User:Nlee/Bootcamp application

Name

Nikki Lee

Email

nicole.lee[at]students[dot]olin[dot]edu

Accomplishments

Tell us about the OLPC-relevant accomplishment you are most proud of. This does not have to explicitly be an OLPC-related activity, but should be something that would be valuable for other participants at the bootcamp to hear about and learn from.

Founding the Olin university chapter is definitely up there on the list. While we're still working on getting a lot of projects going, momentum is building slowly but surely and our repair center is definitely taking off.

other OLPC activities

• wiki-adminning
• Support gang member
• Community:Art founder and moderator

Why do you want to come to the bootcamp?

I'll be working on ILXO over the summer, so this is an excellent way to make sure I'm prepared for that. Beyond that, these are things that I would like to generally know, so bootcamp is a good way to force me to learn everything.

What can you contribute to the bootcamp?

I'm a very useful beginner to have around - once you teach me how to do something, I can very effectively teach others. I'm also good with the clarifying questions.

How will you support grassroots initiatives after the bootcamp?

ILXO over the summer, and then helping out with Boston area groups (especially near Olin).

(Optional) Will you need aid (housing, food, transportation, etc.) to attend?

Mel promises she's got that covered.

Prerequisites

(in progress)

Translation

Some terms translated in Pootle; bulk of translation done on Peru FAQs [10 pages].

Community Support

RT username: nlee

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Educational Theory

Purpose

Having a repair center pilot at Olin provides benefits for both 1CC and Olin. The primary opportunity for Olin students is hands-on experience. While repairing XOs is different from repairing more "traditional" laptops/computers, there is a lot to be learned in the process. Key skills covered include:

• disassembly
• diagnosis of hardware and software problems
• repairing mechanical hardware
• repairing electrical hardware
• organizing and tracking
• resource allotment

While a number of these skills are covered in traditional education courses, immersion and practical application will allow Olin students to hone their skills and think more creatively about applying these skills. This also provides an opportunity for giving back - Olin's OLPC chapter is a community service organization focused on supporting the project as a whole, engaging local grassroots groups, and contributing content that can be applied globally. The Olin repair center will help local Give One Get One donors and will also serve as a pilot to provide testing and documentation of repair procedures in order to help repair centers worldwide.

Our ultimate goal is to provide a valuable and engaging experience for Olin students that also contributes meaningful information to OLPC.

What is the point of having a repair center at Olin? What do we get out of it? What does OLPC get out of it?

• community service that reaches beyond the immediately local community
• contribute meaningfully to OLPC
• deal with everyday repairs that 1cc/OLPC is too busy for
• good technical experience for Olin students

What do we want to avoid?

• complicated logistics
• money, at least in the beginning

Model 1

• repair RMAed machines
  • original owners have already gotten a replacement, no donor associated with a machine
• get parts from 1cc/OLPC or partners
  • could get a small amount of SERV funding towards this, but probably not enough to sustain long-term activity
• redistribute machines to grassroots groups and developers
• handle a fairly small number of machines at any given time
• keep a good work pace, but avoid the stress of deadlines

Model 2

• have customers send broken XO and replacement part(s)
• fix machines and ship back to customers
• financial end may be tricky
  • how do we deal with shipping costs?
  • do we bill customers?

Model 3

• repair RMAed machines and redistribute
• repair donor machines and send back
• logistically, the most complicated
  • probably a lot of work to keep track of