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Web-Surfing Indian Slum Kids Ask: "What's a Computer"

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the teach-a-man-to-fish dept.

chaoticset writes "An experiment in minimally directed self-learning has been going fairly well, from the article: To test his ideas, Sugata Mitra launched something 13 months ago he calls "the hole in the wall experiment." He took a PC connected to a high-speed data connection and imbedded it in a concrete wall next to NIIT's headquarters in the south end of New Delhi. The wall separates the company's grounds from a garbage-strewn empty lot used by the poor as a public bathroom. Mitra simply left the computer on, connected to the Internet, and allowed any passerby to play with it...he discovered was that the most avid users of the machine were ghetto kids aged 6 to 12, most of whom have only the most rudimentary education and little knowledge of English. Yet within days, the kids had taught themselves to draw on the computer and to browse the Net." Update: 04/17 22:23 GMT by M : Mitra has a website about his experiments.

24 of 419 comments (clear)

  1. draw on it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Like with photoshop? Or with a can of spray paint?

    1. Re:draw on it? by cscx · · Score: 3, Funny

      Well, considering they are from a slum, I'd assume they'd use The PIMP. Kinda like The GIMP, but, unlike Wilber, he isn't furry, he just wears a furry hat...

  2. License by QuodEratDemonstratum · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's running Windows. I hope that slum has a license.

    1. Re:License by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      How right you are. he should have used a Linux distro. That way, they'd be developing their very first computer skills on a system whose UI is so tedious, they'd go back to eating rotten garbage and end their existence, and their burden on this fragile world, all the much quicker. I applaud your foresight, sir.

  3. whoa by AnimeFreak · · Score: 2, Funny

    Shouldn't you call them "Natives" instead of "Indians?"

    Political correctness. :)

  4. WTF by wo1verin3 · · Score: 2, Funny

    now i have to move to new delhi for a high speed uncapped connection...grrr

  5. I can see it now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm picturing a ghetto kid, shoeless, standing in front of this magical screen embedded in a dingy concrete wall, and saying:
    Imagine a Beowulf cluster of these...

    1. Re:I can see it now by OpenSourcerer · · Score: 2, Funny

      Considering it is india,
      it will be a Beowulf cluster of KIDS imagining a Beowulf cluster of these!

      --

      Desi Noise, Live!
  6. Sigh. by flacco · · Score: 5, Funny
    he discovered was that the most avid users of the machine were ghetto kids aged 6 to 12, most of whom have only the most rudimentary education and little knowledge of English. Yet within days, the kids had taught themselves to draw on the computer and to browse the Net.

    Yet our organization still has full-grown, western-educated employees who hold the fucking mouse upside-down.

    --
    pr0n - keeping monitor glass spotless since 1981.
    1. Re:Sigh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Dude, it's called a trackball.

    2. Re:Sigh. by flacco · · Score: 3, Funny
      Dude, it's called a trackball.

      (ha ha haaa...!)

      It took me three reads to get this; maybe I shouldn't be so critical of our users :-)

      --
      pr0n - keeping monitor glass spotless since 1981.
  7. Can you imagine? by Dancin_Santa · · Score: 5, Funny

    Imagine a Bhagavad-Gita cluster of these!

  8. Funny... by KingJawa · · Score: 5, Funny

    We're amazed that a bunch of kids in India can use the web, but have no trouble believing that a survivor of war-torn Afghanistan can (a) get a Commodore on the 'net and (b) emails Jon Katz when he does.

  9. messed up title by cosyne · · Score: 5, Funny

    Did anyone else read the title on this and think they'd accidentally gone to The Onion instead of slashdot?

  10. Unanswered questions... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    The computers used for the kiosks are all Pentium PCs with color monitors and multimedia support. The operating system is Windows(TM) (9x/NT) and the Internet browser is MS Internet Explorer(TM).

    "...he discovered was that the most avid users of the machine were ghetto kids aged 6 to 12, most of whom have only the most rudimentary education and little knowledge of English. Yet within days, the kids had taught themselves to draw on the computer and to browse the Net."

    How long did it take them to learn how to install the Critical Update of the Day?

    How long to learn how to h4x0r an unpatched IIS server they came across while surfing?

    How long to discover and start trolling on /.?

    How long to discover Usenet and make their first "Me too!" post?

  11. Re:Camera behind the screen... by rob-fu · · Score: 2, Funny

    they're all lined up waiting to write some java.

  12. Re:Hmm.... by Macrobat · · Score: 3, Funny
    Well, how do you say slashdotted in Christian? or Jew?
    I'm not sure how you say it in Hebrew, but I believe the KJV has a passage about "my bandwidth floweth over."
    --
    "Hardly used" will not fetch you a better price for your brain.
  13. Re:My favourite part of this experiment by drDugan · · Score: 5, Funny

    I wish there was an easy way to send that message to companies every time I delete my cookies.

  14. Nah---Just put in a click-thru agreement by jellybear · · Score: 2, Funny

    Never mind the review board. I say: Just put in a clickthru agreement. This is cyberspace, after all.

  15. Re:This is incredible by shogun · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm really seriously scared about what would happen if suddenly the whole wide world had access to these kids.

    I imagine they would just suddenly have a lot of people trying to sell them printer toner, university diplomas or penis enlargers.

  16. Now let's compare Brookyln... by saihung · · Score: 2, Funny

    where a couple of years ago, my next door neighbor decided to throw away his entire old Mac setup, including the monitor, modem, keyboard, mouse, and all of the cables. Everything worked - I grabbed it when I got home. The local kids' response? To spraypaint black graffitti on the monitor. No one thought to take it and play with it, and I'm pretty sure that it this neighborhood computer ownership was pretty low.

  17. Re:Message for the Indian Kiosk kids by gakguk · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hello.

    But what is a computer?

    Regards.

    Little fella.

  18. Re:That's pretty interesting... by TechnoVooDooDaddy · · Score: 4, Funny

    which would show that our education system is very unefficient...

    heh, no kidding...

  19. New Slashdot Game: Troll Libs! by cascadefx · · Score: 3, Funny
    Are you getting tired of being baited by trolls? Think that trolls have nothing to offer to the slashdot community? Well I propose we change that. Let's make a game where posts that are modified to troll -1 are then turned into a Troll Libs.

    "What's a Troll Libs?" you ask. Well, I propose that a Troll Libs is a troll -1 post that has been reposted with a lot of the offensive material replaced by blanks to be filled in, in follow up posts, with words and phrases asked for at the end of the blank (in parentheses).

    This idea is to do something along the lines of that classic pencil and paper amusement Mad Libs.

    As an example, I will post the first one, based on the troll -1 above. Here is the Troll Libs text:

    It reminds me of the time I (verb, past tense) your (adjective) (noun) (nationality) (noun) in (pronoun) turtle-loving (something you own). Notice how I said " (adjective) (Nationality)". I don't deal with these (adjective) (sports team name). Those (noun, plural) are just (adjective). Anyway, no one is (adverb, ending in -ing) forcing (verb, ending in -ing) on the (noun, plural). You are obviously a (adjective) (noun) who didn't (verb, past tense) the (adjective) (verb), you (adjective) (noun) . The (adjective) (noun, plural) weren't (verb, past tense) (relative location, i.e. on top, behind) of the (verb) and (verb, past tense) they had to (verb) it. Like all (adjective) (noun, plural), who should be (verb, past tense), they chose to (verb, past tense) other (noun, posessive) (noun) without any (noun). You are a ( (verb, past tense)) (noun) for not (verb, past tense) some (adjective) (skill). Perhaps you should go back to (Location) and (verb, past tense) (noun) with (noun, plural) who have (noun) you (adjective) (noun). (verb) (noun). (verb) (noun) a million times until (noun) (verb) (noun). When (a possesion) (verb, past tense), I will (verb) (a posession) (that (verb) (noun)) to (verb) and (verb). Hey, how's your dad? Still a (prestigious occupation)? That's what I thought. You (activity) from the metaphorical (location) of my (descriptive adjective about size) (body part) . Take that (Name of a Sidekick)! And next time you try to be (adjective) and show that you've (adjective) a (noun), don't choose a (repeat previous noun) that is (desciptive adjective) you (Occupation)! You're a (adverb) (verb, ending in -ing) (Occupation) if you think (Currency) has any worth. All of you (adjective) (group affiliation, i.e. Shriners, Masons, etc.) (noun, plural) think that (literature genre) has some sort of place in the realms of literature. You're (statement of fact). It's (adjective) (noun) for the (Famous family name, plural) who think they want to (verb) the (location), but can't, so settle for (verb, ending in -ing) (garden implement) and/or taking it to the (Customer Service Oriented Business). That is some (adjective) (noun) right there, (Occupational Title). I want to (verb) you the (celestial object), you (verb, ending in -ing) (Occupation). (Famous Person) said to me one time, " (common phrase)" Think about it.
    Have at it. I hope you enjoy.