Good question! So since I'm tired of packing, I thought I'd take a break and try to answer it.
At first blush, computers in remote school locations seems silly. Why drag a piece of technology miles from power lines, figure out some obscure method of powering it, only to have it break down every year or two due to heat, humidity, dust, or accident, and have nobody around able to repair it?
The answer is, strangely enough, cost.
Education is expensive:
Ontario paid $150 per elementary school student for text books in 1998 –1999 school year.
If you know somebody trying to get their high school diploma after they’ve been out of school for awhile, you can verify the cost of books average $125 per subject year. College or University students average $150 per book per year depending on area of specialization. Reference books can be tough to get hold of when the nearest library is many kilometres away, and expensive to buy to support 5 or 6 students in a one room school.
And then, there are pens, pencils, papers, binders, folders, construction paper, glue, paints, erasers, and a long list of other school supplies that are needed for traditional education.
A large portion of the above expenses can be reduced or eliminated with computers, particularly if there is some flexibility around the curriculum. Reports can be written and presented without consuming resources like paper and art supplies. An encyclopaedia on CD, like Microsoft Encarta can provide most of the textbook materials. The addition of an internet connection, where possible, adds not just a whole new level of research material, but opportunities for social interaction through tools like email, instant messaging, blogging, and entertainment or video conferences with other students - both in country, and around the world. New opportunities also present themselves for art and expression, as computers can record music, or capture and edit pictures or video.
There are other benefits to the community. The machines can be used outside school hours to educate adults, provide news from the world, enable email and even voice communications with internet access. Computer literacy is rapidly becoming mandatory for even service industry jobs, and skilled or certified computer workers are in demand in most countries.
Costa Rica was one of the first countries to embrace this idea, and is proving the value of this approach every day. Check out the Opportunity Access website for examples. (link below)
At first blush, computers in remote school locations seems silly. Why drag a piece of technology miles from power lines, figure out some obscure method of powering it, only to have it break down every year or two due to heat, humidity, dust, or accident, and have nobody around able to repair it?
The answer is, strangely enough, cost.
Education is expensive:
Ontario paid $150 per elementary school student for text books in 1998 –1999 school year.
If you know somebody trying to get their high school diploma after they’ve been out of school for awhile, you can verify the cost of books average $125 per subject year. College or University students average $150 per book per year depending on area of specialization. Reference books can be tough to get hold of when the nearest library is many kilometres away, and expensive to buy to support 5 or 6 students in a one room school.
And then, there are pens, pencils, papers, binders, folders, construction paper, glue, paints, erasers, and a long list of other school supplies that are needed for traditional education.
A large portion of the above expenses can be reduced or eliminated with computers, particularly if there is some flexibility around the curriculum. Reports can be written and presented without consuming resources like paper and art supplies. An encyclopaedia on CD, like Microsoft Encarta can provide most of the textbook materials. The addition of an internet connection, where possible, adds not just a whole new level of research material, but opportunities for social interaction through tools like email, instant messaging, blogging, and entertainment or video conferences with other students - both in country, and around the world. New opportunities also present themselves for art and expression, as computers can record music, or capture and edit pictures or video.
There are other benefits to the community. The machines can be used outside school hours to educate adults, provide news from the world, enable email and even voice communications with internet access. Computer literacy is rapidly becoming mandatory for even service industry jobs, and skilled or certified computer workers are in demand in most countries.
Costa Rica was one of the first countries to embrace this idea, and is proving the value of this approach every day. Check out the Opportunity Access website for examples. (link below)
Here are a couple examples of existing installations:
O.K. - off the soapbox and back to getting organized...
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