University of Miami Mauritania OLPC: Difference between revisions

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'''Motivation'''
=Summary=


A [[team of two]] students have teamed up with Peace Corps volunteers (PCVs) in Mauritania to deploy XO laptops to two of the Girls Mentoring Centers [[(GMCs)]] across the country. Specifically, we will work with thirty-five 6-12 year old females in Kiffa [http://www.maplandia.com/mauritania/assaba/kiffa/] and sixty-four in Kankossa [http://www.maplandia.com/mauritania/assaba/kankossa/] for nine weeks from June-August, 2009. While several GMCs in larger cities have assisted Mauritanian females to further their education via university, there has only been one female in Kiffa known to continue her education at the college level. In addition, working in these two rural sites guarantees 1:1 laptop saturation. We believe access to and [[ownership of XO laptop technology]] at a young age will enable females in Kiffa and Kankossa to take control of their education, thus empowering the next generation of African women, their families, and Mauritania. In doing so, OLPC and Peace Corps will help reduce the educational gender gap in Mauritania, while providing students an avenue to develop creatively and academically. The GMCs are currently run by PCVs and [[local Mauritanian volunteers]]; while PCVs will remain at the GMCs for one year following our departure, the goal of local, long-term sustainability means these centers will be run solely by Mauritanians in the near future.
=Team Members[http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcp58bhc_11grnkmhdx]=


'''Collaboration'''
Technical Lead: Nick Doiron, Carnegie Mellon University


We hope to collaborate with other OLPC groups applying to work in Mauritania. Our vision is by connecting students among the various GMC sites via XO laptops, they will serve as motivation for each other. Illiteracy is a challenge for youth in Mauritania. As such, we have organized with the Cornell OLPC group to implement a pen-pal system between our sites to encourage writing, reading, and exploring their own culture in various languages. All 22 GMCs in Mauritania have, or are in the process of getting, internet access. In addition, each has one or more volunteers who serve as [[technical support]] for the multi-media and computer classes. This volunteer will provide technical support during our deployment period and will continue to work and maintain the XO laptops at the GMCs following our departure. Every GMC site has several bilingual PCVs who will function as translators between us and the local youth and GMC mentors.
Pedagogical Lead: Ariella Goodman, Teachers' College, Columbia University


'''Eco-Health Camp'''
Logistical Lead: Claire Hsu, Williams College


There is an opportunity to introduce XO laptops to a group of 40 Mauritanian females coming to Kankossa in July. Eco-Health Camp facilitates an open dialogue among young females to discuss the environment and other health topics – such as desertification, pollution, and the repercussions of Mauritania importing 70-80% of their food. These conversations take place among 5th and 6th grade girls and are communicated in multiple local languages. While communication with the leaders of this camp is necessary to discuss specific curricular details, access to XO laptop technology could motivate these females to become agents of environmental change.
=OLPCorps Proposal=


'''“My Story”'''
===Problem Definition===
Computer education remains absent from the educational experience of the children of Magongo. All of the grades in the three public primary schools in the area (Bomu, Mwijabu and Kwahola) have no computer education. There is only one Internet café in the area, but there are too few computers for the amount of children interested in taking computer education classes.
===Breadth and Scope of the Problem===
The problem seems to be pervasive among the three public schools in the area. Although families generally do see the benefits in computer education for children, they cannot afford the costs of training at the local Internet café. The local community does realize that computer education can in fact transform the educational experience of young students. Therefore, this program will focus on primary school children, which is the group on which computer science education is bound to have the most decisive impact.
===Gravity of the Problem===
Children in primary schools are not only receiving poor quality education, they are also not learning basic critical thinking skills, structures of knowledge, and are constantly seeing no purpose in a system of certified education that can ensure no job security.


As students of African and comparative literature, we know the value of documenting oral stories and histories from rural areas of Africa. While this act of documentation is beneficial for reading publics, our primary goal is to inspire youth to value and share their own life stories. We plan to utilize XO microphones to have youth orally recite any personal story they deem important. The paint capabilities of XO could be used to add visual dynamics to oral components. One long-term goal of “My Story” is to have each female transfer her oral story to the written page. Access to “Speak” may serve as motivation for students whose writing skills can enable their XO to literally speak their story. We plan to collect these stories on a collaborative website which could be used by other OLPC groups looking to deploy similar projects in their regions.
==Program Goals==
This program seeks to foster the learning skills that can be developed through computer education (but that can be applied to all academic and non-academic disciplines) by opening a computer classroom in the Mombasa Olympic Youth Organization’s (MOYO) community center, which is located just a few steps from Bomu Primary School. Bomu is the largest of them, with a student population of over two thousand and less than thirty teachers who must teach with less than 4 students per textbook. With few resources to achieve the national standards for education, children in Magongo need desperate assistance to learn the material to pass their courses. We shall use OLPC's XO laptops to supplement the knowledge attained by students in the classroom so that they may be prepared to take the Kenyan Primary School Exams.


'''Fundraising'''
===Duration of the Program===
It will stay on indefinitely. We will seek to institutionalize this program to meet the demand for such support in Magongo.


We are in the process of fundraising and have written letters to Rotary International, Lions Club International [http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/content/youth_index.shtml], and Kiwanis International [http://www.kiwanis.org/WhoWeAre/WhatisaKiwanian/tabid/297/Default.aspx]. As former Rotary Youth Exchange Students, Stephanie and Justin have permission to give power point presentations to several Rotary Clubs in district 6220 [http://www.ridistrict6220.org/] in conjunction with fundraising for OLPC Mauritania. In addition, we plan to contact and pool resources with several University organizations, such as the African Student’s Union [http://um.collegiatelink.net/Community?action=getOrgHome&orgID=11481], and Amnesty International UM Chapter [http://um.collegiatelink.net/Community?action=getOrgHome&orgID=11583].
===Breadth and Scope of the Program===
'''Location''': The project will take place at the Mombasa Olympic Youth Organization’s community center, which already has electricity and Internet access.[http://www.gladshouse.com/pdf/Maryknoll-Bokey.pdf] [http://www.gladshouse.com/moyo.asp]
'''Housing Laptops'''


Laptops will be shipped to Nouakchott and received by PCVs. We will hire a car to transport the laptops to Kiffa. They will then be housed in the Kiffa and Kankossa GMCs.
'''Frequency''': Four times a week. A member of the Mombasa Olympic Youth Organization shall receive training to conduct four classes a week, with each class instructing 20-25 students.


'''Supporting Documents'''
'''Number of Students''': Between 80 and 100 will enroll in the program each session. This is an arbitrary number, since once the program grows in popularity more children will enroll. But for the first few months of the program, it is a fair educated guess. We expect each session to last approximately one semester, with a new set of students being instructed during the 1st semester, the 2nd semester, and the summer vacation.


'''[[Media:UMiamibudget.pdf‎|Our Budget]]'''
==Program Outputs==
===Targeted skills===
This program will seek to make the children who enroll in the program:
* Learn basic computer skills;
* Supplement their classroom learning so they will be prepared to excel on the Kenya Primary School Exams.
* See the value of learning through an immediately gratifying learning environment, in which they will be able both to play and acquire new knowledge and skills;
* Feel accompanied by their tutors, and feel comfortable to learn in a hostility-free and very friendly environment.


'''[[Media:UMiami_letter_PCV.pdf|Peace Corps Letter of Support]]'''
== Project Management:==
The Peace Corps letter of support is written out to Stephanie Selvick and her former team member Sydney Owens. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Sydney Owens had to drop out of the OLPC project. As such, Justin Burnett has stepped up to the plate and become Stephanie's new team member.
'''Participating Organizations''': Education Without Boundaries (EWB) [http://www.educationwithoutboundaries.net], MOYO, OLPC and the Bomu Primary School. OLPC will provide the XO laptops and school server. EWB will provide supplementary funds and project management. Fredrick Achola, the director of MOYO, will provide on the ground support by providing the space for the program, overseeing instructors, and assessing program effectiveness. MOYO shall also hire instructors who shall undergo training in computers.


==Type of Program==
The program combines a training component (the computer education workshops per se) and a creative application component.


'''Travel Blog'''
'''Training Component''': The instructor shall conduct four workshops once a week for two hours each session. The teacher will provide computer science education for three age groups (grades 1-3, 4-6, and 7-8). The training component shall last for the first 1.5 months, with students learning typing skills, Internet usage, and blogging.
Stay up to date with our collaborative travel blog! http://africaxo.blogspot.com/

'''Creative Application Component''': For the remaining 2 months, students shall apply these skills into creating a blog that shall be shared with sister primary schools in the United States. Students will be able to blog about topics of interest (school, family, health, sports). The sister school program shall be arranged through EWB. Through the use of the laptops’ built in cameras and microphones, the participating students will be able to communicate live at pre-arranged times with their peers in the United States. The hope is that this communication will initiate cross-cultural learning.

=Budget=
[http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=plkjqEqweFzeLpZzvD0jUSg]

=Ancillary=
==Project Ideas==
===Writing Independently and Collaboratively===
Writing independently helps students develop confidence in their language skills. Students will be encouraged to write to present their ideas and tell about their experiences and dreams for the future. Students would also collaborate on reports for valuable teamwork skills.

===PenPals===
Connections have been made with appropriate schools in the United States. Students at these schools would be paired with a Kenyan student of the same age. The computers at the internet cafe may be used for a video chat between pen pals.

===Interviews===
The XO Laptop's [[Record]] application allows students to apply typing, writing, and blogging skills with to become student journalists. Students would conduct interviews and report their findings in their blogs.

===Mapping===
A "community map" can be made with collaborative use of the Paint application to make map sections. Students can then create text placemarks and embed photos onto the map canvas. The goal is not to make an "accurate" map, but a fun and creative project to share their community with the outside world. The Google Maps API (JavaScript) is suitable for this application.

==Technical Details==
* We will look into HTTP caching and other techniques to save bandwidth
* Our technical lead has an XO laptop, has experience programming it, and can program and test before deployment
* Any custom web applications will be hosted on Google AppEngine
**Free hosting of 500MB and around 5 million pageviews a month (well over our needs)
**Willing to share apps with other OLPCorps teams
* XO-sized video player and search with YouTube API - [http://sugo-katta.appspot.com/olpc-video/player?v=FCeepnOW1Ss example]

Latest revision as of 20:38, 27 May 2009

Motivation

A team of two students have teamed up with Peace Corps volunteers (PCVs) in Mauritania to deploy XO laptops to two of the Girls Mentoring Centers (GMCs) across the country. Specifically, we will work with thirty-five 6-12 year old females in Kiffa [1] and sixty-four in Kankossa [2] for nine weeks from June-August, 2009. While several GMCs in larger cities have assisted Mauritanian females to further their education via university, there has only been one female in Kiffa known to continue her education at the college level. In addition, working in these two rural sites guarantees 1:1 laptop saturation. We believe access to and ownership of XO laptop technology at a young age will enable females in Kiffa and Kankossa to take control of their education, thus empowering the next generation of African women, their families, and Mauritania. In doing so, OLPC and Peace Corps will help reduce the educational gender gap in Mauritania, while providing students an avenue to develop creatively and academically. The GMCs are currently run by PCVs and local Mauritanian volunteers; while PCVs will remain at the GMCs for one year following our departure, the goal of local, long-term sustainability means these centers will be run solely by Mauritanians in the near future.

Collaboration

We hope to collaborate with other OLPC groups applying to work in Mauritania. Our vision is by connecting students among the various GMC sites via XO laptops, they will serve as motivation for each other. Illiteracy is a challenge for youth in Mauritania. As such, we have organized with the Cornell OLPC group to implement a pen-pal system between our sites to encourage writing, reading, and exploring their own culture in various languages. All 22 GMCs in Mauritania have, or are in the process of getting, internet access. In addition, each has one or more volunteers who serve as technical support for the multi-media and computer classes. This volunteer will provide technical support during our deployment period and will continue to work and maintain the XO laptops at the GMCs following our departure. Every GMC site has several bilingual PCVs who will function as translators between us and the local youth and GMC mentors.

Eco-Health Camp

There is an opportunity to introduce XO laptops to a group of 40 Mauritanian females coming to Kankossa in July. Eco-Health Camp facilitates an open dialogue among young females to discuss the environment and other health topics – such as desertification, pollution, and the repercussions of Mauritania importing 70-80% of their food. These conversations take place among 5th and 6th grade girls and are communicated in multiple local languages. While communication with the leaders of this camp is necessary to discuss specific curricular details, access to XO laptop technology could motivate these females to become agents of environmental change.

“My Story”

As students of African and comparative literature, we know the value of documenting oral stories and histories from rural areas of Africa. While this act of documentation is beneficial for reading publics, our primary goal is to inspire youth to value and share their own life stories. We plan to utilize XO microphones to have youth orally recite any personal story they deem important. The paint capabilities of XO could be used to add visual dynamics to oral components. One long-term goal of “My Story” is to have each female transfer her oral story to the written page. Access to “Speak” may serve as motivation for students whose writing skills can enable their XO to literally speak their story. We plan to collect these stories on a collaborative website which could be used by other OLPC groups looking to deploy similar projects in their regions.

Fundraising

We are in the process of fundraising and have written letters to Rotary International, Lions Club International [3], and Kiwanis International [4]. As former Rotary Youth Exchange Students, Stephanie and Justin have permission to give power point presentations to several Rotary Clubs in district 6220 [5] in conjunction with fundraising for OLPC Mauritania. In addition, we plan to contact and pool resources with several University organizations, such as the African Student’s Union [6], and Amnesty International UM Chapter [7].

Housing Laptops

Laptops will be shipped to Nouakchott and received by PCVs. We will hire a car to transport the laptops to Kiffa. They will then be housed in the Kiffa and Kankossa GMCs.

Supporting Documents

Our Budget

Peace Corps Letter of Support The Peace Corps letter of support is written out to Stephanie Selvick and her former team member Sydney Owens. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Sydney Owens had to drop out of the OLPC project. As such, Justin Burnett has stepped up to the plate and become Stephanie's new team member.


Travel Blog Stay up to date with our collaborative travel blog! http://africaxo.blogspot.com/

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