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Old 04-27-2012, 08:39 PM   #1
fjtorres
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ebook readers (Kindles) in African education

Kindles may not be optimized for educational use but they certainly can be useful:
http://www.gadgetbox.msnbc.msn.com/t...-kindle-739509

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The study put 600 Kindles into the hands of kids and tracked how they were used, how they changed teaching in the area, and how they affected literacy. The results were immensely positive, though not without caveats.

Teachers were able to create much more appropriate lesson plans and get up-to-date textbooks and resources. Kids were able to learn how to use the devices quickly and adapted to them very well, leading to improved test scores and literacy in general. And amazingly, only 2 of the 600 devices were lost or stolen.
There is clearly a crying need for plastic substrate screens for this type of reader use. Soon... soon...
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Old 04-28-2012, 12:44 AM   #2
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Another article on this...

http://gigaom.com/2012/04/27/worldre...aders-kindles/
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Old 04-28-2012, 01:03 AM   #3
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Neat, thanks for posting. Worldreader sounds like a great organization, I'll add them to my list of charities to donate to this year.
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Old 04-28-2012, 02:43 AM   #4
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Great program, seems Amazon was an active partner. There should be some charity you could send your old E-reader too.
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Old 04-28-2012, 04:41 AM   #5
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The article was a bit amusing because Amazon managed to accomplish something that the OLPC project, or $100 laptop, didn't: getting cheap textbooks into the hands of children in developing countries (this was an argument for the project early on). They may have also achieve the network goal through existing cellular networks. It will be interesting to see how these projects develop in the future since ereaders are easily modified into general purpose computers that can support more general learning activities.
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Old 04-28-2012, 09:01 AM   #6
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Err, what? They provided 60,000 US$ worth of equipment for a school in Ghana and they consider it as a great success that this improved reading at that school? How did the control group do, the school that received 60,000 US$ for paper books?
With a breakage rate of over 40% the school would have to spend almost 25,000 US$ p.a. just to maintain the current equipment level. Without continuous external funding the project would therefore basically be dead after just two years. Can you imagine what their school library would look like if they could spend that sort of money on conventional books for a couple of years?
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Old 04-28-2012, 10:13 AM   #7
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The article was a bit amusing because Amazon managed to accomplish something that the OLPC project, or $100 laptop, didn't: getting cheap textbooks into the hands of children in developing countries (this was an argument for the project early on).
Almost as amusing: they did it quietly with no press conferences, government negotiations, or pronouncements about how they would "save the world".

As a proper *pilot* program, they identified the strengths and (more importantly) the weaknesses of the tech *before* committing hundreds of millions of dollars to a massive airlift of tech toys.

The key lessons learned from this is that:

1- Just providing the texts offers a *big* benefit.
2- Even sub-optimal digital readers can do the trick.
3- Less capability might be more learning power and *less* distraction.
4- A purpose-built reader for this application needs to be ruggedized beyond generic OTA consumer products. Or, be built off plastic-substrate screens like the new LG line.

Pilot programs aren't for saving the world or even solving a problem; they are for finding out *how* to solve the problem.

This is a very successful pilot.
Now it is a matter of moving on to the next phase..
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Old 04-28-2012, 10:28 AM   #8
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So far I don't see that success. Reading conditions improve after running a cash rich pilot programme, great. Looks like some "aid" programmes that e.g. delivered high tech European buses to cash strapped African nations. Certainly these buses improved the local transport situation - until these buses broke down and the recipients didn't have the money to buy expensive replacement parts for these sophisticated vehicles.

Last edited by CommonReader; 04-28-2012 at 10:32 AM.
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Old 04-28-2012, 10:59 AM   #9
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Small gains are better than no gains.
Doing something is better than doing nothing.
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Old 04-28-2012, 11:26 AM   #10
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Small gains are better than no gains.
Doing something is better than doing nothing.
True and every journey begins with the 1st step.
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Old 04-28-2012, 12:44 PM   #11
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There are a number of reasons why ereaders may be preferred over printed books in these countries, particularly if they are a part of a government sponsored program. Some lessons from the OLPC project:

The resale or theft of books is much more common in these countries. An electronic device which is digitally tied to a student reduces the probability of that happening.

It is far easier for governments to create or distribute books. Printed books require considerable resources to create and distribute. This is a huge problem in remote areas, where heavy books may have to be flown in.

Printed books are also all-or-nothing propositions, so books are difficult to distribute as they are being developed. This is a big problem in many nations that need to develop educational materials in their own language.

Access to outside resources. In many communities, the only books available have been selected by government/committee, were the luck of the draw through donations, or were selected by a handful of individuals who could afford it.

Over all, I like the sounds of this initiative more than the OLPC project. The XO-1 was noble in intention ("constructionist" learning), but also created problems with respect to teacher training. Heck, even teachers in developed nations who grew up around computers rarely know how to use them effectively in the classroom. The Kindle, being more like a real book, would be far easier for those teachers and students to understand.
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Old 04-28-2012, 01:26 PM   #12
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Err, what? They provided 60,000 US$ worth of equipment for a school in Ghana and they consider it as a great success that this improved reading at that school? How did the control group do, the school that received 60,000 US$ for paper books?
With a breakage rate of over 40% the school would have to spend almost 25,000 US$ p.a. just to maintain the current equipment level. Without continuous external funding the project would therefore basically be dead after just two years. Can you imagine what their school library would look like if they could spend that sort of money on conventional books for a couple of years?
I'm afraid I have to agree with CommonReader - I think the $ would have been far better spent on Phys-texts , and would have helped far more children.
And the "small step" suggestion doesn't impress me a lot - it might be a good move for Amazon, but is it the best way to help the most children to a position of possessing a good basic education, so they can have a better life now.
And do /will the children keep these all their school lives, if the benefits are so good ?
And if so, will they have to give them up on leaving ? Not that it's likely that many would last that long, with current technology........
And, may I ask, what happened to the children and the readers after the year was up ?

And I have to say, the stated claim that, gosh, wait for it, yes, "................only 2 of the 600 devices were lost or stolen......" sounds almost patronising to my ear - a touch of the "which is good considering it's Ghana" attitude.
[ Or is it just that they know a lot more would "disappear" here in the West, so we won't be trying it over here ! ]

What is much more relevant is the 40+% breakage/breakdown figure - that's 240 out of 600 didn't last the year.
I don't question the good intentions behind this, rather, is this pilot self-sustainable in a poor country, and the best way to help the most at the present time ?
Because, especially in these straitened times, I very much doubt if it would be sustainable even in the "developed"/ "not quite as cash-rich as we used to think we were", nations.
Or are still-rich businesses, corporations and individuals prepared to open their wallets ?
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Old 04-28-2012, 02:25 PM   #13
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It is far easier for governments to create or distribute books. Printed books require considerable resources to create and distribute. This is a huge problem in remote areas, where heavy books may have to be flown in.
The place is too remote to deliver books by truck or by ship, yet they have internet connectivity, a network and electricity to charge the readers? Seriously?
Additionally, books can be printed locally, generating revenue and jobs. Kindles and other ebook readers cost hard currency and create jobs in China.
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Old 04-28-2012, 10:10 PM   #14
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The place is too remote to deliver books by truck or by ship, yet they have internet connectivity, a network and electricity to charge the readers? Seriously?
Seriously. There are many parts of the world that are not serviced by roads or are connected by seasonal roads. They do have internet connectivity (satellite) and they do have electricity (often locally generated).

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Additionally, books can be printed locally, generating revenue and jobs. Kindles and other ebook readers cost hard currency and create jobs in China.
Not necessarily. While it is true that ereaders must be produced in other countries, printing is sufficiently resource intensive that it would be difficult for some countries to manage. You need to consider material resources, chemical industries, manufacturing, and transportation.
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Old 04-29-2012, 07:10 AM   #15
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Seriously. There are many parts of the world that are not serviced by roads or are connected by seasonal roads. They do have internet connectivity (satellite) and they do have electricity (often locally generated).
You are right. We were talking about Africa here, though, not about some settlements on the Arctic circle. I suppose that villages that are so remote usually do not have good internet connectivity and local electricity production.
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