Re: [xmca] wikis, textbooks, developing countries, impoverished US schools

From: A. G (anaguenthner@gmail.com)
Date: Mon Sep 18 2006 - 10:39:43 PDT


Actually, I don't think people in developing countries look at the
picture the way we do in the West. Being a paternalistic society,
they may find one computer and decide as a community to share. A
barrio may have one computer in the mayors home. The mayor will
organize the schedule so that schools, government officials, store
owners and relatives can share in accessing the computer. They create
an environment of celebration and dialogue while they meet and sit
around a computer that may be placed on a pedestal.

They look at information as knowledge. Malnutrition, unemployment and
land mines may be considered as part of life but peeking into the
information world is hope. Unbelievable knowledge is shared amongst
the people (children and adults) by word of mouth.

On Sep 16, 2006, at 5:09 PM, Mike Cole wrote:

> Sounds like a Gates foundation project to me. People earning 1.00$
> per day
> with no electricity are not likely to have access even to
> the relatively accessible techs.
>
> Then add malnutrition, unemployment, land mines, a GREAT leader on
> preventing aids, .........
> mike
>
> On 9/16/06, Tony Whitson <twhitson@udel.edu> wrote:
>>
>> Carol,
>> Yes, these surely are problems.
>> There are some people making an effort: for example, the $100
>> computer
>> that does not require an electricity source (there's a hand crack to
>> charge a battery). See:
>> http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn8338
>>
>> I have a Canadian friend who developed a program for retooling
>> discarded
>> old-version computers to run on Linux, so the whole package would
>> be much
>> less expensive. He was meeting with a VP of an African country
>> about them
>> using it. I'm told that Micro$oft swooped in and preempted that
>> with some
>> sweet deal for the government.
>>
>> I think our public schools systems should make a social choice to
>> standardize on Linux and JUST SAY NO to the never-ending path of
>> continual
>> obsolesence and upgrading on Micro$soft systems. If we did that,
>> we could
>> do everything that we need to do for educational purposes on much
>> less
>> expensive systems, and the developing of such a market would create a
>> demand for reasonable systems economically available to other
>> populations
>> as well, outside of schools.
>>
>> BTW, the $100-laptop program makes its machines available to
>> geographic
>> areas that commit to 100% distribution to the school children of that
>> area.
>>
>> On Wed, 13 Sep 2006, Carol Macdonald wrote:
>>
>> > Hi Tony:
>> > I find you argument interesting to read. However, I would like
>> to put
>> you
>> > in the picture in our rural Black schools. They don't have any
>> access
>> to
>> > computers (there may be no electricity) and they are unlikely to
>> receive
>> > textbooks--or sometimes near the end of the school year. So,
>> they can't
>> > even access wiki. Of course the better school in the suburbs have
>> > electricity and computers, and so it's the case of the rich getting
>> > richer... In the Grade 12 exams all the students have to show
>> competence on
>> > using Work as well as Excell, and this is manifestly unfair to
>> those
>> > students who have never seen a computer. Universities tend to
>> ignore
>> these
>> > marks, as well they might.
>> > Carol
>> >
>> > On 9/12/06, Tony Whitson <twhitson@udel.edu> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> I see that I should have done a better job with the SUBJECT
>> line of
>> that
>> >> post. It's about inequality and opportunity, not just about
>> media and
>> >> technology.
>> >>
>> >> On Tue, 12 Sep 2006, Tony Whitson wrote:
>> >>
>> >> > See
>> >>
>> >> http://tonywhitson.edublogs.org/2006/09/12/wikis-textbooks/
>> >>
>> >> > for links
>> >> >
>> >> > An article in Teachers College Press reports on the lack of
>> adequate
>> >> > textbooks in California's public schools — especially in
>> financially
>> >> less
>> >> > well-off communities. The authors have been sharply critical of
>> >> high-stakes
>> >> > consequences being imposed by NCLB on students in schools
>> without the
>> >> > resources needed for an education that measures up to the
>> state's
>> >> standards.
>> >> >
>> >> > Meanwhile, NewScientist online reports that 'Students in
>> developing
>> >> countries
>> >> > are to get free textbooks written using "wiki" technology
>> that lets
>> >> anyone
>> >> > add to or edit an online document.'
>> >> >
>> >> > This suggests two possibilities:
>> >> >
>> >> > 1. Maybe California students would be better off ; and
>> >> >
>> >> > 2. Maybe all students would be better off if they could use
>> wiki-style
>> >> > textbooks developed by, say, scientists and science teachers, or
>> >> historians
>> >> > and history teachers, instead of the textbooks being marketed by
>> >> commercial
>> >> > publishers. There are people who would be terrified by this
>> prospect;
>> >> there
>> >> > are also legitimate concerns.
>> >> >
>> >> > What do you think?
>> >> >
>> >> > Tony Whitson
>> >> > UD School of Education
>> >> > NEWARK DE 19716
>> >> >
>> >> > twhitson@udel.edu
>> >> > _______________________________
>> >> >
>> >> > "those who fail to reread
>> >> > are obliged to read the same story everywhere"
>> >> > -- Roland Barthes, S/Z (1970)
>> >>
>> >> Tony Whitson
>> >> UD School of Education
>> >> NEWARK DE 19716
>> >>
>> >> twhitson@udel.edu
>> >> _______________________________
>> >>
>> >> "those who fail to reread
>> >> are obliged to read the same story everywhere"
>> >> -- Roland Barthes, S/Z (1970)
>> >>
>> >> _______________________________________________
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>> >>
>> >>
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>>
>> Tony Whitson
>> UD School of Education
>> NEWARK DE 19716
>>
>> twhitson@udel.edu
>> _______________________________
>>
>> "those who fail to reread
>> are obliged to read the same story everywhere"
>> -- Roland Barthes, S/Z (1970)
>>
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