Is there any way to donate a computer to this gentleman and his class?
Seriously, has anyone organized a donation drive for this school yet? Would gladly participate.
Teacher in Ghana has no computers so he draws Microsoft Word on the blackboard
51–60 of 183 posts
Re: Teacher in Ghana has no computers so he draws Microsoft Word on the blackboard
#52The specific requirements of dust protection, power capabilities and licensing means that this is a use case for an Android/Linux tablet + keyboard instead of a desktop running Windows+office. There's a ycombinator startup that builds battery/mobile phone recharging stations in Africa - http://disrupt-africa.com/2017/10/senegalese-solar-startup-o... Combine a sealed tablet with solar recharging and an OTG keyboard, y…
Saw your post after writing my comment. Seems pretty much what I was asking.
Re: Teacher in Ghana has no computers so he draws Microsoft Word on the blackboard
#53So 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…
Most laptops and tablets run off of battery.
Yes, and most batteries require electricity. I'm glad you're in the discussion but you can do a lot better than that.
Re: Teacher in Ghana has no computers so he draws Microsoft Word on the blackboard
#54He could be teaching them philosophy or maths or literature or ethics. He's drawing a UI on a chalkboard by hand! What a world.
Re: Teacher in Ghana has no computers so he draws Microsoft Word on the blackboard
#55Earlier quoted context omitted.
What do you think of http://one.laptop.org/ ?
africa doesn't need computers. it needs clean water, soap, anti-malarals, and nutritious food. cover those things and then worry about computers.
Arguably what they need is the infrastructure to produce and distribute all those things. And the economic activity for people to afford them. Except as an emergency measure, aid tends to destroy all that. But a prerequisite is education, of course. And aren't computers a key part of modern education?
Re: Teacher in Ghana has no computers so he draws Microsoft Word on the blackboard
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because he's a computer teacher and obviously enjoys it, and since his identity is known if he cuts and runs he's basically throwing away his livelihood and community good will for a small short term gain. Whereas, if he uses it well and posts images of kids learning, then there's a real chance he could become an ambassador for similar projects elsewhere and lead a fulfilling and respected life of meaning? I dunno, s…
I'm not trolling at all. I'm not talking about cutting and running. I'm saying it's arrogant and out of touch to think that if you're teaching Microsoft Word on a chalkboard the best use of $100 is buying a computer. Maybe he'd rather buy some medicine or a water purifier or even a lamp so he could teach at night as well. Rigorous studies have demonstrated that direct giving is by far the best way to help someone in…
I was with you until the last sentence...
Re: Teacher in Ghana has no computers so he draws Microsoft Word on the blackboard
#57So 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?
Re: Teacher in Ghana has no computers so he draws Microsoft Word on the blackboard
#58Re: Teacher in Ghana has no computers so he draws Microsoft Word on the blackboard
#59The specific requirements of dust protection, power capabilities and licensing means that this is a use case for an Android/Linux tablet + keyboard instead of a desktop running Windows+office. There's a ycombinator startup that builds battery/mobile phone recharging stations in Africa - http://disrupt-africa.com/2017/10/senegalese-solar-startup-o... Combine a sealed tablet with solar recharging and an OTG keyboard, y…
It seems like GNU/Linux would probably be much better than Android. With GNU/Linux there is full access to the OS/device and they could fully tinker with it. No Internet connection required for LibreOffice. Raspberry Pi is relatively inexpensive.
Re: Teacher in Ghana has no computers so he draws Microsoft Word on the blackboard
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm not trolling at all. I'm not talking about cutting and running. I'm saying it's arrogant and out of touch to think that if you're teaching Microsoft Word on a chalkboard the best use of $100 is buying a computer. Maybe he'd rather buy some medicine or a water purifier or even a lamp so he could teach at night as well. Rigorous studies have demonstrated that direct giving is by far the best way to help someone in…
I was with you until the last sentence...
Perhaps a bit too hyperbolic, heh.