EKindling

"A mind is not a vessel to be filled but a flame to be kindled." - Plutarch

Welcome to Education Kindling Organization Wiki

eKindling is short for Education Kindling, eKindling is the result of our collaborative attempt to formalize an organizati on in the Philippines that will allow us to further our common mission and vision as a community. Simply said -- This is an education project.

Having been conceived through the "OLPC process," eKindling is supportive of current XO-related initiatives. Projects, partnerships and volunteer efforts will continue to be encouraged. The project details below provides more detail about the organization and why we are pursuing this route.

Many thanks to everyone who has helped in getting us to this point. Your efforts are priceless! With your continued support and collaboration, we can finally see the vision become a reality in the Philippines.

Vision

This is an education project, not a laptop project!

Thus, through innovations in learning and technology, we want to empower the youth of the Philippines to become digitally literate, critical thinkers and productive members of society. In doing so, we believe that they will be better prepared to tackle the challenges of an increasingly competitive job market and globalized world as well, as become an agent of change towards the betterment of themselves and their communities.

Mission

To enhance educational opportunities through open source, learning and technological innovations for the empowerment of children in the Philippines.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is this different from other computer classes?

Most programs teach "computer literacy", which focuses on the basics such as email, power point, word processing, and web browsing. Many others use "edutainment" software to teach things like the 3 Rs “aRithmetic, wRiting, and Reading.” Both of these approaches fall far short of what's possible with computers.

We believe that children are creative learners, and as such, they can construct new knowledge through playful exploration and problem solving. Our curriculum, which will be based on the methodologies used by OLE Nepal and Waveplace, will serve to enhance already existing curricula in public schools. Thus, we do not aim to replace established curricula.

In partnership with Squeakland and local stakeholders, we hope to develop an interdisciplinary curriculum that leverages constructivist approach and that focuses on programming as well as the 3 Rs. Again, this is an education project. Creating effective educational content and curriculum will be a primary goal.

Why is your name eKindling?

In the words of the Greek Philosopher, Plutarch, a mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled. We strongly believe this and as such, we wanted our name “eKindling” (or Education Kindling) to reflect this.

Although there are branding benefits to naming ourselves “OLPC Philippines,” we believe that it would limit our growth. In a rapidly innovating technological terrain, we want to be able to adopt better technologies that may help us achieve our mission more efficiently and effectively.

Ultimately, our vision transcends the notion of simply giving each child in the Philippines a laptop. We recognize that the XO laptop is simply a vehicle that delivers quality education that each child deserves. We focus on the mission, not the vehicle.

Does this mean you are not using XO laptops?

No, XO laptops are still our primary choice of hardware. In the foreseeable future, we believe that its design and price still holds a competitive advantage over all other competing technologies. Thus, XOs will be the main tool in our pilot deployments.

With that said, we suspect that Sugar on a Stick will play an increasing role in our future operations.

As an organization, we recognize that hardware is simply the beginning. We put equal emphasis on the software and educational content. OLPC is simply 1/3 of the equation. Sugar Operating System (Sugarlabs) and Educational Content (Squeakland) are equally as important. Understanding this from the onset will increase our chances of success.

Who owns this project?

We firmly believe that no one person owns the OLPC project. The community, which includes all stakeholders (educators, parents, entrepreneurs, students, donors, engineers, etc) owns the project. Collectively, community members are the experts and we look towards them for guidance and support. The value provided by the community is central to our strategic plan. Thus, to maintain a sense of ownership and trust, our organization strives to be transparent.

Learning from the experience of OLE Nepal, we maintain that this is community driven.

Are you looking for partners?

Yes, we are looking for partners! We are looking for partners that know how to get things done. They will guide our approach, especially as we move forward with our small-medium deployments. You know your communities the most and we look forward to serving them with you.

If you are an academic institution, private corporation, non-profit organization, corporate social responsibility program, or government department, please feel free to contact us!

How can I help?

There are many ways you can help!

Right now, we need money. Every dollar you donate will help us help more children. If you are also a grant writer, please help write applications for seed funding and deployment programs. Increasing our funds will increase our capacity to deploy pilots!

We also need help with educational content. Feedback and input regarding our curriculum would be truly appreciated!

Spread the word in your social networks, blogs, etc. Spread the word!! We need as much support as possible. Engage!

Follow us on twitter:eKindling. We will continue to post volunteer opportunities and announcements about new partnerships, developments, deployments, etc.

eKindling Team

Sandeep Chandiramani

Sandeep spent a decade supporting Red Hat's 100-fold growth worldwide. The experience has allowed him to pursue management positions in finance, sales and operations in the US, Europe and Asia-Pacific. More important, the exposure has allowed him to build a foundation for embracing the values of open source and its advocacy in education and enterprise.

"Everyone deserves an opportunity. Let's provide it to as many as possible."

Jerome Gotangco

A technologist by heart, Jerome Gotangco managed IT departments from the semiconductor, telecoms and non-profit sectors, all of which involved Open Source as a key adoption strategy that resulted in several successful deployments. Jerome also served as External Vice President of the Philippine Linux Users Group, Edubuntu Community Council (www.edubuntu.org) and recently, the Ubuntu Community Council, the community governance board that is responsible for supervising the social structures and community processes of Ubuntu Linux Project (www.ubuntu.com. He has also organized community-driven developer events in the Philippines such as BarCamp Manila (www.barcamp.org/BarCampManila) and DevCon (www.devcon.ph). Along with some friends, he is currently the producer of the grassroots oriented online tech show, Pinoy Tech Podcast (www.pinoytechpodcast.com).

He is frequently tapped as a resource speaker, both local and abroad, on the topics of Linux, Ubuntu, GNU, Cryptography, and Free and Open Source Software Licenses.

Cherry Withers

A graduate of California Polytechnic University with a BS degree in Electrical Engineering, Cherry worked as a design and verification engineer developing solutions for a computer server company (Silicon Graphics, Inc.) for over four years. She also worked for three major high tech companies as a test and applications engineer before graduating from CalPoly (Intel, 3COM, Apple). Her recent work experience includes: MySQL database administration, Web Designer, and Marketing Manager for the company she co-founded (MomWorx, LLC). She is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Software Engineering.

"I think that geniuses are born, not out of the womb, but out of opportunities and tools available for them. My hope is to have every Filipino kid realize their potential by gaining access to a state of the art education."

Ryan Onell Letada

Inspired by social innovators and entrepreneurs, Ryan hopes to empower the youth to dream bigger through innovation, enterprise and technology. A graduate of Wheaton College with a BS degree in Economics, he is currently a Fulbright Fellow, researching the mass eviction of urban poor communities due to infrastructure development projects in the Philippines. Working with the Asian Development Bank, government agencies, private enterprises, and non-profit sector, he is exploring best practices of resettlement and community/urban development. After a stint at Bloomberg LP, ABN AMRO, and Ten3 Venture Capital as an investment analyst, he worked at World Wide Workshop foundation doing development work and social media marketing. He also co-founded Pinoy Computer Clinics, a social venture aimed at closing the digital divide.

Marife Mago

Marife Mago spent most of her life in the Philippines, particularly in Legazpi, Albay and Manila. A graduate of Aquinas University, she earned her Bachelor's degree in Education and worked as a Teacher in Sacred Heart Academy of Novaliches. She then crossed over into the IT industry through a DoST scholarship grant, in cooperation with Asia Pacific College. In her ten years experience in IT, she worked at leading firms including FAS Technologies, Inc., Software Ventures Int'l, Information Technology Solution Int'l., E-World Resources, Inc. and Exist Global Inc. Some of her previous positions held were Programmer Trainee, Software Developer, Account Manager, Program Manager, Training Manager and Project Manager. She spearheaded several Open Source initiatives in several Universities in the Philippines and participated in technical curriculum/program development. Part of her motivation for joining eKindling is rooted in her strong interest in improving education through community collaboration. Currently, Mafe is an OLPC support-gang volunteer and actively mentors some existing contributors project as well participate in the review process of applicants for the OLPC contributors program.

"I believe in Service, Learning and Technology. I'm fascinated by people who are engaged in community collaboration, where they share and strengthen the capacity of different people through their unique talents and experiences."