OLPC India/DBF/Bangalore-Aradhna
Your Insight to OLPC Pilot Site at Bangalore - Aradhna Convent School
About the Site
Demographics of the Site and School
School Name : Aradhna Convent School
Nearest Railway Station: Bangalore
Address: Aradhna Convent, Arekere, I.I. MPOST, Bangalore – 560076, India
Head of the Institute: Sr. Mariamma Kunnackal
Head of the School: Sr. Jacinta
Secretary of the School: Sr. Shirley
Holiday Calendar: As per Karnataka State Education Department
Number of Students: 1200
Grade: KG to 10th std.
School has a Dial-up Internet Connection available(Students don't have access to it). They are consideringa broadband connection.
Start of the Project
9th September,2008 :- OLPC India started its Bangalore program with a small group of teachers sitting around a table in the Principal's office at Aradhna School, discussing their idea of effective and constructive learning. At that time the school teachers believed in ideas such as practical learning, learning by Audio-Visual Aids and Experiments, co-relating textual concepts to real life could prove effective for learning. They used to haves period of 40 minutes each and it was difficult at times to adopt different methods of learning keeping in mind that they had to complete syllabus on time.
The initial discussions veered round how OLPC XO can prove effective and fulfill some of their expectations in learning. OLPC XO laptops were handed over to the teachers in an "opening Ceremony" which is generally a great deal of fun and a wonderful ice-breaking excercise. They get their first physical feel of the XO and by the time they get to opening it ...the "wow" factor of this amazing machine began to creep in. The teachers around had to struggle a lot for opening the XO laptop. Finally one of the teachers managed to do so. They were introduced to the various features of XO laptop, including Sugar and then some little exercises on various activites in it.
The teachers instantly enjoyed working and collaborating on mesh and began to see many ways in which they could use it. By the end of the day they all were very enthused about XO laptop and Sr. Mariamma opined that if this project goes well, their sponsors would be interested in supporting a larger number of Xos in this school.
As of now they have 10 XO laptops and they plan to deploy these laptops in one of the grades in primary section. There are about 40 students in each class. And on each desk they have four students seated.
Participants
Sor Pilar Castañeda - Caritas Spain
Francisco Hernandez (francisco@hernandezmarcos.net) - Volunteer at Caritas Spain
Financing
This project has been financed by several companies and individuals in Spain. It is a pilot project. If proved to be useful and conviniently implemented, there will be a fundraising effort in Spain to significantly increase the number of computers.
Express Your Views
Here teachers, students and various support members would express their experiences and views on the Project.
I want to be assosiated with this project, How can I go about it.
Vasuman Das C.J 21, 5th cross, S.G.Layout, VR pura, B'lore-560097
OLPC Support Group-Bangalore
I urge to all the people in and around Bangalore having interest in education to support this beginning we have made with OLPC - An Education Project. aws