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Teacher in Ghana has no computers so he draws Microsoft Word on the blackboard

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Re: Teacher in Ghana has no computers so he draws Microsoft Word on the blackboard

#111

Post by galieos_ghost »

grecy wrote: post #93
factsaresacred wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I tried to show them the loop button but they did not want it. Ah, the African way. Imagine that 'this is fine' meme as a cultural trait. Or Japan's 'Shikata ga nai' without the corresponding work ethic. West Africa could be so much more prosperous if only they would will their way towards it. There's so much low hanging fruit. This being one example. 30 minutes drawing this everyday, yikes. But that's Africa. Too…

> West Africa could be so much more prosperous if only they would will their way towards it. I have just spent a year and a half driving through 20 countries in West Africa. [1] At times I would have agreed with your comments, though lately I have been taking another tact. The developed world has stress, heart disease, cancer and hundreds of millions of people going to jobs every day they hate with a passion. People…

You don't seem to consider the possibility that the reason the developed world IS developed is because of that work ethic. You also don't consider the fact that if the developed world decided not to work that hard that it would have consequences for the rest of the world that is reliant on their innovations to improve quality of life.

It would be nice if everyone could sit back and enjoy life but then what? Do we just stagnate forever? Are we anything more than animals if we do just enough to survive?

Re: Teacher in Ghana has no computers so he draws Microsoft Word on the blackboard

#112

Post by lozenge »

factsaresacred wrote: post #96
grecy wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> West Africa could be so much more prosperous if only they would will their way towards it. I have just spent a year and a half driving through 20 countries in West Africa. [1] At times I would have agreed with your comments, though lately I have been taking another tact. The developed world has stress, heart disease, cancer and hundreds of millions of people going to jobs every day they hate with a passion. People…

I'm with you on the absurdity of the West. The isolation, sterility and atomisation of life in large cities (self service checkouts, lack of street life/physicality, laws wrapped in regulations wrapped in rules) is soul destroying. But we live until 80, our institutions work, we want for little (materially), and trust is higher. So depends on what you value. Africa doesn't have to emulate anybody. It can move up the…

Do you miss queuing up to withdraw money or check the balance of your bank account? I don't see how self service checkouts are philosophically different from ATMs.

Re: Teacher in Ghana has no computers so he draws Microsoft Word on the blackboard

#113

Post by hordeallergy »

vertis wrote: post #85

A few years ago there was a program[1] on ABC (Australia) about South Africa detailing some of the mismanagement of public funds. Mid way through the story they introduced a young woman from Tembisa who had finished school and had the marks to go to university, but not the money. A group of about 10-12 of us contacted ABC and asked how we could help. The journalist connected us together and we self organized to fund…

Why was buying a computer problematic? SA has computer shops, has had for decades. I bought a zx81 there. Am I missing something?

Re: Teacher in Ghana has no computers so he draws Microsoft Word on the blackboard

#114

Post by jopsen »

grecy wrote: post #93
factsaresacred wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I tried to show them the loop button but they did not want it. Ah, the African way. Imagine that 'this is fine' meme as a cultural trait. Or Japan's 'Shikata ga nai' without the corresponding work ethic. West Africa could be so much more prosperous if only they would will their way towards it. There's so much low hanging fruit. This being one example. 30 minutes drawing this everyday, yikes. But that's Africa. Too…

> West Africa could be so much more prosperous if only they would will their way towards it. I have just spent a year and a half driving through 20 countries in West Africa. [1] At times I would have agreed with your comments, though lately I have been taking another tact. The developed world has stress, heart disease, cancer and hundreds of millions of people going to jobs every day they hate with a passion. People…

That argument is very similar to the crazy idea that everything was better in the good old days.

We all like to romanticize, but truth is that present life in the developed world is the best it's ever been, anywhere in the world.

Not saying it can't be better, certain the US has issues :)

Re: Teacher in Ghana has no computers so he draws Microsoft Word on the blackboard

#115

Post by mtgx »

How many people will be able to even afford Microsoft Word in Ghana? He probably knows most people he's teaching there will end-up pirating it once they can even afford a cheap computer.

He would do a better job teaching them to use LibreOffice or even Google Docs, at least that doesn't have to be pirated.

Re: Teacher in Ghana has no computers so he draws Microsoft Word on the blackboard

#116

Post by golemiprague »

All the people who suggest donations, just leave them alone. Either donate some good colonial type white people to go there and sort out the mess or let the locals deal with their own problems in their own way and develop their own countries and culture of doing things. Donating things doesn't help anyone.

Re: Teacher in Ghana has no computers so he draws Microsoft Word on the blackboard

#117

Post by kaybe »

pavanred wrote: post #57
teej wrote: post #22

So I’ve been to Kumasi before. Take this with a grain of salt - this was over 10 years ago and I was there on a two week voluntourism trip. Here are some of the reasons it’s hard to use real computers as a part of the ciriculum there. * Electricity. Blackouts and brownouts are a part of life in Ghana, especially Kumasi. On top of that, the quality of the electricity is low. This poses major challenges for computers i…

> The medical clinic I was volunteering at... This is off topic. How can one get into that line of work/volunteering? Any particular organizations? Any particular skills ? How can one get started with this kind of work/volunteering?

If you have actual skills look into doctors without borders or engineers without borders. If you don't, I agree with the sibling comment.

Re: Teacher in Ghana has no computers so he draws Microsoft Word on the blackboard

#119

Post by macspoofing »

Rich nations tend to overthink primary education (it's a little different post-secondary).

Unmet education goals are blamed on quality of the building, local funding, teachers, school-boards, politicians, standardized tests, etc. Reality is you don't need iPads, you don't need graphical calculators, or slick modern buildings and pristine books. You just need parents that care. If a kid graduates from primary or secondary school and is functionally illiterate, it was the parents that failed them, not teachers, not the school, not the country.

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