XO in Bulun-Bazhy, Erzin County, Tuva

The XO has been taken to the Erzin County of Tuva, Bulun-Bazhy village by my mom who grew up there and where her former classmate is the school’s principal. The computer has been briefly introduced to kids and teachers. Unfortunately, we forgot to supply a power converter so they were not able to charge it, and viewing time was cut short. Kids enjoyed figuring out how different apps work, and teachers expressed interest in supplying XOs to children in primary school.

Here are some issues that require some brainstorming:

– language of the XOs: does it have to be in Tuvan, Tuvan/Russian or Russian

– implementing XOs into the educational curriculum: will teachers create additional classes to introduce XOs

– financing of the project

– will the government and Ministry of Education be involved in this project

– if decided to translate software to Tuvan, who is going to be involved in that process and will the translation services be compensated (also have to consider that if translation to be done online, then the financing  of internet service must be provided)(nb: internet is still a luxury in Tuva and unlimited service is quite expensive – around $18/month)

– also, it would be interesting how the implementation went in other countries

 

Serendipity

Feynman's quotes in the July 2011 issue of Linux Journal

As I finish posting about our XOs reaching Tuva, I sit down to thumb through my copy of the July 2011 issue of Linux Journal (yes, its barely June, but publishers are an eager bunch, I suppose) I spot a column in their “Upfront” section, where they have a bunch of quotes. The first one was by Richard Feynman. The second one was …also by Richard Feynman. So was the third, and the fourth! In this issue all quotes are by Richard Feynman. Just as our XOs make it to Tuva. How serendipitous!

Maybe its just my overactive mind connecting the dots of Feynman ->Tuva ->XOs in Tuva->XOs running Linux->Linux Journal ->Feynman’s quotes.  More interestingly though, the last quote resonates oodles with this project and its depth.

Feynman quote in Linux Journal

“So let’s look at the bird and see what it’s doing – that’s what counts.” – Richard Feynman

In Sugar, the learning environment used on OLPC XO laptops, we have an activity called Words.  In Words we look at different words, their meaning, pronunciation, translation in different languages, and learn about it in as contextual a way as possible. Sure, we could add other pieces to improve the context, but learning about words in this manner makes a whole lot of sense. I learned a lot of words a long time ago. 3500 words to be exact. I memorized these words from the Barron’s guide for GRE. This was the popular word list that many of us memorized for months before taking the exam. No context, no meaning, just the word and its definition as Barron’s defined it, so that we could score higher on GRE. Did it work? I’m not so sure. Twenty years later, I am a tenured professor at an American university, but the word list really didn’t get me here. I still don’t remember many of the words. What really brings me the “aha” moment every once in a while isn’t a memorized list, but its context.

For instance, when traveling in Italy, I saw the word “camera” used for the room I was staying in. A little research led me to understanding why the contraption for taking pictures is called a camera. A camera obscura, more accurately. Just then, the “aha” moment struck. In hindi, a room is called kamra (कमरा). How did the Indians get from the Latin camera to the Hindi kamra? Alexander the Great? Maybe. This would be a cool addition to the Words activity. An etymological exploration into the world of words.

So, discover on. Let’s see what else the world holds for us. That’s what the bossman would have wanted us to do anyway 🙂

The XOs have made it to Tuva!

Just got word that the XOs made it to Tuva safely and securely. I hear that KK and Olga are already plotting to send the machines into the Tuvan countryside. More coming soon, hopefully with pictures 🙂