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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

#11

Post by mlevental »

wjn0 wrote: post #9

I wonder if rural areas like these have libraries, how close they are, and how funded they are, if at all. Rather than donate to a school, a program that funds libraries in areas like these, which in this day and age aren't only for books, but for digital media too, could go a long way in providing access not only for students, but for adults as well.

in rural areas like this the literacy rate is a tiny fraction of the population. the largest stores of books are at schools and they are mostly donated textbooks.

source: lived in rural africa for two years and taught high school math.

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

#12

Post by mmphosis »

hawktheslayer wrote: post #4

I really enjoyed the pithy responses like " They are lacking more than just equipment. " I wonder if his newfound fame will find him some donors.

From the photo, I wonder whether that classroom has electricity, or not?

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

#13

Post by mlevental »

contingencies wrote: post #10

I live in Shenzhen. Hardware is cheap here. Why not spec out a cheap system and we can send them a few together from HN? Taobao parts... Screen @ 248RMB (USD$40) https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.42.21a554932... Raspberry Pi 3B + case + heatsink + power supply @ 250RMB (USD$40) https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.16.79304af9s... (set 3) Keyboard/mouse @ 20RMB (USD$3) https://item.taobao.com/…

how will they power it? the biggest problem is not cheap hardware but cheap/consistent power (both of which are problems - power is very expensive and very sparse and very unreliable).

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

#14

Post by booleandilemma »

jay-anderson wrote: post #2

My first thought was that most of my computer science classes in college were in classrooms without computers. I think that was a very good thing. It's interesting that this is instead teaching an understand of basic UI concepts and specific applications.

I took my Java exams on these guys:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_book_exam

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

#15

Post by contingencies »

mlevental wrote: post #13
contingencies wrote: post #10

I live in Shenzhen. Hardware is cheap here. Why not spec out a cheap system and we can send them a few together from HN? Taobao parts... Screen @ 248RMB (USD$40) https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.42.21a554932... Raspberry Pi 3B + case + heatsink + power supply @ 250RMB (USD$40) https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.16.79304af9s... (set 3) Keyboard/mouse @ 20RMB (USD$3) https://item.taobao.com/…

how will they power it? the biggest problem is not cheap hardware but cheap/consistent power (both of which are problems - power is very expensive and very sparse and very unreliable).

I seriously doubt getting power is an issue. Usually when power is an issue in developing countries you borrow a generator and fuel it, which is not expensive at all, since people are getting around on motorbikes anyway. Power draw from this category of hardware is almost nothing, so a tiny generator will suffice. We could even send one, cheaper end is about RMB250 (USD$40).

I would actually be more worried about corrupt customs officials stealing the hardware.

Someone who has a Facebook account (I don't) could ask the guy about shipping and customs issues in Ghana and for an address, then we just need to buy and ship. I am happy to proxy that. Email me (address in profile) if you want to donate a machine. I will photograph everything shipped for transparency and publish the waybill number. Usually it's cheapest to ship with China Post surface but it takes up to three months to arrive. We could look at pricier options or maybe someone here can pull strings with Fedex or UPS for a free delivery.

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

#16

Post by userbinator »

The old version of Word with a real menu bar, not that ribbon abomination... I wonder how confused his students will be when they see the newer versions.

This also reminds me of how much harder it is to help or tell someone how to do something using a GUI over a CLI, especially over a "lo-fi" channel like a voice call --- requests to manipulate certain UI elements need to be qualified with descriptions of them, followed by the person on the other side describing in great detail what he/she sees or has changed. With a CLI, all you'd need to do is essentially send keypress events, and have the other side read back text. It's not unlike the difference in bandwidth usage of telnet or SSH vs X or RDP, and the "other side" of that classic saying "a picture is worth a thousand words."

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

#17

Post by mlevental »

contingencies wrote: post #15
mlevental wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

how will they power it? the biggest problem is not cheap hardware but cheap/consistent power (both of which are problems - power is very expensive and very sparse and very unreliable).

I seriously doubt getting power is an issue. Usually when power is an issue in developing countries you borrow a generator and fuel it, which is not expensive at all, since people are getting around on motorbikes anyway. Power draw from this category of hardware is almost nothing, so a tiny generator will suffice. We could even send one, cheaper end is about RMB250 (USD$40). I would actually be more worried about cor…

>I seriously doubt getting power is an issue

you have no idea what you're talking about. the average salary of a teacher in subsaharan africa is 100$/month. a kwh in uganda is ~ $0.17. a liter of gas is ~$1.50. only the wealthiest schools have generators and they save them for powering lights during exam prep periods. people aren't getting around on motorbikes - moto taxis exist and people pay for them but only wealthy people own them outright. nm the cost of even a small generator (north of probably $300).

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

#18

Post by smelendez »

quickthrower2 wrote: post #3

I imagine this would create a lot of excitement to "use the real thing", and inspire people to go further with this. Whereas if you are used to ipads since 2 years old, MS Word probably doesn't seem so exciting.

Probably! When I was a kid I learned elementary Basic from Russ Walter's Secret Guide to Computers about a year before I ever put my hands on an actual computer.

I think it was helpful to know computers were nothing mysterious, they just followed instructions. Although I remember being really confused about whether "print" statements printed to paper or just showed things on the screen (which I had never thought of as printing).

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

#20

Post by contingencies »

mlevental wrote: post #17
contingencies wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I seriously doubt getting power is an issue. Usually when power is an issue in developing countries you borrow a generator and fuel it, which is not expensive at all, since people are getting around on motorbikes anyway. Power draw from this category of hardware is almost nothing, so a tiny generator will suffice. We could even send one, cheaper end is about RMB250 (USD$40). I would actually be more worried about cor…

>I seriously doubt getting power is an issue you have no idea what you're talking about. the average salary of a teacher in subsaharan africa is 100$/month. a kwh in uganda is ~ $0.17. a liter of gas is ~$1.50. only the wealthiest schools have generators and they save them for powering lights during exam prep periods. people aren't getting around on motorbikes - moto taxis exist and people pay for them but only wealt…

OK well if they've got power, assuming your prices, let's say a KwH is about what an hour class would use.

So USD$0.17/class, one class per day, 20 classes per month, 20 * USD$0.17 = USD$3.4/month.

The teacher won't be the one paying, the community will gather money if required.

A small generator is USD$40 to buy here in China as I stated, not USD$300.

You are making a mountain out of a molehill.

(Edit in response to below: Please, enough personal attacks. I see solutions. You see problems. Fine. Logically, while poverty is real, using your figures USD$3-4/month spread across a community is clearly a non-issue if teachers are on USD$100/month. I don't need to physically visit Ghana to validate that, and if it really is an issue I am sure we can find it amongst those donating hardware to contribute a few dollars annually.)

(Further edit: Maybe you are confusing Uganda's situation for Ghana's. Uganda is way poorer than Ghana. "Ghana's rapid growth accelerated poverty reduction, cutting the poverty rate from 52.6% to 21.4% between 1991 and 2012. In 2012, Ghana's poverty rate was less than half the African average of 43%. Extreme poverty declined even more, dropping from 37.6% in 1991 to 9.6% in 2013." versus "With a per capita income of under US$170, Uganda today is one of the poorest countries in the world")

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