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Ask Slashdot: Setting Up a Computer Lab In a Developing Country
First time accepted submitter levanjm writes "Hi all, I am looking for some advice. I am a mathematician at a small liberal arts school who has dabbled in Linux for a number of years. I have had the chance to teach a few courses and summer camps about Linux to college and high school students. Recently I made a trip to Guatemala and visited a school in Labor de Falla. While there I was talking with people associated with the school about how great it would be to be able to set up a computer lab for the kids. To make a long story short, I approached my school about finding a way to make this happen and to get my students involved in volunteering. I have received notification that my school has given me an in house grant to try to get this project rolling. They have also donated six computers to get things started. While I have been making plans in case the funding came through, I wanted to open this up to as many eyes as possible because I am sure there are plenty of concerns I have not considered. What are your thoughts on how to best implement the lab setting? I am a firm believer in the Open Source philosophy so proprietary software is not on my radar. The PC's donated are a little old (4 or so years old), but would run Edubuntu without any issues. I originally thought about how awesome a Raspberry Pi lab would be to set up. I am also wondering if there are any Kickstarter type of foundations that might be used to help solicit donations to purchase additional equipment and help cover costs of getting the equipment to the school. It would be amazing to get enough funding to give computers to the teachers in addition to a lab. I am sure there are other issues I have not even considered yet, so any thoughts you have to share would be wonderful."
What is the purpose of the lab? Since it is a high school I am going to shoot low and assume “keyboarding skills” and basic net access rather than programing or CI.
What type of infrastructure does the school have? i.e. how good is the electricity and security?
What type of support does the lab have? What skills do the teachers have.
Answers these questions and I think you will have a much better idea of what you need.
You might also want to look at a multi-seat setup. ie 1 reasonably spec'd computer, with several monitor+keyboard+mouse sets.
Is electricity consumption an issue? A class full of pentium 4 computers is going to cost quite a bit in power. maybe enough to be worth paying for newer hardware instead.
Without knowing what those 4y/o machines are like, let me just suggest doing the math on shipping them down there and their ongoing power consumption, as well as checking into parts availability. It is possible that something like a briefcase full of PIs or similar be a better idea from an operating and implementation expense standpoint.
>> What is the purpose of the lab? Since it is a high school I am going to shoot low and assume “keyboarding skills” and basic net access rather than programing or CI.
Doesnt matter, RaspberryPi can learn both and more. Beowulfcluster anyone?
>> What type of infrastructure does the school have? i.e. how good is the electricity and security?
Even if there is no security at all, the RaspberryPi is rather portable. You can even put them in a safe.
>> What type of support does the lab have? What skills do the teachers have.
Obviously there are teachers, there are great forums with a nice community and hey... figuring out problems is one of the most best things that can happen to your learning-curve.
The RPi is build just for this purpose. IMHO there is no reason whatsoever even to consider other options. Besides, as I pointed out before, I have seen lots of great/funny/interesting/instructive projects by all kinds of people who had one thing in common: White, western, relatively rich, computer savvy... Hardly any projects that use the RPi the way it was intended. It must be cool to see it in the field where it belongs!
rm -rf --no-preserve-root /
I am a firm believer in the Open Source philosophy so proprietary software is not on my radar."
I stopped reading right there. Setting up a computer lab is a good question for Ask Slashdot. Setting up a philosophical/religious indoctrination center is not.
Yes, heaven forbid they learn how the system works and learn how to modify it and build on it. That would be too active and involved for your liking, right? They should just be users, passive consumers of a black-box product that they can't inspect, can't modify, can't build on.
You see, that's a practical reason for wanting Open Source. You are the only one making this into a philosophical/religious matter. Apparently it offends you that people want to buy a car that doesn't have the hood welded shut, that people might want to use a computer system that they can understand and build on. Tell you what. If you don't like Open Source then don't use it. Simple? Those of us who want to learn will continue using it. Then we can both be happy.
So sorry it bothers you that other people want to do good things in a way that's not quite how you would do them. I bet they wear a brand of clothes different from yours too, those insensitive clods. Next time you want to move to a third-world country and provide for people who often have next to nothing, we'll then pay attention to how you think it should be done. Will you charge them hundreds of dollars for copies of Windows and Office and associated software so they can actually use their systems? That'll be only about several months to a years' wages you know. Per copy.
Making use of those computers is the difficult part.
Where will the computers be stored? At the very least, they need to be in a secure room in the school, free from leaky roofs (especially during heavy rains), free of bugs (ants love computers!), and you'll need bars on the windows and a reinforced lockable door; Is there security at the school? What about electricity? Is a generator needed? Voltage stabilizers? Or will they be using solar panels and an inverter system? Who will be appointed to manage the computer room? Do they need training? Will there be internet access? How will that be paid for? You may be able to make a special deal with a local provider (large corps love to look good by giving back).
Again, what will the computers be used for? Do you need specific software? If there is no specified curriculum, the kids will just be browsing porn and playing games (teachers too!) Or they'll be using them for private reasons.
The key word here is sustainability. Its very easy to give a poor school some hand-me-down hardware, its much more difficult and challenging to turn it into something useful, sustainable, and create a place where children will actually learn something about information technology.
Being fully for FOSS is as ridiculous as being fully for proprietary software. The balance lies in the mid.
fuck semantics
I am sorry if the correct way of doing things offends you.
Maybe you should google Guatemala, you ignorant bastard. And just to set the record straight, I'm white and conservative...just not a racist bastard like you.
There is an organisation in Australia called Computer Bank that has been collecting and re-purposing computers for years. There are a number of international organisations that do similar things, some are listed here - http://www.computerbank.org.au/links.
You could also seek sponsorship from a hardware vendor such as Dell - http://www.dell.com/Learn/us/en/aucorp1/corp-comm/corporate-sponsorships, or even Google.
Since it needs to be shipped there, perhaps approach transport companies. Also, some technology recycling companies will supply equipment cheaply or free for the right cause.
Some organisations require that a not-for-profit organisation be established before funds are allocated. You'll have to check your local laws.
From TFS:
I am a firm believer in the Open Source philosophy so proprietary software is not on my radar.
Who gives a toss what you believe?
"FIrst world arrogance" would be more like giving them a proprietary black box and telling them you may not look inside to see how it works. After all, how to design operating systems and software is only for American corporations to know. After all, we wouldn't want them to become competitors in the next couple of generations.
THAT is first world arrogance. THAT is what you are demonstrating. Treating them like equals would mean letting them understand what we understand, by providing open systems they can take apart and put back together. Now maybe they are interested in doing that and maybe they aren't. The point is, treating them like true equals means giving them the opportunity. It means not deciding that for them by making it impossible from the start.
And I would say that what he believes is pretty important, more important than what you believe in fact. That's because he is actually going there where there is need and trying to make good things happen. You are relaxing on your computer chair and complaining. You will understand why I value his beliefs more than yours, right? He is actually putting them into action. You, not so much.
I am a firm believer in the Open Source philosophy so proprietary software is not on my radar."
I stopped reading right there. Setting up a computer lab is a good question for Ask Slashdot. Setting up a philosophical/religious indoctrination center is not.
You must be new here.
"Yes, heaven forbid they learn how the system works and learn how to modify it and build on it. That would be too active and involved for your liking, right? They should just be users, passive consumers of a black-box product that they can't inspect, can't modify, can't build on. "
That has zero to do with Open Source philosophy. You have to learn the difference between "Open Source philosophy" (RMS), "Open Source", open systems and access to source. It is nice that there are people that have enough money or a guaranteed income from another source that they can give away their work, "Open Source philosophy" is not about that, its about FORCING people to give away their work by creating a platform that will allows nothing else.
Any dickbag license is BAD even if it claimed to support "freedom".
It doesn't offend me, douchebags such as Stallman and yourself, do.
You might try talking to Intel and Apple/HP/ any other manufacture, they have machine turn over and might be willing to part with them for a good cause and a tax break.
Put an ad in Craigslist asking for old computers, I'm sure you will get more than you need.
Just a suggestion as I worked for 2 of the above corporations and machines were in constant churn.
"If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
Your putting religion ahead of usability, and that's a mistake. The purpose of a lab is to educate your students, not indoctrinate them in your in your religious beliefs. What can your students use in their country with the skills they would develop and make a career out of? Can you make a career out of a Raspberry Pi, or is it more of a really cool toy?
If your local country values Windows for employment more than that is what you should use, because that is what will help /them/ build a future. Microsoft has educational versions of their products available for next to nothing worldwide, so cost isn't an issue for Windows and Office.
If your local country is all about Ubuntu than you use that because that is what is valued. The only way to know that is to talk your local business leaders and find out what /they/ value. Do they value someone that knows how to run a Windows computer and use Excel or do they all use LibreOffice? Leave your personal religion out of this and give your students what they need for their future.
Galileo: I believe we should be able to examine how things work and not just depend on what systems have already been created and taught to us.
Pope: Who gives a toss what you believe! I have told you how everything works! The world is flat! I will criticise and do everything to stop you from accomplishing any of this!
I don't know how many children will be in the lab at once, but looks like you already have everything you need.
... ) in general and through free cloud services (Openshift, Heroku, ...) and repositories (GitHub). It works great.
You have 6 computers with Ubuntu (4 yrs old is still pretty decent), you just need more computers to accommodate more children if necessary.
I recently refurbished a 3-4 yr old Acer Aspire One Netbook (crappy 1,6 ghz, crappy video-card and only 1 GB ram). Bought an SSD, installed latest Ubuntu (12.10) and it works like a charm.
My plan was using it for general usage and some programming (Java (Eclipse), Python, Ruby/Rails, Octave,
I also have a Raspberry Pi, but honestly, wouldn't use it to teach if you already have bigger boxes set up. Maybe they can be used for hardware projects, but with the extra cost of SD cards, keyboards, mouse you should be able to get some old computers for around that price or free.
Getting locals onboard is the most important thing. Dropping a bunch of PCs and running away is the easy part. You need someone local to take care of them, and someone (else ?) to teach on/with them.
Depending on the goal, PCs are probably a bad idea: transport alone costs you more than buying a bunch of $40 Android USB keys, let alone power and security issues. Android keys are OK for Internet stuff, even light Office work. Some can even take Ubuntu, if you want to force your philosophy at the cost of practicality. You'll need HDMI screens and keyboard+mouse.
In many cases, tablets will actually turn out cheaper, taking the screen into account. OLPC for edu cred, or any sufficiently solid chinese one.
In any case, you should ask the users. Depending on their setting, their goals, their expectations and constraints, whatever you get told on Slahsdot can be way off the mark and utterly wasteful of time and money.
The Cloud - because you don't care if your apps and data are up in the air.
Blessings being given by St. Richard.
I was thinking about this- in the long term, you really want to encourage people to play around with things rather than run a static collection of applications. If people want to just browse the net and search, Raspberry Pi is a poor choice, but for learning about programming- the Raspberry Pi is great because if things get messed up, just flash a card with the reference image- system is re-imaged. Cards are cheap enough that you could hand them out to people and they would end up keeping their entire setup with them.
From my experience here in Peru, there is not the economical pressure to use open-source in Latin America like there may be elsewhere -- Windows costs nothing because copyright is not enforced seriously, if at all. This means that people are used to wandering into a shop and buying any software package for the cost of a blank disc. If it stops working after a month because the DRM kicks in or whatever, that is also normal because it is the same with their motorbike or any other cheap Chinese import. At the level of quality == shite, constant failure is expected. So using open-source is an ideological argument mostly way above their heads. Also, if it's anything like Peru, then first question will be: How do I get on MSN? Phone is expensive here, so people use Messenger and Facebook to keep in touch with friends. Fortunately for you, Facebook works on open-source software.
Gah, he's simply telling you the reality of what the 'Ask Slashdot' response should include. If he's strong in Linux, chances are he's just looking for reassurance on his choices.
If you're considering what you've stated, you can't go too wrong with whatever your direction on technology is. Raspberry Pis are great, but pocket sized and small. Be more aware of infrastructure problems. Safes, cable locks, inventory, security, power conditioners/UPS on the sensitive equipment for the ever-too-frequent brown-outs, and setting up a competent and educated hierarchy to manage itself. Be a positive community presence. Talk to local businesses about donations for goods or services, advertising in a community center for them goes a long way. Get those things in place and everything else will fall into place.
I'm surprised that you haven't taken a look at Cooperative for Education (http://www.coeduc.org/) yet because they do their work in Guatemala already and have some pretty good programs already. They are a nonprofit that started by providing books for the schools down there and has evolved into something much more.
Check them out, they may be able to help you out with your work there.
Note: I have no first hand experience with them but I had a couple of CS instructors that were very involved and couldn't say enough good things about the program. I plan on taking a leave to help out down there when I finish my masters.
You need a easy method to be able to replace the whole OS setup of any machine.
Highschool students *will* mess around with configurations, you should be able to start with a clean setup on each machine for each class.
Think of using some type of Live CD, give each kid a CD/USB stick to boot their OS. You want to reduce the support level of those machines to the lowest level possible.
The PC's donated are a little old (4 or so years old),
I know we all remember the 90's with the incredible hardware increases, but I'm typing on a six year old computer, and we have a few eight year old computers in service at work. Four years old is nothing these days. Those computers will run more than just edubuntu, even if they're bargain basement. The only thing I'd consider replacing would be the HDDs (they likely won't last more than three more years).
Off the top of my head you will need the following basics:
1. Computers (desktop boxes, laptops, etc.)
2. Displays (they don't necessarily come with donated desktop boxes)
3. Cables (Power, video, network)
4. Printer with LINUX/UNIX drivers (preferably networked)
5. Network devices (switch, router, WiFi)
6. External USB storage device (i.e. for backing things up, moving files)
7. Media (i.e. CD or DVD, will have to match drives in computers)
8. UPS/surge protectors (If power sucks, you'll need UPS)
Check into whether the equipment that you send is sold in the area. It makes no sense to send a Canon printer if you can't find ink/toner replacements in the region. Also, Make sure you understand the power requirements for the region (i.e. 120v vs 240v, plug type, etc.)
There are two thoughts behind computer labs.
- The first is that you use individual hardware for each user, not only teaching about UNIX, but also teaching about computer hardware. The primary issue here is that you would need to find UNIX drivers for each hardware combination (i.e. donated hardware rarely has the same components). It's not difficult, but it can take time. Most labs tend to buy the exact same equipment to avoid this issue.
- The second is to buy workstation class PCs with a ton of memory (i.e. 24GB+), storage (i.e. 3TB), and dual quad core CPUs (8x CPUs) and run the free version of VMWare ESXi. This would allow you to train on UNIX using multiple virtual instances without worrying about the underlying hardware, finding drivers, etc. The lab users would gain an understanding of installing and using UNIX but would learn very little about computer hardware. The plus side about this is that it could be used to train any OS or application as each VM is only limited by it's configuration. You would still need workstations for each student, but they would just be used as consoles into the VM environment. They wouldn't have to be rebuilt each time.
One of the issues that you should also be thinking about is who is going to maintain the lab once you and your students have left? Make sure that you make time to train at least two people at the school on how to manage the lab.
I am a firm believer in the Open Source philosophy so proprietary software is not on my radar.
I stopped reading right there. Setting up a computer lab is a good question for Ask Slashdot. Setting up a philosophical/religious indoctrination center is not.
It's possible that he's not just thinking about his high school but, in the long run, maintaining downloads for the rest of his country's schools so that everything is configured for their locality, language, needs and hardware. Perhaps by "philosophy" they meant the ability to redistribute software without facing arcane legal proceedings?
I mean, the costs drop dramatically when you can provide very simple commands and you don't need to enter a product key or worry about updates from a company but rather it can be all administered by one smart kid/staff at the school? When I read that, it wasn't about indoctrination so much as "I'm not even going to try to figure out ways around the costs, litigation and maintenance of proprietary software." Especially not when he knows Edubuntu and how simple it is to update that.
If this model works for his school, he could make his own distro and be on his way to baiting other companies looking to get rid of old machines that they can write off as good will. Proprietary software would surely gunk up that dream.
My work here is dung.
Galileo: I believe we should be able to examine how things work and not just depend on what systems have already been created and taught to us.
Pope: Who gives a toss what you believe! I have told you how everything works! The world is flat! I will criticise and do everything to stop you from accomplishing any of this!
Nice cartoon version. In reality, the Catholic Church back then was more willing to accept new cosmological theories than a lot of Protestant fundamentalists are in the 21st Century USA. The problem was, they wanted to accept them in their own way on their own schedule.
But subtleties like that are hard to make into quick cartoon history segments for the kiddies. And the end effect is still the same, so we opt for the cartoon explanation.
That has zero to do with Open Source philosophy. You have to learn the difference between "Open Source philosophy" (RMS), "Open Source", open systems and access to source. It is nice that there are people that have enough money or a guaranteed income from another source that they can give away their work, "Open Source philosophy" is not about that, its about FORCING people to give away their work by creating a platform that will allows nothing else.
As far as I can tell this is a religions idea you invented to hate Open Source.
I'll ask a simple question. I am right now using a Free and Open Source GNU/Linux system. In what way does it force me to do anything? I *could* purchase MS Windows and put that on a spare hard drive and use that. I can and do purchase proprietary Windows games and run them via Wine. There are commercial Linux distros (like Red Hat) that included non-GPL software, coexisting right there with the GPL system. Oracle and several others make proprietary software that runs on Linux. Steam is working on a Linux client - you can bet I won't get the source.
So where is this "forcing" taking place? Just inside your troubled mind? Give me a concrete example. And don't cry about "I can't use GPL code without abiding by the GPL license" because guess what, I can't use Windows code AT ALL under any terms. Is that more to your liking? Otherwise if you're a BSD-License zealot, just say so now and identify yourself. And then explain to me how giving computer systems to third-world nations violates the BSD license.
Seriously, what the hell is your problem? It makes no logical sense. Did Richard Stallman beat you up or something? Why do you hate him? It is as though you have decided that you are going to be personally offended at a frickin' software license, and after first being offended by it, will then go back and search for ways to justify your offense. None are too flimsy, it would appear.
The don't do tech much, preferring clean water initiatives, but they are into education as well. Many large clubs are looking for international projects, and yours may be eager to help out in both funding and manpower.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
Now here come the 'buts' from the cynical old guys. (I've had more or less happy experiences around the world, in both private and public sector).
There's already been a few good posts along these lines.
1. Dump the old crap that people 'generously' donated to you. It'll be big and expensive to ship, and not robust even if it gets there without being broken or stolen.
2. What's the need / use case(s) your devices should satisfy? This should condition your hw & sw selection more than availability (donated old crap) & open source bias, (and this coming from an old BSD wanker). Don't forget support, and available infrastructure, (wireless? electric power?)
3. Who will be the keeper of the stuff? No use giving desirable kit to people who will sell it, lose it or have it taken from them the next day...
I encourage you to whip up some more cash, so you can fly back out there with a suitcase full of new, cheap laptops with whatever distro, language and applications you think appropriate. (Think about how you're going to pass through customs, though...best best may be to make an 'adventure' out of it, and get a bunch of geeks to travel with you, and carry a coupla PCs each)
Get your local community involved, setup a page with a link to donate via paypal on.
Post it here, and hopefully a few of us (me included) will spare a few bucks to get you started.
Jon "Maddog Hall has quite a bit of experience deploying Linux in an educational context in Brazil (and more experience in Linux overall than all of us others). I think it'd be worth trying and contacting him.
Get some cheap PC's or thin clients and use one of the Educational based LTSP distros and call it all done. Management is brain dead easy and dead hardware = 5 minutes swapping out the Thin client.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
That has zero to do with Open Source philosophy. You have to learn the difference between "Open Source philosophy" (RMS), "Open Source", open systems and access to source. It is nice that there are people that have enough money or a guaranteed income from another source that they can give away their work, "Open Source philosophy" is not about that, its about FORCING people to give away their work by creating a platform that will allows nothing else.
As far as I can tell this is a religions idea you invented to hate Open Source.
I'll ask a simple question. I am right now using a Free and Open Source GNU/Linux system. In what way does it force me to do anything? I *could* purchase MS Windows and put that on a spare hard drive and use that. I can and do purchase proprietary Windows games and run them via Wine. There are commercial Linux distros (like Red Hat) that included non-GPL software, coexisting right there with the GPL system. Oracle and several others make proprietary software that runs on Linux. Steam is working on a Linux client - you can bet I won't get the source.
So where is this "forcing" taking place? Just inside your troubled mind? Give me a concrete example. And don't cry about "I can't use GPL code without abiding by the GPL license" because guess what, I can't use Windows code AT ALL under any terms. Is that more to your liking? Otherwise if you're a BSD-License zealot, just say so now and identify yourself. And then explain to me how giving computer systems to third-world nations violates the BSD license.
Seriously, what the hell is your problem? It makes no logical sense. Did Richard Stallman beat you up or something? Why do you hate him? It is as though you have decided that you are going to be personally offended at a frickin' software license, and after first being offended by it, will then go back and search for ways to justify your offense. None are too flimsy, it would appear.
Richard, is that you?
About six years ago I raised funds and put in a computer lab in Iquitos, Peru. After doing research, I came quickly to realize that taking computers into the country would not be practical because of import duty, transportation costs and graft.
If you have powerful connections, you can probably deal with graft, but import duty and transportation will still probably force you to purchasing computers in country.
I can also second the sentiment presented by others that you should find what skills would be most useful for employment and focus your hardware and software contributions to fit those needs.
If you are not also very comfortable with the culture, you should realize that work on this project will probably take a lot more time than you expect.
More than 10 years ago, in South Africa, there was a noble and concerted effort by the open source comunity to expose computing to children in under-developed schools. Ubuntu, with its strong connection to South Africa through Mark Shuttleworth, was at the forefront of this effort. I was one of those in the vanguard and was convinced that the open source approach would give all participants a better grounding and understanding of computing. Then Microsoft made its Windows and Office software licenses available at no cost to all schools. It took literally weeks for almost everyone to switch to Microsoft. Ironically, it was only well funded private schools whose students were interested in software engineering careers that retained open source computer labs. Looking back we now understand why. Undeniably, Windows is the de-facto desktop standard in the business world. What little prior exposure eiher teachers or students might have had, it was almost certainly with Windows. Windows skills were generally more useful than Linux skills in a non-technical job market; for those whose future employment prospects are limited the choice s clear.
I literally set up and networked a computer lab in a computer school in rural Kenya last Friday, and had the kids install Ubuntu on the new computers. Our view is that if they can learn to use Ubuntu, they can learn Windows. The skills are very transferable. And we're trying to create an "education on a hard drive" using free material that we can legally copy anywhere we want at practically no cost, so why would we want to use proprietary software?
Since we are pushing video-based courses, we also bought what I call "DVMonitors" which cost us about $100/ea and can play DVDs or video from a USB stick. They can also be connected to a computer, but we're trying to create a replicable model as cheaply as possible so we're going to experiment with them like this.
We gave the students a choice, and half are not taking "Internet History, Technology, Security" from Coursera/UMich, and the other half are taking "Human Physiology" from Coursera/Duke. We are starting them all on Human Computer Interaction from Coursera/Stanford when it begins again on April 1st.
I disagree with the person who says to ask them what they want. As the "digital native" it is your job to set their brains on fire with the potential of technology. It's like the old Henry Ford thing: if he'd asked people what they wanted they'd have said a faster carriage.
They'll learn programming soon, and the ones who love it will work for us expanding the system throughout the region with partner organizations.
I highly recommend (as someone said up there) that you get someone on the ground there who runs a hardware business to be on your side. Our guy loves what we're doing so he gave us some free stuff and installed the LAN for free, and has offered to handle any maintenance issues for free. He's a self-taught entrepreneur, and understands the value of bringing tech/programming skills to rural/slum areas in developing countries.
As to your question about funding, my organization has received about $6,000 in funding in the last week, aiming at a goal of $25,000, using Indiegogo. You can see our campaign here: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/tunapanda-free-education-for-all/x/2718744 the video's longer than most, but it hasn't been a problem.
Why don't you hang out in our forums, www.tunapanda.org and we'll try to figure out the answers to these questions together? http://www.tunapanda.org/forum/ubuntu-installation-and-learning/
Also, go to Marginal Revolution University, and in their Developmental Economics class look at the unit on education. Great stuff there, particularly relating to conditional cash payments. We'll be playing with those kinds of ideas as we develop.
Good luck! You can reach me at Jay@Tunapanda.org for any questions, I've got a really highly qualified tech volunteer who's helping me get everything together so we can install our system without the internet, and easily copy and spread the hard drives.
I lived in the Marshall Islands for over 7 years and was tasked with a project not unlike yours. Here are some of the issues I confronted.
1. Climate control. Spend part of your budget on a good window a/c unit. The tropical moisture will wreak havoc with your lab.
2. Use local talent. Within a day of starting your project there invariably will be a local who starts hanging around asking questions and wanting to know more. I had 2 Marshallese students who found what I was doing very interesting so I started teaching them the basics of networking and basic computer repair. They caught on very fast and when I left they were able to take over the entire network we had built and keep it maintained. Local talent also will win you over with other key local decision makers. Locals want locals to sustain projects, not an endless parade of expats.
3. Determine your usage requirements. Do you have internet? How fast and reliable is the connection? Will you be teaching classes? What kind of classes? The computer labs we built started out with no internet access as there was none on the island. We were still able to teach word processing and spreadsheet classes(you may want to think word and excel here because more than likely that is what your local government uses). Eventually we were able to get limited internet access through a partnership with the university of Hawaii. The connection however was only 56k and was bounced off an old GOES satellite(GOES 7 to be specific). Because these GOES satellites were in a figure 8 orbit, the 3m dish required constant realignment. This meant that community access to the internet had to be at very specific times and eventually we went with a white-list of sites that would fit the needs of most of our users. This meant we could share 56k across 20 computers without worrying about porn and games. Slow but it worked and the community love it.
4. Have a good maintenance plan. Stuff just breaks more in the tropics and getting new parts can be difficult and time consuming. Keep a few extra network cards and hard drives around. Make sure the lab is cleaned and dusted regularly. Bug bomb as well. Cock roaches love computers. Try and keep your computer hardware as consistent as possible. This allows you to setup software images that make recovery much easier.
5. Have a detailed usage policy. If someone wants to save a copy of a letter to a relative in another country, how do they save it? Where do they save it? You will be very surprised how quickly the desktop and other directories start filling up with stuff from your users. Keeping a consistent and universal interface that is uncluttered for your users makes teaching SOOOOO much easier.
Finally, remember that you won't be there forever (although you have probably met a few expats who were like you but never left) and that someone will have to take over what you leave behind. Sustainability, in my experience, was the most difficult challenge of any project. I have seen brand new office buildings built by grants from other countries literally crumble into to disrepair within in 3 years because no one knew what to do after the building was completed.
Finding eager local talent to take over will ensure the hard work you are putting into this project will last long after you are gone.
I am very jealous of your opportunity. Good luck!
You may want to go with a Libre version of GNU/Linux. I noticed the South Americans making great Libre distros like Musix, Dragora, Ututo and though Trisquel is from Spain, it is also used in South America. For some reason, the idea of "Libre" really took hold there and that is a good thing. The great thing of Libre is that it puts all people on the same playing field, both first and second/third world. All have access to the code, and they can run, share and modify it. Perhaps put the Guatamalens in touch with the Libre community in South America--the language barrier may not be as great. Trisquel may be the best way to go as it is the easiest to install and run of the lot.
"SO we bide our time, waiting for a purer kick to bloom and the future is still bleak, uncertain and beautiful" -GSYBE
Shoot an email off to Johnny at Hackers for Charity (http://www.hackersforcharity.org). His experience in Uganda will no doubt provide some insight into 'gotchas' that no one ever really thinks of when trying to make technology work in developing countries. The HFC network may also be able to provide support, guidance, and expertise to keep the lab running.
To reduce reliance on connectivity, I suggest deploying games (especially multiplayer ones like OpenArena) and off-line educational content (e.g. RACHEL) on the LAN.
Developing countries tend to have poor connectivity, especially in rural areas. The only available option may be a data-capped SIM-based USB dongle, so I recommend deploying a low-power 3G router with battery backup and traffic shaping capabilities (e.g. ZyXEL MWR211)
Both you & the GP are conflating 'Open Source' w/ liberated software (what the FSF used to misleadingly call 'free software' and now calls 'libre-software'.) RMS has himself emplasized the differences time & time again.
While 'Open Source' under the OSI definition does require that the freedom to redistribute be guaranteed, it is not dogmatic about that, and does allow a wide variety of licenses, some which provide the source code for redistribution, and some which don't. Liberated software, otoh, is dogmatic about that. Also, w/ Open Source, the ultimate goal is to come up w/ better software. With Liberated Software, otoh, liberation of the software is the goal in itself - producing better code is not necessary.
For this reason, while Liberated Software is a religion, Open Source ain't.
Thank you, RMS! So how is the HURD coming along?
I know nothing about Guatemala except that my best friend in college lived there and he introduced me to masa which is delicious. Wouldn't surprise me if Guatemalan food is a really healthy alternative to ordinary Western cuisine, I wonder if they grow that non-sweet corn in the U.S.? (google guatemala masa). See below some of this may not be useful since it seems you are not so much in the boondocks.
I have a friend who did this in Cambodia. I remember he got Apple to donate computers (this is one reason why not using open source hardware may have a good point, it counts as CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) for a manufacturer to do so). It was for an orphanage he created, and the idea was to educate the next generation of leaders. Also he started a newspaper, probably also had Macs I forget.This was over a decade ago. Point being, they had to hire two armed guards so things wouldn't be stolen and I believe one guard was killed. FYI.
Getting locals who will carry it on, and talking to (global) missionary group as other posters mentioned are good ideas. I believe Hope Worldwide was a group he worked with for this charity.
Using open source may be cheaper and may help jump start an industry even if you had a university (need to connect them to the Net possibly) and local people who are enthusiastic.
You may be able to get the World Bank to help you, I know they did a dollar matching program for building rural schools (villageleap) of which hundreds were built.
Power and telecommunications may be a big issue. I'm sorry I don't have data for you but you know it is not first world. Maybe there are no phones and power? I remember one original idea was to have a networked school be a hub for the community, don't know how it worked in the end but I do know one thing they did was have a wifi equipped motorbike travel among rural schools and pick up messages. Useful for medical care.. Also the geography etc. makes you wonder about can you get a line of site to an access point, can you get wind power, etc. Of course the top priority for a community might not be computer education. Maybe power to cleanse drinking water, or communications to notify a doctor they need to get a helicopter somewhere. Getting X-rays sent to a specialist hospital was one thing we did but you don't need that.
On the other hand if it is the Labor de Falla that is 17 nautical miles from Santiago, then it is just a suburb not in the boondocks over the horizon from wifi. Possibly you could even get support from some place like Microsoft or IBM, if you say you are going to start training locals in computer science from a young age. Apparently Google discovered a mother load of such talent in Viet Nam just the other day (on /. today). Maybe that is your goal.
Anyway, figure out what your goal is, and don't spend all your time on the technical side. The key to making these kind of projects happen is getting the parts together, putting your own time in to monitoring it daily with someone on the ground, and being extremely tenacious and single-minded about getting this goal achieved. But you need to listen to people there and if there is no enthusiasm or problems maybe you need to ask what they want. There probably are a lot of smart people within 1 hour of your Guatemala location and not clear that they even need you. So I would focus on fund raising, enabling it, setting a mission and making sure it happens.
Just my 0.02, I clearly know nothing about the area. Best to be sure you accept there may be things you also don't know about it, and try to set smaller achievable goals for yourself. Maybe you can get a manufacturer to get you new equipment for free, that would be best. Imagine you are the student there. As for linux, yeah it would be nice but depending on the age group if they need to get a job in the city will it really help them? If you can make a success maybe you can then scale it up and make that part of your timeline for phase II.
Have you thought about theft and who is going to look after these computers once you are gone. Guatemala is a tough country, and as soon you turn your back the equipment will be taken. This is my take based on a handful of friends who volunteered with the peace corps. for two years in Guatemala.
If you are looking for a Kickstarter type group aimed at classrooms and educators you might want to consider DonorsChoose. I don't know if they would support an international effort, but they help schools fund classroom projects.
I've been setting up and teaching computer skills part-time in northwestern Cambodia for about 8 years now.
Getting equipment to a remote location is an expensive and perilous task. Damage, theft, bribes, delays, fees, more bribes, and unforeseen problems will cause you more headaches than you can imagine. I buy my equipment locally from a seller I have built up a relationship with. Because I'm a repeat customer, he goes out of his way to make sure the computers keep running when I'm not there, which is most of the year.
Because Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world, the idea of spending $300 on a copy of Microsoft Office is unthinkable. That's enough to run a small household for a couple months. You can install open source alternatives if you like, but it might not be a necessity since the machines are chock full of apps.
Getting the lab running is frankly the easy part. Your lesson plan needs to take precedence. Teach skills that are commercially viable in the country, inspire them to learn more, and give a solid foundation of basic skills. I have former students that can directly tie their lessons to helping them find jobs later on. They then take these skills and teach others, which creates a virtuous cycle. Good luck!
Note to the editor: Please learn how to actually post "Ask Slashdot" questions to the "Ask Slashdot" section. Just sticking the words in the title doesn't make it so.
Thanks.
'The tyrant will always find pretext for his tyranny.' - Aesop's Fables
Since this would be for educational use, and you'd like to use FOSS, Minix is the first thing that popped in my mind. It comes with a book that explains operating systems, and its most recent edition includes utilities from NetBSD that enable it to be reasonably useful. From what I recall, the Minix project was porting or has ported Minix to the Pi, so the combination would be awesome.
So the kids could learn Minix, and each of the systems would be reasonably affordable, given the low resource requirements of Minix - doesn't require much RAM or even CPU horsepower. Plus they could be used to build bigger systems as newer versions of hardware come out and the older hardware gets repurposed.
Usually, yes, but there are very good reasons for him wanting to go open sourse, such as (was mentioned above) the fact that it's OPEN and you cal learn how it works, but more importantly, it's a third world country. Proprietary software isn't for the poor. Me? I usually go open source, but there are times that a closed source program is superior (e.g., Excel) but if you can't afford Excel, your choices are Foss or piracy.
"You have to learn the difference between "Open Source philosophy" (RMS), "Open Source", open systems and access to source.
And perhaps you need to learn the difference between Free Software and Open Source.
Here's a good starting point: RMS supports only one of them.
Going for F/OSS would be more.. mind-expanding to the students, I'll admit, but I'd worry that being unfamiliar with Windows would hurt their chances of being employed. Lifehacker has an interesting pro-Linux article that I agree with, but I feel those skills, despite providing them a much greater understanding of computers in general, would be overwhelming to many and impractical down the road unless they specifically wish to go in to computer sciences. Familiarity with Linux and F/OSS is absolutely a bonus in today's world and should still be encouraged, but I don't think it should come at the expense of Windows/Office if that's what the job market is looking for. In the case of the Lifehacker article, that man's kids (emphasis on "man") will grow up to be badass and I have nothing but respect (and slight jealousy) for his two sons. I doubt they will ever need to worry about familiarity with Windows since they'll most likely know a Linux way around everything (if not always be in a position to dictate which software to use).
Before my karma falls in to oblivion for suggesting Microsoft, yes, you absolutely should teach the students about the open source community and how/why it works and encourage them to be familiar with the open source universe, but try to remember that this isn't about good and evil, this is about preparing the for a world that generally expects Windows.
If we colonize Mars, it won't be the World Wide Web anymore. UWW?
I am in good relations with a a German refurbisher. I can get a decent refurbished ( 4-core Xeon ) server, prolly a Fujitsu Siemens, for a very decent price, around € 300. In case you need a server to go with the lab's infrastructure, I'll finance one up to € 150. The other half will have to come from funding you find, or from Slashdotters. How's that ?
Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
The problem was, they wanted to accept them in their own way on their own schedule.
Then I submit that they were not really so willing to accept new cosmological theories.
The correct way is according to the evidence. The correct schedule is according to when advancements are made and new evidence is discovered. Anything else is unwillingness and refusal.
It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
Isn't there a size limit on Slashdot submissions?
Ken
I would concentrate some effort on making sure that no matter what happens, they have a clear path to "putting it back together".
Grub boot option to "reprint" the individual machines: clonezilla backups. If these machines are going to be used and then reprinted,
you might want to look into a grub partition that can clonezilla reprint the machine at boot time. Are they going to be able to save
their work ? Print? They should be able to print so they can prove to someone they did the work.
IMHO: RPi's have a steep start up cost of a low-end machine if you include case, power supply, and cables.
If buying all that doesn't scare you maybe look at a Hackenberry instead. It run MANY more OS'es and much more software and has more CPU under the hood. Or if you want something with a basic case, built in OS that can changed, some extra flash crive space and a power supply try the APC Paper. Finally there the Android Stick/Android Media Center. They're like the APC but with less IO and plug directly into an HDTV as the monitor. eBay always has tons for $50-100 with free US shipping.
You say things that offend me and I can deal with it. Can you?
Better they should learn now embedded systems like the RPi work than any of the computers used in the "Developed" world?
Teaching them Linux scratches a philosophical itch - using software without license fees solves a practical financial problem. The desktops being donated most likely have WinXP or (gasp) Vista OEM licenses/CoAs on them, meaning they already have "proprietary" software licenses without cost, and large swaths of open source software runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux/*nix.
The original poster (of the question, not the parent of this comment) supports the philosophy of open source, which comes across as foisting his own beliefs on the folks in the "developing country" of Guatamala. Rather than teach these high school students about using the software and tools the Guatamalans use in the cities of Guatamala, he'd rather run a little social experiment and see how they do with learning an OS used on about 1% of desktops and hardware most folks hook up to their TVs for a laugh instead of using very reasonable (likely Core 2 Duo) desktop systems and the bundled OS (WinXP, in use by many/most Guatamalan businesses I assume).
Is his goal to help them enter the workforce or see if he can foster a village full of little Linus Torvalrds & Richard Stallmans?
Ken
Those donated computers (likely) already include OEM CoAs for MS operating systems even figure into this issue? WIth the right media, there's no need to enter product keys.
Those donated computers already are capable of running Linux, and running it better than a RaspberryPi ever will.
Those donated computers already (likely) include functional monitors, monitors that more likely than not can't be used for a RaspberryPi.
Those donated computers are free, the RaspberryPi computers would need to be bought.
The businesses and government offices in Guatamala likely already use WIndows sloftware (like 95% of desktops do around the world), not Linux on RaspberryPis - if the goal is to teach them to enter the workforce with computer skill, why not use the platform the students will see in industry/government?
RaspberryPis are intended to be used where conventional computers aren't available - these suggestions to instead go with RaspberryPis turn that goal on it's head for no other reason than to satisfy personal/ideological desires of the volunteer setting up the lab in the first place.
Ken
No reason you need to use GPL license, pick whatever license you want. Write your own.
Oh, you want to use GPL produced software without following the licence it was offered with. You want to stand on the backs of others for your gain - not giving anything back.
Who is the "dickbag" here?
Let's be real here - you don't need to know how a system works to use it. Not to mention, other than writing a few very basic scripts 99.99999% of those kids will ever modify or build on the system. Exposing them to a non standard system is like teaching kids in the US to drive on right hand drive cars on the right hand side of the road. It's ridiculous and stupid, and does nothing but handicap them to no good end.
If that were the choice here - I'd happily agree with you. But it's not.
The poster isn't moving to a third world country - he's airdropping a bunch of computers and moving on with his life. He seemingly doesn't give a rat fuck about whether his setup is actually useful, or can be maintained locally, or what they kids can or will do with it - he's more concerned with spreading his gospel.
There's absolutely zero evidence of that - and abundant evidence otherwise.
In a world where one smart kid/staff couldn't administer a Windows system, that would be a reasonable question.
What would you call teaching them tools and operating systems that are not used by Guatamalan businesses and government?
What would you call insisiting that they be taught a near-novelty Operating System (Linux) in use by less than 1% of the world's users, and even fewer people in Guatamala?
RaspberryPis are great for the student that wants to learn more, but ignoring what the users in Guatamala use on their computers wastes the time of any villager that hopes to get a job working with computers in Guatamala - there are too many trade school graduates experienced in using Windows and other software tools that very few employers will be willing to hire a candidate with basic computer skills but no experience with Windows over a fully-trained and ready to go worker.
I think it is you that suffers from "First World Arrogance" my friend.
Ken
Let's be real here -
Yes, let's.
Exposing them to a non standard system
It's the system that runs most of the internet, most supercomputers, most large-sized embedded hardware and in a heavily modified form most smartphones these days.
About the only area Linux isn't totally dominant is desktop computing.
In other words, if you want to teach people enough about computers to set them up well for a career for building stuff with them, you could do worse than teaching them the dominant system.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
I am a firm believer in the Open Source philosophy...
I stopped reading right there.
Weird, that's where I started paying attention, may be because I believe that non-free software does not belong in education. Because one can't study non-free software. Because hiding the code and the methods is exactly the opposite of science. But most of all because you are fatally wrong in your assessment of the free software influence. Religious indoctrination is what non-free software does: it asks you to accept the vendor's good will with blind faith, and it asks you to run out to the store and pick up some coke while you are at it. Free software just does math. If FSF's mission is indoctrination, they are really lousy at it. Proprietary software vendors, OTOH, are all about indoctrination: they spend billions of US dollars on ad campaigns to convince users to buy non-free software, ostensibly because sharing files and code is bad for "content developers".
Anyways, OP, stay away from Edubuntu: it's non-free by design. If you can, run a fully free distribution such as Trisquel, a Ubuntu offshoot and an apparent flagship of FSF. It is not too hard to find old desktops that are fully supported by the linux-libre kernel, and even incomplete support (for example, slow 3D graphics and no wireless) may be quite sufficient for your needs.
First thing: do NOT just teach keyboarding. My son, when he was in a really lousy high school in Chicago in the late nineties, had what the school claimed was a "computer course"; as a degreed professional, with over 30 years experience, I'd get on a witness stand and swear it was *NOT*, it was a commercial typing class, as they used to call it.
You can do better.
Around the same time, two of my daughers were in a school in a tiny town in VA, and got basic d/b and coding (I think the latter was optional), and spreadsheets, etc.
Grab some 1-2 generation old computers, 5-10 years old, so they'll be way less likely to be stolen. Put Linux on them (I like CentOS, the same as RHEL, because it's *not* cutting edge, but stable, reliable... and will need that much less admin work). If you go with any RHEL-derived distro, you may have to stay with the 5.x (still supported till '17), since they stop supporting i386 (I think that includes up to 686, but I could be wrong) in the newer kernels.
Give the the whole LibreOffice suite, and show them how to use it (and yes, let them cut and paste (something my son's "teacher" didn't allow....). Remember, you're NOT teaching them touch typing, you're teaching them how to really use a computer.
For the ones who really like the hardware, make sure you tear down and/or rebuild one or more every year, and supervise *them* doing the work. Teach *them* how to do their own basic security.
I think you'll be happy with the results.
mark
LOL WHUT?
No, it's to setup a computer laboratory.
So what?
Then you shouldn't care what
is.
other than writing a few very basic scripts 99.99999% of those kids will never modify or build on the system.
FTFY (minor typo) ... more importantly, I call Dunning/Kruger. Just because what you describe is what you've seen happen doesn't mean it's a universal truth. Proprietary software has an in-built bias that nudges kids in the "learn how to use our software now, so you'll be consumers later" direction. Compare kids who pick up an OLPC with Sugar, where the whole user interface and every app has included source code that can actually be changed at runtime (with the baseline easily restorable, so experimentation doesn't have any fear factor built in) ... and what do you know, a fair % of the kids actually groove on figuring out the programming language and doing interesting things by modifying the software!
Wanna bet which of the learning experiences is better in the long run?
"Ahh! I see you're in that indeterminate Schrodinger state where - oh, uh
I set up a computer lab in Uganda 3-4 years ago.
We bought second hand computers locally. They came with 256 MB of RAM and we upgraded them to 512. It was good enough to run Gimp and Firefox. That's what most of the internet cafes do too.
The computers were networked so we set up apt-cacher on the teacher's computer. The other software tip is that you will want to be able to block high traffic websites because internet access is so expensive and bad.
One thing which you might want to think about is if you'll have to pay tax bringing computers into the country. Uganda allows computers to be imported duty free. But for a while Uganda started banning people from bringing used computers into the country.
My sister-in-law's NGO is setting up a computer lab as well. They are bringing laptops from the US. Laptops are good because they have a battery built in so power fluctuations aren't such a big deal. The problem with laptops is that they can be stolen easily.
If you're bringing stuff from the US then bring a bunch of cheap USB keys for the kids. They will be very expensive locally.
I've got some first hand experience from the region, and would like to share it.
1. Don't acquire old pc:s for them. They consume shitload of electricity, witch might be rather expensive for the locals. Moreover, if you are to provide them with pc:s, you'd need to get them adequate ups as well. Blackouts are frequent and cause major annoyance for the maintenance.
2. Get to know the local computer shop owner. He's the guy who is going to keep the system running after you've gone. He'll probably try to rip off all the participants of your project. Live with it - everyone's got their mortgage to pay.
3. Set up a system that the guy from the previous chapter can handle. If he has never used linux (I worked with a dozen of local electronics engineers and ham operators, and none of them had ever seen the penguin running) you shouldn't bother to use it.
4. Try to get them some reasonable updating system. Bandwidth costs even more than electricity. So you should configure a huge proxy server for the windows update. I'm not familiar with this but I know it can be done with little effort.
5. Try to find good old Thinkpads. They are rugged enough for the school environment and can be fixed by the (2.).
6. Get a proper safe for the compus. Sooner or later someone will try to steal the machines.
7. Finally and most importantly: Get them nothing (hw/sw) you've never tried at home. You just can't go there to learn that some of the equipment isn't compatible. (Remember the guy called Murphy..)
I did something somewhat similar in Nicaragua in 2001. Built a SUSE 7.1 machine that had previously been running Win95. I had one hell of a time of it, too. Good memories. I wrote about it at http://therandymon.com/content/view/68/98/
Annoyingly, even poorer countries are increasingly uninterested in repurposing old machines these days. They want donors to provide - through NGO projects, etc. - new hardware running whatever is the latest. Not an easy sell.
If this were Usenet, I'd killfile the lot of you.
Identify the core aims and objectives for the lab. What do you hope to achieve? How do you hope to achieve it? Your stakeholders will need to be cool with this, not least your funders and users. Everything follows on from this.
Identify the resources available. This is not just the hardware. You're going to need a room to house that lab. Electricity. Network? Internet access? Appropriately skilled staffing (likely volunteers). If you are not going to be regularly involved and on-site you may need a local to manage and champion the project. Are there going to be costs and how will you fund them?
Your choice in software might be largely dictated by the above. The relative merits of the software itself might not even be a relevant issue.
I am likly one of the few here that has experience running an IT company in Guatemala. In fact, I know the town.
A) Go Cheap, really Cheap. Expect everything will be stolen regularlly. Think of it like those bike share programs. The more computers in the community, the more people will use them; even if it is just the kids of the local thief. The more worthless and common they are, like the ugly bikes, the less likly they are to be stolen.
B) the power grid is crap, and will always be crap, because everyone wires their houses with lamp cords. Thus, when the grid goes down twice a day in the rain storms, there are lots of surges as the grid comes up and goes down again. For a whole computer lab, I would simply isolate the lab on some sort reweable power source. stock UPS will die faster than the scorpions crawling around them. So, low powered, cheap computers are the way to go. see point above.
C) Don't expect the Guatemalans to do a whole lot. They say they will, but they won't. Be prepared to do everything yourself. I mean everything (like dig up a street to poach some internet from the internet cafe next door in the middle of the night, because the local ISP will want to hit you up for a kickback to provide internet directly).
D) don't expect parents to get it, or understand the benfits. The kids get it, and that is all that counts. Keep the adaults out of it, and the kids will handle the rest.
I could likly go on for hours, but those will be the big ones.
I have some experience with computer rooms ("labs" is a bit highfalutin' in this case) in a developing country. Here's what's going to happen to your project:
1. The school is going to be grateful for the treasure you're providing them, so they're going to protect it. The computer lab will have (or end up with) bars on the windows, a reinforced door and more than one lock on the door.
2. They keys to the lab will be given to one person, almost certainly the math teacher. He may or may not know anything about computers.
3. As the keyholder, this teacher will be held responsible for the computers. If anything happens to them --theft, damage, vandalism, viruses, students watching porn, inability to boot up to the GUI because the latest kernel updates hosed something-- it is this teacher who will be called into the principal's office to answer, possibly with his job.
4. Unemployment sucking as hard as it does, the teacher will severely restrict use of the lab. Students will only be allowed in for classes under his supervision. But he has to teach all his math classes, so there won't be much time for computer class. The machines will sit unused most of the day.
5. For the same reason, students will only be allowed to do the most basic things. Anything with a CLI is hacking and will be punished -- again, this guy has to feed his family, and he'll be damned if he's going to lose his job because of some stupid kids who don't respect the school and who don't understand how valuable the lab is.
http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html
sugata has done the research, you just need to impliment it
Familiar like my job all the time, every day. It sounds like you are doing something similar to what I have done with the high school I work for in schools and orphanages in our local state, Nicaragua, Mexico, South Africa and (soonlike in a few weeks) the Caribbean.
While it’s impossible to speak to any specific instance, here are a few things to keep in mind:
1. Power: Do you have electricity etc that can support the lab? If not, is there a way to get it with little cost or no cost. Is the local power in stable enough to prevent long term damage to the units? That is, are there rolling blackouts or the like that could call for preventative measures to be taken?
2. Location: This isn’t just secure from people wanting to break in and steal stuff (which can happen depending on how desperate people are. But then if the community is heavily involved, it will help prevent this or at bare minimum spark response to it). This is secure from rain, wind, sun etc? Consider the elements, they are the enemy. Is the climate humid? Hot? Does the building flood? Does it have AC in any of the rooms? Consider what implications this could have to the long term use of the units and their placement.
3. Involve the school: What do THEY want? Assume nothing. Talk with the school, see what it is they want and need. Work for them. I’m assuming you have already done this but it’s always good to check. Long ago when we were first starting to do tech outreach, one of our leaders said something to the effect of “don’t try to change the culture. Give the tools, show them how they run and let them use them how they will.” She has been dead right everywhere we’ve worked and the only exception we’ve made to this rule is demanding that at least half of the training class be female and be made mostly of students. Involve the students. They aren't idiots, don't cripple their options. Yes, give them admin power. This approach gives the school’s members a stake in the lab and learning and will also help secure the structure. It can also be helpful if you can find local organizations to participate.
4. Support: who is going to be in charge of keeping the lab up? You can’t stay there forever. Find someone (or some ones) at the school who has raw potential or somehow has an edge above the rest in the tech department and train them on how to support the units. Don’t rule out students. Teach them the fine art of “frankenstiening” old units together if parts are not readily available. Software support is vital too. Consider a base image for all of the units. Something we’ve done in the past with some of our support contacts is give them a flash drive full of resources, installers, tech tools, guides, walkthroughs, Linux isos. you know, helpful things if you don’t have a stable internet connection. Having someone on site with a greater than average knowledge of the inner workings of the lab will also help prevent the lab from becoming a china doll, so to speak. You want things to break in the lab, you want it to be a rag doll. That means it’s being used.
5. Connectivity: Do you somehow have internet there? If not, would you consider doing an internal network? If you want internet, talk to local businesses, government or charitable organizations. You might find someone willing to run you a line or point to point connections. On a similar note, mirrored sites are awesome. A local server with all of Wikipedia, Kahn Academy, a pile of common domain classic books and more sites/resources with license agreements allowing such is a damn powerful tool to leave in a school’s lab.
6. Shipping/transport: You have any idea how you’re going to get the computers into the country? I’ve flown with switches and servers in my bag before and it is doable if not a bit back breaking and a little sketch in the eyes of customs. However, if you can find a secure and inexpensive means to ship them is always g
Good grief I hate cyber religion.
The good and logical reason to use Linux is frankly not having to worry about paper work. Get a new machine put Linux on it. Do not worry about having the right to do so just put it on and go. That and less worry about malware since Linux is not usually targeted and should never be running as root.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
COED has been doing this in Guatemala for awhile now...and they are very successful. http://www.coeduc.org/
You could get the money to them for the initial purchase, help them do the setup as a sponsored volunteer, and then they take care of it for the long-haul. They have a very good model in that it helps break the NGO cycle of donations that do the capital investment, but never enough money to do upgrades later. It builds in local investment and support, which is what long term success requires.
The internet isn't necessary to teach typing & office skills on Libre-Office. Wikipedia has books you can copy to disk & bring there for CS & more. If you're without internet access, that may turn your lab into a "library" lab.
I'd bring some hack-friendly environment or lib with references & examples, like:
- PyGame
- GameJS
- Electronics hacking (Raspberry PI).
Science & open-source build trust from peer review. Learn systems you can trust.
Hi OP. We build networks specifically designed to overcome the challenges you are facing, already in use in the Oceania region. http://solarnetone.org
Cheers!
In past years South Africa's Linux user groups did large roll outs of Linux in Townships. It would be wise to contact them if you want to do the same thing in other countries. One of the results of that movement was Edubuntu. Not to advocate Ubuntu flavors, but that particular flavor was created with these Township install festivals in mind.
Have a look at: http://www.linux.org.za/
http://wiki.clug.org.za/wiki/Main_Page
http://pretlug.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/preformat.cgi?home.html
http://www.meetup.com/Jozi-Linux-User-Group-JLUG/
The problem was, they wanted to accept them in their own way on their own schedule.
Then I submit that they were not really so willing to accept new cosmological theories.
The correct way is according to the evidence. The correct schedule is according to when advancements are made and new evidence is discovered. Anything else is unwillingness and refusal.
Who was it that said "scientific progress advances one death at a time"? A scientist, no?
We did something similar in Burundi for several years. I'm no longer involved, but I'm sure they'll be able to help and offer sensible advice.
Tedeco is a cooperation group at the UPM (Technical University of Madrid).
Based on my experience doing very similar projects across China, my advice is to approach the many foreign firms doing business in your target country. Ask them for donations of hardware, expertise and / or cash.
We receive around 1,100 used laptops per year from the Fortune 500 companies doing business in China as well as thousands of volunteer hours (and occasionally cash). We send out emails twice a year and arrange collection of donated hardware.
I also agree that "teaching the teachers" should be the first step.
A dream is good. A plan is better.
The best way to keep bugs out is to pull pantyhose over the computer (or glue it over any vents if it's a laptop) -- the mesh fabric keeps the little bastards out while allowing the air to circulate & heat to escape. I've learned that a similar approach with the cooling platform makes the fan last a lot longer in an environment that is prone to dust, animal/pet fur, and so forth.
Now mostly at Usenet:comp.misc & SoylentNews.org (it's made of people!)
Seeing so many post just against OSS and ideology, etc.
Why not teach kids both MS and Linux ? Introduce them to both OS and mechanics in a timed schedule. Can't understand what is the problem here.
And are all these guys sure that learning MS will give them any job ? Tens of Thousands who work in U/Linux/OSX/Android development /admin will prefer to disagree on such comments.
You should talk with Brian Berry from OLE Nepal. Heard the interesting FLOSS #66 podcast and he seemed experienced.
Src : http://wiki.twit.tv/wiki/FLOSS_Weekly_66
What's the environment like?
I personally worked in a lab in Darfur (Sudan); not related to the above, and used off-the shelf equipment (I had a Dell ruggedized laptop but used a normal Acer day-to-day). We had to be mobile in case of riots.
Filters for fan/ventilation intake. UPS and shock protection between generated power and sensitive equipment. Covers for everything, there was a fine layer of dust on everything every morning.
Defining Statistics and Social Research
Correct, with the exception that the former is more desirable for everyone and the latter only for major corps if they were true (2 counterfactual examples).
They are not true, but that is besides the point. Idealism is about working towards an ideal with the conditions of the present as your starting point.
You seem pragmatic, like me, so we recognize the world not as ideal and take into account of existing positions and directions. But that doesn't invalidate idealism. My pragmatic life would be far more poor without FOSS.
Defining Statistics and Social Research
I recently returned from 2+ years volunteering in tropical Bolivia (see our blog here http://bo.teeks99.com/ ), doing a lot of what you are looking for. Right off the bat, you need to know it isn't going to be as easy as you think it will right now.
Important Issues
1. Shipping - The cost to ship a single 3-year old computer to a developing nation (don't forget import duties!) will probably be more than just buying a comperable computer in-country. Even though there aren't a lot of people with money in bolivia, there is still a great demand for computers. Thus the markets had lots of low-cost deals, not the latest technology but it was enough. Parts for a Core 2 Duo setup were ~$200, another $120 for a monitor. I would guess Guatemala would be similar.
2. Power - In every developing nation I've ever been in, electricity has been an issue for computers. In Bolivia it was rare that we would lose electricity completely (once every couple months), but very common where we would have brown-outs where there just isn't enough electricity in the wires. This is very bad for computers...so we had to hook every computer up to a battery (usually 2-3PCs for to a 1300VA battery). Unfortunately heat is the primary killer of batteries and the tropics is always hot. Over two years we probably spent 50% of the money spent on the lab on the original batteries and their replacements.
3. Administrator - Someone will need to be in-charge of the lab long-term. If you're there for a month you may have time to get it all setup and start training someone. However, it might not be that easy to get them up to speed on the basics of linux that they would need to know to keep it running. If there is just one big problem they can't solve they'll probably just go and install a pirated copy of windows on all the machines.
4. Cirriculum - I also wanted very much to teach the benefits of Open Souce, but that just wasn't what was needed by the students. The problem is that skills employers look for can be absurdly specific (probably due to the very different learning styles of students). It would not be uncommon for someone not to get a job because they had experience with Word 2003 instead of Word 2007. If you say..."I learned how to use Libre Office" the employer won't know what you're talking about, if you try to tell them it's basically the same as Microsoft Office they won't believe you. If you don't put "Learn to use Windows" or "Learn to use Office 2007" on the flyers for a course, you won't get very many students.
That said, I was able to make a decent multimedia course using Open Source: Gimp, Inkscape, Audacity, Kdenlive, etc., but to get students I also had to promise to teach them Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. What I ended up doing was speding a month with GIMP then just one day going through all the things they already learned in Photoshop...just so they could put it on their resume. (If you're interested, the text I wrote for my multimedia course is all open sourced too: http://mediaintro.sagradocorazon.info/ )
5. Teachers - Who is going to teach a cirriculum based on open source? There probably aren't already people there who can do it. Do you have a whole semester you could team-teach with one of the current teachers so that they would be equipped to continue on? What about when they get a different job, who will take over then?
I'm sorry if all this is a bit negative, I really do hope you have success. It would be amazingly helpful to the people in many developing countries if they had the tools of open source at their disposal (you could only imaging the countless hours wasted because of computer viruses that infect illegal copies of windows). I hope addressing these issues I had up front helps you save time in the long-run.
Hi all,
Thanks to all of you for taking some time to give me a better direction on this project. If you have any other ideas, please feel fee to send me a note. I know there are ideas and problems that I have not anticipated yet, and I am grateful for any idea I can try to fix now instead of later.
I should have posted a few more details to give you a better picture.
1) This is a K - 6 grade school. That is why I was thinking about Edubuntu. Perhaps Guadalinex (http://www.guadalinexedu.org/portal/)? They do not need a strong programming environment. They need an environment that will stimulate and facilitate an interest in learning.
2) There is not a consistent internet connection available. It is being worked on getting one, but it is not there yet. The school is in a rural area outside Guatemala City and there is not much infrastructure in the area.
3) There are two people down there (one on site, one off) that will be able to try to handle issues that arise in the lab. (I agree with one poster that said "lab" is a bit strong. Really more of a room)
4) The electrical systems are being upgraded to keep the room running.
After some suggestions, I have reached out to a few companies to try to solicit donations. As another poster said, I do not need strong hardware for this project. Older equipment would be received with great joy. Some of these kids don't even have shoes. I don't think they will be checking out the specs on the computers.
Thanks again. Your time is much appreciated.
I suspect even in Guatemala there's people dumping their CRTs for flat screens.
The problem was, they wanted to accept them in their own way on their own schedule.
Then I submit that they were not really so willing to accept new cosmological theories.
The correct way is according to the evidence. The correct schedule is according to when advancements are made and new evidence is discovered. Anything else is unwillingness and refusal.
Who was it that said "scientific progress advances one death at a time"? A scientist, no?
Yes, and it was a lament.
But really, how much rapid progress would you have expected from an organization which believed (at the time) that an effective way to spread the love of Jesus was torturing people to death? I mean, I've read the Bible and the words of Christ -- I couldn't find "hold an Inquisition" or "torture your neighbor" anywhere in it.
It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
But really, how much rapid progress would you have expected from an organization which believed (at the time) that an effective way to spread the love of Jesus was torturing people to death? I mean, I've read the Bible and the words of Christ -- I couldn't find "hold an Inquisition" or "torture your neighbor" anywhere in it.
The key oxymoron there, however is "organization" and "rapid progress". The fact that the organization in question was religious definitely comes in second.
Yes, God loves you so much that he has prepared a place of perpetual torment for you if you don't love him back, and killed Himself to save you from it without asking you if that's the solution you wanted. So says Christianity. The rationale behind the torture was "better that the person suffer a little pain now than a lot of pain eternally". And while expecting a forced "conversion" to mean anything is about as realistic as expecting nothing but the truth from a forced "confession", some people can't be convinced otherwise.
2. Power - In every developing nation I've ever been in, electricity has been an issue for computers. In Bolivia it was rare that we would lose electricity completely (once every couple months), but very common where we would have brown-outs where there just isn't enough electricity in the wires. This is very bad for computers...so we had to hook every computer up to a battery (usually 2-3PCs for to a 1300VA battery). Unfortunately heat is the primary killer of batteries and the tropics is always hot. Over two years we probably spent 50% of the money spent on the lab on the original batteries and their replacements.
This is exactly the issue I was going to bring up, but you've said it better than I would have.
Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.
I've seen an awesome example of how to setup an amazing computer lab where children can learn programming and robotics. There's a fairly small town called San José Villanueva near San Salvador, so if you want more info I can hook you up with the people responsible.