OLPCorps Dickinson Ghana

Team Members

Name	College	Year	Roles	Background
Jeremy Pesner	Dickinson College	2009	Project Manager, Game Designer, and Software Engineer	Computer Science, Project Management, Educational Gaming
Jennifer Strater	Hamilton College	2010	Correspondence Coordinator, Data Management, and Quality Control	Computer Science, Psychology
Courage K M Azumah			local contact, Elikplim Foundation

Who, What, When, Where?

This project will distribute 100 laptops to primary school children (6-12 year olds) in the Somey National School in the Volta Region of Ghana. Language should not be a barrier since English is the primary language for the school and throughout Ghana. The project should begin after orientation in Rwanda(if flight arrangements allow, the week before orientation will be used for set-up with the school and NGO in Ghana). The school has classes in June and July, allowing us to interact with the students directly in the classroom. There is a short break during the month of August when we will work with the NGO, Elikplim Foundation, to ensure the long-term success of this project. The staff of this organization will also be able to provide technical support. This town is equipped with power to supply the laptops and establishing an Internet connection should be a feasible task given the conditions and equipment.

<googlemap version="0.9" lat="6.0833" lon="1.0333" zoom="12"> 6.0833, 1.0333 Agbozume, Ghana </googlemap>

Click on the links below for pictures of the town of Agbozume, the local soccer team (for upper level students), and a few pictures of the school itself (the soccer field and accompanying buildings).

The Soccer Team

The Town and Markets

Our Goals

Educational gaming is shown to improve test scores and enhance learning (Schmidt and Vandewater, 2008). By engaging students in more active, intuitive fashions than traditional lecture methods, computer games are a way to enhance motivation in school aged children and adolescents. Significant improvements in learning have been observed for many different subjects when computer games were used to supplement classroom instruction such as languages (Purushotma, 2005) and geography (Tuzun, Yilmaz-Soylu, Karakus, Inal, and Kizilkaya, 2009).

Our group will craft educational games to supplement learning in the classroom. By working with teachers and administrators, we will develop games for any subject needed and the specific needs of these students. We can incorporate local customs, specific styles of learning, and age specific topics. Based on Mr. Pesner's experience in educational gaming and Ms. Strater's experience in psychology, we will work to develop games that increase learning in any subject matter desired. The children will be monitored for statistically significant progress and the games adapted if they do not meet the needs of the children and educators. We hope to provide enough (programmatic) education during our time in Ghana that the children will be empowered to create their own games after we leave. This project can be continued on a limited-basis during the school year with the support of the Elikplim Foundation and additional gaming assistance from Mr. Pesner and Ms. Strater. The transition period will make sure we can stay involved.

This opportunity for the children of the Somey National School is life changing. Like the expression goes, “Give a man a fish, you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish, and you have fed him for a lifetime.” In the same way, we are giving these children the opportunity to grow and succeed. Technology, particularly with the use of the internet today, provides these children the opportunity to meet people all over the globe inspire them to succeed whether through furthering their education or founding an organization for changing the world. This project will facilitate their comfort with computers and lay the foundation for further study and use of technology.

Credentials

Jeremy Pesner - In addition to several years of programming experience, Mr. Pesner has led committees which have been charged with discussing and improving technology. His strong communication skills, wide knowledge of technology and its applications, experience with the XO laptop and published work in Educational Gaming (ACMSE '09) makes him well-positioned to lead this educational gaming project. He also strengthens his leadership in other on-campus groups throughout the year, including Dickinson College's Student Senate, Chidokwan Karate Club, school newspaper (in which he maintains a tech column), and other organizations.

Jennifer Strater - Ms. Strater's experiences are mainly in psychology and research methods including a National Science Foundation(NSF) program and Summer Research Grants through Hamilton College, the University of South Carolina, and the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics. In addition, she enjoys volunteering and has spent Spring Breaks tutoring at an underprivileged Elementary School in rural North Carolina, another building houses with Habitat for Humanity, and currently works for an organization that teaches English as a second language. That does not include her on campus commitments with Hogwarts at Hamilton, a community service organization that promotes children's literacy through the inspiration of the Harry Potter series, where she is on the executive board, and Newman Council, a Catholic Service organization whose main fall event is organizing a safe place to trick-or-treat for children of inner city Utica. She also possesses a background in medicine that will be useful in rural areas where health care facilities are limited.

Local Organizations

Somey National School
Agbozume
Volta Region
Ghana

This school serves 300 students from age 6 to 18. Twelve classes of students are in the 6 to 12 age range for this project. Students will be selected by commitment to the project. Future goals include providing laptops for all children who want one. Until then, students will share with their siblings. This school has a long history as it even educated the current tribal chief almost 90 years ago. It's location in the center of town makes it ideal for community involvement and access to resources. (See pictures of Agbozume above).

Elikplim Foundation[1]
Agbozume
Volta Region
Ghana

Elikplim Foundation (EF) is a non profit and non governmental organization in Ghana. EF's goal is to assist orphans who are the most vulnerable and needy people in society through the a variety of assistance including caring for needy children and youths, providing healthcare and educational facilities, scholarships for the needy and brilliant students, and a home for orphans. EF was formed on the 24th April 2008 as a result of the continuous interest of the founder Mr.John Cudjoe in rendering humanitarian services to needy persons in the society. He was concerned about the increasing number of orphans and children and youths on the street and elsewhere, without access to food, clothing, shelter, education and other necessities of life. EF is set up with a view to bring such bare necessities to the underprivileged and disadvantaged children.

Budget

Transportation to JFK - $300 (from Syracuse, NY and Carlisle, PA)
Airfare for 2 from JFK to KGL to ACC and back to JFK -approx $6000 (travel between Kigali and Accra is expensive)
Travel within Ghana (to include trips to pick up equipment and travel to the airport) - $200
Lodging - $900 ($100/wk for 9 weeks)
Food - $400 (about $5/day)
Passports, Visas, and Immunizations (x2) - $600
Medical Preparedness Kit (advised for Travel to Ghana and includes first aid items for 3 months. Ms. Strater is certified in First Aid and First Responder) - $100
Other expenditures for the school (technical expenses incurred, use of materials, etc) - $300

Total: $8800

References

Purushotma, R. Commentary: You’re Not Studying, You’re Just... Language Learning & Technology. 9(1): 80-96. Jan 2005. Link to Article[2]
Schmidt, M.E., Vandewater, E.A. Media and Attention, Cognition, and School Achievement. The Future of Children. 18(1): 63-85. Spring 2008. Link to Article[3]
Tuzun, H., Yilmaz-soylu, M., Karakus, T., Inal, Y., Kizilkaya, G. The effects of computer games on primary school students’ achievement and motivation in geography learning. Computers and Education. 52: 68-77. 2009. Link to Article[4]