Waiting for the 100$ laptop

Nick-H · Jan 11th, 2008, 00:13

It's not brilliant for electronics either.

Not sure which I'd back to last the longest.

I'm actually thinking in concrete terms now of Kerala as our next home. First exploratory trip comes soon.

But you have worried me as to what happens to my book collection when we get there

Diana · Jan 11th, 2008, 07:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick-H

But you have worried me as to what happens to my book collection when we get there

Hey, just got to plan for it. People with wine collections build special cellars. Folks with furs build special fur coat closets (I'm sure there's a name for that but I wouldn't know it.) Folks with planes built hangars. You'll just need a dehumidifying library!

(P.S. Feel free to drop in on the kids and I if ya'll take that trip Feb-April!)

Nick-H · Jan 11th, 2008, 07:17

It'll be late Feb, and we're going to Alleppey because that's where the new inlaws family is based.

I'm interested in seeing Changanacherry (Sp?) too: never been there, but it looks good on the map. Backwaters is what I'm after, although Mrs N is rightly worried about flooding.

edwardseco · Jan 11th, 2008, 12:17

Humidity problems remind me a stamp collector who came to Amrika with the intention of selling mint high value Indian stamps here. In India they remove the gum off new stamps to prevent all kinds of problems from the humidity. I sadly informed him that it rendered the entire investment worthless in the US market. Wonder if its worth looking for a dehumidifier..

Aishah · Jan 11th, 2008, 16:07

Reading this re Kerala and humidity and books - I'm beginning to think I'm not so badly done by here, even though it becomes @#%#**#@ hot!!!Even in 'monsoon months' not a hint of mildew here! Books safely in cupboards, dust-free.

navinkurian2002 · May 15th, 2008, 14:12

Khairat_Chronicle
OLPC_India
Ah finally a start!

snowcrab · May 15th, 2008, 17:00

I could see individual laptops demanding a very different kind of teacher-student interaction than is usual in Indian schools and there may not be all that many teachers able or more possibly willing to adopt a new teaching style. In the link above the teacher sounds like he is more than willing to do individual projects with individual children at their own speed. This is very child-centric.

Most of the class work I have seen in India has been very teacher-centric, with the teacher sitting in his plastic chair at the front of the room leading the children in a rote memorization, the children responding all in unison, either by shouted responses or by copying marks he made on the board on their own little slates.

Then there is the problem of content. Here is where "the medium is the message" comes into play. A teacher's attitude towards the content becomes part of the information being learned. A computer screen is a lot cooler, the attitude is not so clearly defined, and if you add access to the internet, children can surf around and find supplementary info that may illuminate the information in ways that schools and teachers had not anticipated. So there are more subtle risks of children beginning to think in ways the education system had not planned on than finding porno sites.

This may be some part of the reason India may want to go slow with this kind of technology.

puchoo · May 15th, 2008, 17:03

I agree , but whats the guarantee that they wont get home, log on and get that info anyway and then incorporate it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by snowcrab

So there are more subtle risks of children beginning to think in ways the education system had not planned on than finding porno sites.

snowcrab · May 15th, 2008, 17:23

Well that would be in homes that have already made the decision to give children that kind of access. That is not the school's fault or responsibility. The school has to be responsible to all parents in teaching community values.

puchoo · May 15th, 2008, 17:26

fair enough....but i would not call it a 'fault'....while additional and supplementary information on the net might play havoc with the curriculum to some degree i would think in a lot of cases it would be great to have access to such resources...

Jan 11th, 2008, 00:13	#106
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,473	It's not brilliant for electronics either. Not sure which I'd back to last the longest. I'm actually thinking in concrete terms now of Kerala as our next home. First exploratory trip comes soon. But you have worried me as to what happens to my book collection when we get there __________________ . Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

Jan 11th, 2008, 16:07	#110
Aishah She-who-must-be-obeyed! Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Jaisalmer Posts: 3,715	Reading this re Kerala and humidity and books - I'm beginning to think I'm not so badly done by here, even though it becomes @#%#**#@ hot!!!Even in 'monsoon months' not a hint of mildew here! Books safely in cupboards, dust-free. __________________ "Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

May 15th, 2008, 14:12	#111
navinkurian2002 Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mumbai,India Posts: 697	Khairat_Chronicle OLPC_India Ah finally a start! __________________ It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare dream of meeting your heart's longing. Budget Hotels ] Last edited by navinkurian2002 : May 15th, 2008 at 16:13.

May 15th, 2008, 17:00	#112
snowcrab Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Alberta, Can Posts: 1,010	I could see individual laptops demanding a very different kind of teacher-student interaction than is usual in Indian schools and there may not be all that many teachers able or more possibly willing to adopt a new teaching style. In the link above the teacher sounds like he is more than willing to do individual projects with individual children at their own speed. This is very child-centric. Most of the class work I have seen in India has been very teacher-centric, with the teacher sitting in his plastic chair at the front of the room leading the children in a rote memorization, the children responding all in unison, either by shouted responses or by copying marks he made on the board on their own little slates. Then there is the problem of content. Here is where "the medium is the message" comes into play. A teacher's attitude towards the content becomes part of the information being learned. A computer screen is a lot cooler, the attitude is not so clearly defined, and if you add access to the internet, children can surf around and find supplementary info that may illuminate the information in ways that schools and teachers had not anticipated. So there are more subtle risks of children beginning to think in ways the education system had not planned on than finding porno sites. This may be some part of the reason India may want to go slow with this kind of technology. __________________ http://indibliss.blogspot.com/

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Jan 11th, 2008, 07:17	#108
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,473	It'll be late Feb, and we're going to Alleppey because that's where the new inlaws family is based. I'm interested in seeing Changanacherry (Sp?) too: never been there, but it looks good on the map. Backwaters is what I'm after, although Mrs N is rightly worried about flooding.

Jan 11th, 2008, 12:17	#109
edwardseco Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Land that shakes and bakes. Posts: 3,536	Humidity problems remind me a stamp collector who came to Amrika with the intention of selling mint high value Indian stamps here. In India they remove the gum off new stamps to prevent all kinds of problems from the humidity. I sadly informed him that it rendered the entire investment worthless in the US market. Wonder if its worth looking for a dehumidifier..

May 15th, 2008, 17:23	#114
snowcrab Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Alberta, Can Posts: 1,010	Well that would be in homes that have already made the decision to give children that kind of access. That is not the school's fault or responsibility. The school has to be responsible to all parents in teaching community values.

May 15th, 2008, 17:26	#115
puchoo Maha Guru Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: New Delhi & Himachal Pradesh (Shimla) Posts: 2,471	fair enough....but i would not call it a 'fault'....while additional and supplementary information on the net might play havoc with the curriculum to some degree i would think in a lot of cases it would be great to have access to such resources...

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