XO Educational Software Project (XO/ESP) Proposal for Academic Year 2012-2013

Objectives

The XO laptops will be used as (a) test units for proof of concept tests with low-cost robust server designs using wireless routers and access points, and (b) test units for math and science modules developed jointly by North Central State College (NCSC) Computer Information Systems students and Ohio State University (OSU) graduate education students.

Plan of Action

NCSC has a fall course on developing client/server applications and a spring capstone project course for graduating students. Students are expected to develop projects in each of these courses. One or more projects involving OLPC hardware and joint OSU-NCSC development of OLPC teaching modules will be completed each year. The hardware projects will be tracked for their durability and success in satisfying the needs of the local schools that use them. The learning modules will be tested in Haiti beginning in the Croix des Bouquets area, accompanied by teacher training and follow-up research that measures the modules? effectiveness. Input into usability will also be gained using teachers and students nearby the campus for prototypes and teachers and students in Haiti for beta testing.

Why this project is needed

• Locally, this project will give the students an opportunity to apply their creativity, knowledge, and skills to real projects that help others.
• In the greater OLPC/Sugar community, the results of these projects will increase the expertise of the community in applying learning modules on XOs in ways that have demonstrated their effectiveness.
• Outside the community, the XO educational modules will be tested by elementary school teachers in Haiti beginning with the Croix des Bouquets area. The effectiveness of these tests will be shared with the academic community via articles.

Hardware development requires that actual machines with which the hardware must communicate for accurate range tests to be conducted. Using actual machines will also give the student educational developers and programmers certainty that the code and educational strategies they use are suitable for the keying sequences and resolution of the XOs. Tentative ideas & results will be communicated back to the OLPC/Sugar community via weekly progress reports blogged to the project URL. Hardware specifications and parts lists will be published to the OLPC Web site. Educational modules will be listed and described on the OLPC Website and made available for downloading in the appropriate compression format. People outside our community will be reached via articles in professional journals. We have already promoted it to a group of teachers in Croix des Bouquets and found them eager to test our learning modules once we begin developing them.

Timeline

• June 2012: Complete initial server project, Developer Manual rewrite, and learning interface project.
• August 2012: Have courses developed for developing learning modules.
• December 2012: Complete preliminary work and prototypes of XO hardware projects.
• April, 2013: Complete learning module prototypes and beta test them.
• June 2013: Complete learning module revisions.
• July 2013: Deliver learning modules to school test sites in Haiti and train teachers.
• August 2013: Begin second round of learning unit development.

Douglas Kranch, Ph.D.
Professor, Computer Information Systems
North Central State College
2441 Kenwood Circle
Mansfield, Ohio 44901
419-755-4788
dkranch@ncstatecollege.edu

Terri Bucci, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Education T & L
The Ohio State University - Mansfield
RL-132
Mansfield, Ohio 44901
419-755-4243
bucci.5@osu.edu