OLPCorps HarvardUniversity Kenya

Our Proposal

We are team of 7 Kenyan undergraduates from Harvard University, MIT, and BU in the Boston area. We plan to introduce the XO to the children, and organize our work with them into three main stages. The first stage would be to introduce the XO, and the role of general computing in the less economically developed world to the children and the community by holding an informative presentation on computing during the presentation of the laptops to the school.

The next stage is to hold general workshops with the children to teach them the basic functionality of the XO, so that before they get to use the XO to tackle specific problems they face in particular subjects, they are familiar with the basic functions and commands of the XO. We can hold these classes after school on four days spanning two weeks, and every other day we will assign them fun simple tasks they can do at home with the XO's programs, and we will be available on those days to help the children complete these tasks if need be.

After these two weeks, we will then completely integrate the XO into the children's classes, and use it to illustrate specific concepts that each applicable subject tries to explain. Rather than basing the class completely on the XO, we will split the class time into two sections. In the first section, the teacher will explain the concepts of the day, and in the second section, the children will work with the XO programs to illustrate the concepts just explained, and to explore variations. The children will be assigned homework tasks where they can continue to explore the specific concepts they learned in class using the XO, expanding their experience with the XO and making extensive use of its functionality. We will be available to help the children with these homework tasks after the school day. Since many of the children come from the surrounding areas, we can organize these sessions in central locations or homesteads outside the school, to get closer to the community as well.

Sustainability

For the sustainability of this project, we shall hold fund raising events on campus through various organizations that our team members are involved in, to raise funds for any repair and replacement costs that we may incur. We will also require the teachers to send us feedback on the successes and drawbacks of the project frequently, and we will also communicate to them any updates or suggestions. We will also be in personal contact with the children and form a pen-pal relationship with them, where once in a while they will write to us about their progress with the XO, and we write back with encouraging messages. To expand their vision of the XO and computing, we will set up creative competitions, where the students will write essays and paint pictures depicting the impact of XO in the present and the future, and as prizes, the winning classes will be provided with a desktop computer that will be left behind for the incoming class, allowing room for expansion of computing.

Impact This project will have a tremendous impact on the children and the community. Through the XO’s designed programs, it will enhance the children’s learning experience, expand their imagination and their goals, and it will empower them with the tools to realize their goals.