Usage models of classroom computing in developing regions

Abstract

This paper examines low-cost computing projects for education in developing regions, and presents some of the common entrepreneurial and technical problems faced by past and current initiatives. In particular, we look at various models of computer usage, and evaluate their appropriateness according to their effectiveness in education, their socio-cultural suitability, and economic feasibility. Based on detailed field studies and interviews conducted in rural Indian classrooms and economic analysis, we show that shared rather than single-user devices constitute a more realistic and sustainable approach for low-cost computing projects targeting children's education.l

Co-located collaborative learning video game with single display groupware

“…Much research has been conducted on the advantages of SDG in school learning (Abnett, Stanton, Neale, & Ó Malley, 2001;Bier & Freeman, 1991;Bricker et al, 1995;Inkpen, Booth, Gribble, & Klawe, 1995;Pawar et al, 2006Pawar et al, , 2007Stanton and Neale, 2003;Stanton, Neale, & Bayon, 2002;Stewart et al, 1998;Tse & Greenberg, 2004;Pawar et al, 2007;Scott, Mandryk, & Inkpen, 2003;Patra, Pal, Nedevschi, Plauche, and Pawar, 2007). ''The necessity of sharing can promote communication amongst the students.…”

Multiple mouse text entry for single-display groupware

“…The laptops' mesh networking has the potential to connect teachers and students in classrooms for collaborative action. However, Patra et al [19] argue that providing students with their own input device (e.g., a mouse) connected to a shared computer may be as pedagogically effective as individual laptops for some learning outcomes, while other researchers point out the social and organizational value of shared-display systems in the classroom [13]. The low cost of single-display groupware systems (approximately $2-3 per mouse, $20 per USB hub, plus $400 for a computer and $300 for a projector compared to a $199 laptop for each student) make them promising for further research.…”

Reducing dominance in multiple-mouse learning activities

“…In the developing world, however, shared use of computers is the norm in schools to make access more economically feasible (Patra, 2007). When groups of students share a PC, however, it is common for one dominant child to control the mouse most of the time, often resulting in the other children becoming disengaged .…”