IT SCAN

New Delhi, 19 September 2008

New School Of Thought

HOW ABOUT LAPTOP EDUCATION?

By Satish Jha

Every fourth child in the world lives in India. That makes India's children a larger demographic group than that of China, which continues to be the most populous country in the world. The way these children grow up, learn and get skilled will determine our future as a nation. Because, quality of the next generation of India’s work force to be integrated with the global needs has come into question. Much of the quality gap in skills building is often attributed to the capabilities of our education system, where rote learning still continues to be the order of the day. Moreover, our children still learn on slates and paper when much of the learning globally has become screen-based.

Not all learning comes from teaching. Some comes from experimentation, interaction, playing or collaborating. In fact, for the first five or six years, is when we learn everything. Thereafter, suddenly we go to school and are told learn everything by being told, by a teacher or a book. While it has its importance, this conventional way of imparting education encourages students to “parroting” and not applying their minds.

However, the world outside is fast realizing the importance of education that empowers the young minds to develop their active interest in the world around them and to engage with powerful ideas. Tools for writing, composing, simulating, expressing, constructing, designing, modeling, imagining, creating, critiquing, debugging, and collaborating enable children to become positive.

And, this is possible if screen-based education through computers or laptops is given a big push. Students can work through a computer-based activity at their own place. Rather than 25 individuals working together on one activity, the “screen” allows independent completion of work. Computer software can mix text, pictures, sound, and motion to provide a variety of options for learners.

In addition students can build on their own understanding by using computers as resource tools, as work stations for individual learning, or as communication channels to share their ideas with other learners. And, by uncovering students' individual understandings, teachers can determine the influence of students' prior knowledge and further their education through new experience.

In short, introducing technology into the learning environment can encourage cooperative learning and student collaboration. Here, the learning is based on constructionism, i.e. learning is by doing things together. Classroom activities are so structured that computers encourage collaboration built on learners' desire to communicate and share their understanding. Beyond the classroom, computer networking allows students to communicate and collaborate with content experts and fellow students around the globe.

Communication tools like e-mail, bulletin boards, and chat groups allow teachers to exchange lesson plans and teaching strategies and create a professional community. It does not substitute for a school, but augments it, if nothing else, by virtue of being available to the child all days of the week and hours of the day.

But then, there arises the question as to whether screen-education can be afforded in a country like India, which has poor resources and infrastructure. How many students and schools can afford a laptop? However, such questions are based on misapprehensions. As has been seen by many countries in Africa and Latin America, with a cooperative government, enlightened civil society and a responsible and conscious business-elite, the goals can be achieved even in India, thanks to grand innovations in the IT sector by the philanthropic entrepreneurs in the United States.

There are now laptops that have been specially devised by keeping the Indian conditions in mind. Each set consumes just 1 watt of power, has a screen that is visible in sunlight, can be dropped by a child without damage, is resistant to water spilled on keyboards, is a dual boot system with Windows XP preloaded and MS Office access and has several programmes that are open source based that kids typically enjoy and has been localised for various regions of India.

What is most significant, each of these laptops costs $200 (Rs 9,000) per set, mostly due to its design. It can cost $100 if we can scale up the production to 1 million a month. In fact, if the production goes higher, the price may come down to $20 (Rs 900) per set. Given that it comes with Microsoft Windows and office pre-loaded alone can more than justify the laptop as almost free. Its gains are in the variety of open source applications that come with it, along with Wikipedia that is also pre-loaded. By putting the curriculum on the server that can work with mesh networking, it can cut down the cost of study material to virtually zero.

In any case, with the full corps of teachers, administrators and ministry people education in India rarely drops below $150 (Rs 6,750) per child per year. A $100 (Rs 4,500) laptop, viewed over a lifetime of five years and financed accordingly, will cost about $20 (Rs 900) per year. Telecommunications can be estimated at about $2 (Rs 90) per year if bandwidth is low and with high latency. The question is, for a nation with $700 (Rs 31,500) per capita income, is $20 (Rs 900) to $30 (Rs 1350) per year of investment in learning unaffordable

The fact that kids are using a computer is incidental to the bigger aim of amplifying the passion for learning, the joy of exploration and spirit of collaboration. In this regard, the word “laptop” should really be replaced with education. One is really not aware of any place in the world that puts education on hold, until primary medicine, clean water and other needs are fulfilled, something one hears in India’s policy circles on education front.--INFA

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