OLPCorps RHIT IU CU Uganda

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Positive Planet Team

Positive Planet Team (PPT) is a non-profit organization (expand with info-coming soon)

Members

RHIT, IU, CU Positive Planet Team

Name	Major	Class	University	Email
Rufus Cochran	Computer Engineering	'10	Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology	cochrarc@rose-hulman.edu
Logan Garrett	Business	'10	Indiana University	(---)
Allison Slutter	Social Work	Graduate Student	Columbia University	(---)

750 Word Draft Project Proposal

Positive Planet OLPC Team Proposal

Background:
Positive Planet is a non-profit organization committed to supporting quality education for the children of Uganda. Similar to OLPC’s vision, Positive Planet believes that all children should have opportunities to learn, self-express and explore. The Positive Planet OLPC Team (PPT) proposes bringing 100 laptops to children in a primary school in rural Uganda. Utilizing Positive Planet’s strong community ties, our plan will deliver computer skills, self-directed learning and access to the world wide web.

Participants:
Rufus Cochran - Computer Engineering undergraduate student from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Logan Garrett - Business undergraduate student from Indiana University Allison Slutter – Social Work graduate student from Columbia University

Local Partners:
Positive Plant – Since its inception in 2003, Positive Planet has developed strong community ties in the rural district of Rakia, Uganda particularly within the town of Kalisizo, and will help provide resources for housing as well as funding to establish internet connections. Please see http://www.positiveplanet.net. The St Andrews Matale Hill Primary School – Linked through Positive Planet, the school is a Universal Primary Education School in Kalisizo of 900 students, many of whom are orphans due to the AIDS pandemic. The school will be in session from June through August, so children and space for training will be accessible for the program. Bank Street School of Education – In conjunction with Positive Planet, this summer, 8-10 graduate students will be traveling throughout the Kalisizo area to participate in training workshops with local teachers. This collaboration will strengthen our plans for program sustainability.

Implementation Plan and Impact:
The PPT will focus on OLPC’s core beliefs of child ownership, low ages, saturation, connection, and free and open source, emphasizing younger learners, in order to extend skills, a sense of ownership and project-based learning. We will work closely with the Matale Hill School, the Kalisizo community and the children themselves to identify participants for the program. The three main parts of the plan are:
Computer exploration/education: The first week focuses on meeting with the students and teachers, demonstrating the XO and developing a rapport so that together, we can most successfully decide which children will participate in the program. After the children receive their computers, we will spend several weeks teaching basic computer skills and exploring the capabilities of the XO to introduce the children to their computer and to develop a sense of ownership.
Project-based learning/development: Based on the OLPC Learning Guide Model, we will use project development to continue teaching skills and assess desired outcomes. After gaining basic computer skills, the children will form teams of 5-6 and start working on projects. Projects will be developed depending on interest and community resources. Project-based learning will help the children engage with their XO and expand their inquiry. Projects will be presented to the community at the end of the summer to highlight the use of the XO and to provide skills assessments and outcome measurements.
Exploratory and self-directed learning: Using the XO computers will vastly promote self-directed learning and will help the children of the Matale Hill School move from rote memorization toward creativity and exploration. We will work in conjunction with local teachers and Bank Street students to create culturally relevant and innovative ways to promote exploratory learning and inquiry. Exploration on the web and direct internet connections with their pen pals from the American sister schools will be encouraged.
IMPACT: This is especially important for children in Ugandan schools, as they are typically not given the opportunity to problem solve, discover or explore in a classroom setting.

Technology Phases:
Matale Hill Local Area Network: Matale Hill School will serve as the hub for all future network infrastructures within Kalisizo’s schools. Steps include: Setup a server at Matale Hill School using the OLPC provided server. Install wireless access points around the school so that all laptops can be connected. Local appraisals of Matale Hill will aid in determining the hardware requirements for the wireless network.

Matale Hill Internet Access: Matale Hill will be the hub for internet access. Also, PPT will work with local contacts to explore the possibility of an extended network that can bring internet access to other area schools.

In closing:
Positive Planet and the PPT are committed to partnering with the community of Kalisizo, Uganda. By partnering with OLPC and using the 1:1 laptop concept, we believe that we can empower and engage children and promote innovation, curiosity and learning. The PPT feels privileged to apply and thanks OLPC for its time and consideration.

Budget

(insert budget)