IntenseDebate - PaulRigterink

14 years ago @ Educational Technology... - Shared Access Computi... · 0 replies · +1 points

Ian,
School personnel would not be asked to install stuff on servers. The system I envision would be a server with 20 workstations that costs less than $2000 (including software) and requires no maintenance except for yearly updates ( a turnkey system). The system you are proposing seems to be more expensive and seems to require much more system maintenance by computer professionals (which can be expensive). The system you are proposing seems to require training that third world teachers don't have (It is expensive to train them). What are your budget requirements? I am trying to keep the costs to less than $100/child including maintenance costs.

14 years ago @ Educational Technology... - Shared Access Computi... · 2 replies · +1 points

Why not load the full K-12 curriculum on a computer server and distibute the server with an appropriate number of workstations to schools that need it. You would not need internet access and would save the cost of buying a full set of textbooks for each student as the students progressed from one grade to another. With properly designed software you could have the student interact with the textbook material from his/her workstation.
Updates to the K-12 curriculum could be distributed on a yearly basis or as needed. The curriculum material could be translated into a wide variey of languages by the computer software.

14 years ago @ Educational Technology... - Shared Access Computi... · 0 replies · +1 points

If the computer industry could design a computer system that would help poor people earn $3000 rather than $300-$600, I believe a billion people would buy them for a $1000. However, the necessary requirements analysis on what is needed has not been done. I used to lead between 80 and 500 computer professionals as either the technical director or project manager. We would usually conduct a requirements analysis before we started any project rather than pick a technology and see what that technology could solve. I am not aware that a good requirments analysis has been conducted on how to improve educational technology for the world's poor. If you feel differently, please tell me where it is. Colombia is a leader in improving the technology of poor people as described in the book Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World by Alan Weisman. Although I work in a different region, University, Government, and Church personnel in Monteria and I are making substantial progress.

14 years ago @ Educational Technology... - Shared Access Computi... · 0 replies · +1 points

Wayan
According to my training at Computer Sciences Corporation, there are six things you can do to change educational systems technology. You can change the following
1) Systems used
2) Data provided
3) Applications available
4) Physical location of the systems
5) Organizations and people that use the systems
6) Logistics
I believe there are major weaknesses in the technology being offered to the educational systems in the developing world in the areas of applications available and data provided (I realize that you and Mark are primarily interested in the systems used). However, I believe the major requirement for educational technology is to teach BOP personnel ways to get out of poverty using the computer as a tool. One cannot focus on only the systems aspect (I am sure you know all this).
I am in contact with the people in NextBillion and appreciate your ideas and opinions

14 years ago @ Educational Technology... - Shared Access Computi... · 2 replies · 0 points

Wayan
You also may want to focus on the following. I have been told there have been millions of micro finance loans made. How can computer professionals improve the record keeping of the microfinance industry so that better BOP loans are made in the future? What are the best microfinance record keeping programs currently available? In particular, I would like to know that given existing computer records, what have been the most succesful BOP investments for a particular climatic region, population density, and income of the general population?

14 years ago @ Educational Technology... - Shared Access Computi... · 0 replies · 0 points

Mark,
I am trying to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of BOP personnel in Cordoba Colombia. I know how to improve the lives of people in the rural areas (see description of Mas Dinero project at http://home.comcast.net/~prigter/site/ ) but I don't know how to improve the lives of people in urban areas such as Monteria and Sincelejo. ECHO (see http://www.echotech.org/mambo/index.php ) provides excellent vocational training information in Spanish and English for rural people but I have never seen comparable information for urban BOP personnel. Perhaps your readers know of some ideas. Assume that these people speak Spanish and have gone to school from 3-6 years so their reading skills are limited. They can probably obtain up to $100 of investment capital. Assume unemployment is at least 30%. Food security currently is provided by eating plantains, white yams, and yuca. Their annual income is $300-600/year

14 years ago @ Educational Technology... - Shared Access Computi... · 4 replies · 0 points

I understand how these computers are being used to improve general education. I don't understand how these computers are being used to improve the living standard of BOP personnel unless one believes that a small amount of computer education will automatically improve their living standard (which I do not).
How are these computers being used for needed vocational training? In particular, how do these computers improve the lives of subsistence farmers? Why are they are better investment than irrigation systems, fertilizer, or pesticide for subsistence farmers? How many jobs have the computers created for BOP people living in urban slums? How do BOP people in urban slums use computers to make a living? Why are computers a better investment than microfinancing or use of a Grameen phone for BOP people iving in urban slums?

14 years ago @ Educational Technology... - Shared Access Computi... · 0 replies · +1 points

I believe shared computing is more cost-effecrtive. One question: Are these computers used 16 hours a day or more. If not, why not?

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