OLPCorps MIT Mauritania Bababe: Difference between revisions
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[[OLPCorps Africa |Back To OLPCorps Africa]] |
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'''University:''' MIT<br /> |
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[http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPCorps_MIT_Mauritania_Bababe_Deployment_Location'''Deployment Location:'''] Bababé, Mauritania <br /><br /> |
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'''Contact Information:''' olpcorps@mit.edu <br /> |
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| ⚫ | We are working with |
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'''Local Contact:''' Zach, Peace Corps Volunteer and Environmental Educator<br /> |
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Our deployment will be set up as a summer program using Maison de Jeunes, a youth center established by the Ministry of Culture, as our school. We will choose a diverse group of 5th and 6th graders to work with. In a male dominated education system, we will make sure that we provide equal opportunities to both genders.<br /><br /> |
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[[OLPCorps MIT Mauritania Bababe Deployment Location|'''Deployment Location:''']] Bababé, Mauritania <br /> |
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The school system in Mauritania is weak, due largely to the poverty of the country and thus lack of student resources. Giving 100 elementary school children XO’s will have irreversible effects on how they learn. It will allow them to utilize the opportunities that come with innovative technology notably, the Internet. The ability to access this infinite information database will give students the resources and desire to learn on a global scale. We will also use the XO's as learning tools in the classrooms, teaching the children how to use the laptops to gain more understanding about each other and their own environment.<br /><br /> |
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The children will learn how to use the XOs through interactive, multi-player games. They will be encouraged to explore the features of the laptops themselves. Then, they will design projects that they will work on in teams. Potentially, they will collaborate with children participating in our sister deployments in Kaedi, Tdjikja, Kiffa and Kankossa. Using the XOs, they will record what they observe, share the designs and ideas they come up with, analyze the information they find on the web, and present the results to their peers and parents. We will also work with Zach to create a project to teach children about the environment. We hope that this will have a positive effect on the community and foster collaboration.<br /><br /> |
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Working with local educational providers and Peace Corps volunteers, we will design lesson plans for schools to incorporate the XOs. Keeping their 5th grade public school curriculum in mind, we will show the children how to take what they have learned and apply it in a [[OLPCorps MIT Mauritania Bababe Educational+Curriculum| new and interesting way]]. <br /><br /> |
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'''[[OLPCorps MIT Mauritania Bababe Project Specifics |Project Specifics]]''' <br /> |
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The local spoken languages in Bababe are Pulaar, a language used in Senegal, Mauritania, Gambia, and western Mali; Hassniya, a dialect of Arabic that is understood by most children because they must learn the Koran at a young age; and French. The children also learn English in school, but at the age of 6-12, they probably only know the basics. For this reason, we will most likely teach the children in French, although we will obviously still use English in English language classes.<br /><br /> |
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'''[[OLPCorps MIT Mauritania Bababe Budget |Budget]]'''<br /><br /> |
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Two of our team members can speak some French and we will work with Peace Corps volunteers to make sure that we teach the students most effectively. Some of these volunteers are mentors at the Girls Mentoring Center in Bogue who speak any mixture of English, French, Hassniya, Arabic, and Pulaar. We will familiarize them with our curriculum and goals each day before we meet the students, to make sure that the children receive the most accurate instructions.<br /><br /> |
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In terms of sustainability, the Peace Corps has been involved in Bababe for 20 years now and is making no plans to leave. The volunteers we train on the XOs will pass their skills to new volunteers, continuing our program long after we leave. Our local contact Zach Swank will help integrate the XOs into the school system when the school year starts. We will record the work we do in Bababe as reference for future deployments. If successful, this project will serve as a pilot for future Peace Corps programs internationally.<br /><br /> |
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'''General Information'''<br /> |
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We will also encourage the children to keep in contact with our team and keep us updated on their lives and set up a pen pal exchange between Bababe students and the students involved in the Cambridge, MA deployment near MIT. This would facilitate cultural awareness and allow Mauritanian students to practice their English. We would look further into this in the weeks leading up to June 8. <br /><br /> |
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| ⚫ | Our team is |
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| ⚫ | We are working with a [[Peace Corps]] [http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.wherepc.africa.mauritania] volunteer, Zach, on this initiative. Zach is an environmental educator in Bababé who will work with us throughout our deployment and provide facilities to store and charge the laptops. Zach will meet us in the capital Nouakchott to help us pick up the laptops and equipment and transport them back to Bababé. |
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We will set up a summer program based in the local réseau de jeunesse, or youth center, in Bababé, where the XOs can also be stored. There are normally over 200 students in Bababé who are aged 10-12, so we will have to address the issue of having more students than laptops. Since the children are on break for the nine weeks we are there, it's hard to gauge how many students will be available to participate. We will work with Zach in the coming weeks to address this issue. In a male-dominated education system, we will provide equal opportunities to both genders.<br /><br /> |
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'''Impact on Children'''<br /> |
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We hope to use the laptops and the internet to broaden the childrens' horizons and to show them that there is more to learning than just rote memorization. We will hopefully connect all five deployment sites in Mauritania [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPCorps_Cornell_Mauritania] [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPCorps_MIT_Mauritania_Kaedi] [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPCorps_Africa#University_of_Miami_-_Mauritania] over the internet, allowing the children to record their observations, share the designs and ideas they come up with, analyze the information they find on the web, and present their learnings to their peers and parents. Learning through the XOs can help the children jumpstart change in their country. |
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Our goal is to let the children bring the laptops home while they are learning to use them. However, in Mauritanian society, anything the child brings home becomes the property of the family. To address this problem, we will set up a loaner library where the laptops will be the property of the Peace Corps, but the children can still take them home. They will charge the laptops at school using power we will fund, since most homes in Bababé still don’t have electricity. Internet will be provided by World Vision, another NGO operating in Bababé that subscribes to satellite internet.<br /><br /> |
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'''Communication''' <br /> |
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The languages spoken in Bababé are Pulaar, Hassaniya, and French. Since three of our members know some French, we plan to communicate basic instructions in French. However, we will work with the volunteers to make sure that the children receive the most accurate instructions. We will also need to make superficial alterations to the keys on the XOs, changing the English into a French keyboard. <br /><br /> |
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'''Sustainability''' <br /> |
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The Peace Corps has been involved in Bababé for 20 years now and will continue its involvement. The volunteers we train will pass their skills to new volunteers, continuing our program long after we leave. We will work with local educational providers and Peace Corps volunteers to design lesson plans which follow the 5th grade public school curriculum while incorporating the XOs. |
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We will document the work we do in Bababé as reference for future deployments; if successful, this project will serve as a pilot for future Peace Corps programs internationally. |
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We are looking into setting up a penpal exchange program between Bababé students and the students involved in other deployments, both across Mauritania and all of Africa. This will facilitate cultural awareness amongst all students involved. We will further develop this in the weeks leading up to June 8. |
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| ⚫ | Our team is planning on establishing an official MIT OLPC chapter dedicated to promoting awareness of the non-profit and initiating new projects while supporting ongoing ones, including this one. Becoming an official club will allow us to apply for funding from MIT's finance board, fundraise on-campus, and solicit alumni and corporations for sponsorships. The money we raise will provide continuing financial support to Bababé volunteers who will maintain internet connectivity, power, server connections, repairs and eventual replacement of the laptops, and will also raise the necessary funds to send new OLPC teams to Africa every summer. |
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Latest revision as of 11:45, 27 March 2009
University: MIT
Team: Mary Wang, Owen Derby, Janet Li, Madeline Mirzoeff
Contact Information: olpcorps@mit.edu
NGO: Peace Corps
NGO Contact: Ginger, Peace Corps Volunteer
Local Contact: Zach, Peace Corps Volunteer and Environmental Educator
Deployment Location: Bababé, Mauritania
Deployment Date: June 20th-August 22nd, 2009
General Information
Our goal is to give children the tools needed to fully learn and to explore the world. We want to empower them with the ability to share their ideas and to teach others.
We are working with a Peace Corps [1] volunteer, Zach, on this initiative. Zach is an environmental educator in Bababé who will work with us throughout our deployment and provide facilities to store and charge the laptops. Zach will meet us in the capital Nouakchott to help us pick up the laptops and equipment and transport them back to Bababé.
We will set up a summer program based in the local réseau de jeunesse, or youth center, in Bababé, where the XOs can also be stored. There are normally over 200 students in Bababé who are aged 10-12, so we will have to address the issue of having more students than laptops. Since the children are on break for the nine weeks we are there, it's hard to gauge how many students will be available to participate. We will work with Zach in the coming weeks to address this issue. In a male-dominated education system, we will provide equal opportunities to both genders.
Impact on Children
We hope to use the laptops and the internet to broaden the childrens' horizons and to show them that there is more to learning than just rote memorization. We will hopefully connect all five deployment sites in Mauritania [2] [3] [4] over the internet, allowing the children to record their observations, share the designs and ideas they come up with, analyze the information they find on the web, and present their learnings to their peers and parents. Learning through the XOs can help the children jumpstart change in their country.
Our goal is to let the children bring the laptops home while they are learning to use them. However, in Mauritanian society, anything the child brings home becomes the property of the family. To address this problem, we will set up a loaner library where the laptops will be the property of the Peace Corps, but the children can still take them home. They will charge the laptops at school using power we will fund, since most homes in Bababé still don’t have electricity. Internet will be provided by World Vision, another NGO operating in Bababé that subscribes to satellite internet.
Communication
The languages spoken in Bababé are Pulaar, Hassaniya, and French. Since three of our members know some French, we plan to communicate basic instructions in French. However, we will work with the volunteers to make sure that the children receive the most accurate instructions. We will also need to make superficial alterations to the keys on the XOs, changing the English into a French keyboard.
Sustainability
The Peace Corps has been involved in Bababé for 20 years now and will continue its involvement. The volunteers we train will pass their skills to new volunteers, continuing our program long after we leave. We will work with local educational providers and Peace Corps volunteers to design lesson plans which follow the 5th grade public school curriculum while incorporating the XOs.
We will document the work we do in Bababé as reference for future deployments; if successful, this project will serve as a pilot for future Peace Corps programs internationally.
We are looking into setting up a penpal exchange program between Bababé students and the students involved in other deployments, both across Mauritania and all of Africa. This will facilitate cultural awareness amongst all students involved. We will further develop this in the weeks leading up to June 8.
Our team is planning on establishing an official MIT OLPC chapter dedicated to promoting awareness of the non-profit and initiating new projects while supporting ongoing ones, including this one. Becoming an official club will allow us to apply for funding from MIT's finance board, fundraise on-campus, and solicit alumni and corporations for sponsorships. The money we raise will provide continuing financial support to Bababé volunteers who will maintain internet connectivity, power, server connections, repairs and eventual replacement of the laptops, and will also raise the necessary funds to send new OLPC teams to Africa every summer.