). When I realize that I start to think "how I start to read when I was a kind?"
my answer: because there was things to read in my home: newspapers, comics, encyclopedias,
magazines, cheap novels, great classic novels (from Homero, The Iliad to Conan Doyle's Sherlock...
you named. Home was FULL of reading material because my grandfather provide reading material and
my mother learn to enjoy reading... then she provide reading material and I learn to enjoy
reading... and it was the same in my whole mother line (the whole mother line is professional,
educated, titled, well traveled and more solid economically that the father line... I can visit the
houses of all my "father line cousins" and it is EMPTY of books. Opposite, I can visit
all houses of all my cousins that comes f
rom the "mother line" and EVERY HOUSE is full of books, every room has some
place for books. So my answer is that we need to provide reading material.
But.. what reading material? I don't know. I am not sure because I don't know
the big goals of the project. But, in our humble website (www.olpc-peru.info)
me and other fellows have start to put some classic books in spanish language
(is the only link that works! sorry! too much work here!). And, I will add
another section: Agricultural section (just because my speciality is working in
peruvian high lands (with andean communities) and I have collected hundred of
eBooks and PDFs in spanish language about the agricultural and farming issues
in the high andes...). It is more than 10 GIGABYTES of information... the one
that read all this agricultural information is more capable of surviving from
the land. For sure!. I hope that this agricultural section can benefit to
some kids that can learn and help his fathers in their daily economy.
So good so far... I have put some "classic literature" and some "agricultural" themes will be put "on
line" to be read. Is this what we need to do? Is this "straighforward" solution what needs to be done? Don't we
need to think "out of the box" and analyze wich content will be better to provide? in wich way?
... How can we ask that question and make sure we can hear the answer? ...
... We don't hear enough from the target countries about the XO program. ...
... Also, we have no way to contact the schoolchildren to ask them how to improve
the XO. ... "
I will comment in other message the other ideas.
Since I am a "newbie" in this list, someone can tell me (in private [EMAIL PROTECTED]) who is in charge (officially) of the development of content in the OLPC Foundation? or how is organized this area?
Greetings to all (and please forgive me if my thoughts are too
provocative).
Javier Rodriguez
Lima, Peru
Edward Cherlin wrote:
On Tue, Mar 4, 2008 at 3:57 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
I was worried too... because I love tech stuff... but AT THE SAME TIME I
am interested
in talking (deep interest) in talking about 3rd world children and families.
Thank you. We don't hear enough from the target countries about the XO
program. Also, we have no way to contact the schoolchildren to ask
them how to improve the XO.
The reason why we need to discuss the social issues is (well... my
reasons!):
a) I live in Peru, working on computers 25 (or more) years. I have seen
previous ideas similar to OLPC (named "Huascaran"). They fail in the
long run.
Yes, I had that experience with the Simputer.
b) This XO/OLPC opportunity can be revolutionary IF, and only if, survive.
c) We, the people, can make this survival happens.
Exactly. What Alan Kay says.
So we need many more people coming into the discussion, perhaps here
and perhaps on other lists. Please invite people, and tell them that
we gringos on the list don't bite, ^_^ and some of us even know how to
listen. %-[
This is the library list. What content do Peruvians particularly need?
How can we ask that question and make sure we can hear the answer?
And the same for any other country represented here.
I was in the Peace Corps in Korea 40 years ago. 1967?? ???????? ??? ??
??? ??????. I see a huge interest from Koreans on the Wiki. Is this
because South Korea is the most wired country on Earth, or is it
because of the hope of getting XOs into North Korea, now that there
will be a peace treaty, railroad connections, the NY Philharmonic,
perhaps Eric Clapton...? ?????????
------------------------------------------------------------------------
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.21.3/1308 - Release Date: 3/3/2008 10:01 AM
------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________________________________________
Library mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/library
------------------------------------------------------------------------
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.21.3/1308 - Release Date: 3/3/2008 10:01 AM
_______________________________________________
Library mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/library
