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Linux Handhelds in African Schools
blastard writes "Seems some students will be getting to use their Linux handhelds in school without getting into trouble. BBCNews has a story on fifth-graders in Kenya who will be using "E-slates" from EduVision. The EduVision site is available in German, English and Swahili."
When I was in Fifth grade, I would have loved having a computer issued to me. Would have greatly furthered my abilities as far as computers go. Of course, there are many problems with this. Textbooks don't run out of batteries, which can be a problem sometimes in rural, third world areas. Think about it, these old textbooks aren't updatable, but they have lasted much longer than these handhelds will likely will. Also, here in the United States we sometimes had more technology in the classroom than our teachers knew what to do with, and that canbe a problem as the students here likely have never seen such devices before. There will be no 'geek-students' to help the teacher, after the Company man leaves. Upgrading from books so soon, when we are still using books in America sounds like a double-edged sword to me.
Windows has detected an undetectable error.
I actually see the benefit in this. The handhelds are designed to replace the textbooks that would normally be in use. I would imagine that buying the textbooks, shipping the textbooks, and keeping the textbooks up to date would be a lot more expensive in the long run than by simply buying inexpensive computers for the kids. The computers likely wouldn't be anything to write home about, but it would get the job done.
The site mentions the E-slate and its slide out keyboard, yet all the pictures are of students using HP iPaqs. So what are they using?
IANAAmerican, so pardon my ignorance, but do you actually get into trouble there for something like this?
Why on earth?!
There'll still be fifth-graders when the aid agenceys leave, and as soon as these run out of batteries they'll be useless. This is always that case with foriegn aid, be it with hospitals or schools.
AFAIK, most of western Kenya is pretty poor in terms of how much money most people have. (Food in rural areas generally isn't such a large problem thanks to subsistence farming.) For much of it education would be a luxury. I think this would have been better spent on building more schools.
Shameless plug
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Andy Rabagliati
This reminds me of the time I was working with Karen tribals in Northen Thailand. I was contacted by a representative of Sun Micro who (as part of their charity program) wanted to give schools in the region computers so they could communicate children from other parts of the world. A noble idea but rather short sighted since these villages did not have electricity or so much as a phone line.
If they really wanted to help the children then how about buying their land from the Forestry Commission so they didn't get moved every time more lumber was needed. And how about giving financial incentives to farmers up stream so they didn't pollute the river with pesticides. Oh and how about razing some awareness of the troubles in Myanmar so that the villages didn't get shot when walking to near the border.
But hey, I'm sure board-room people of Sun got a nice warm fuzzy feeling when they though of the whole computers for tribals idea.
But then, hardened computers need not be that expensive. I remember the original Husky, and I still feel I should have got some sort of sales demonstration award for the reaction from the surrounding soldiers when the one I was using went under the tracks of an armored vehicle, and after removing the mud was completely undamaged.
Panurge has posted for the last time. Thanks for the positive moderations.
Imagine a beowulf cluster of these running Ubuntu...