Hole in the wall

==The “Hole in the wall” experiments==
==Background==
Groups of children can learn to use computers on their own, irrespective
of who or where they are.
Groups of children, given access to shared, publicly accessible
computers in playgrounds and other public areas, will teach themselves
to use the technology on their own.
The original “hole in the wall”, January 1999, Kalkaji, New Delhi, India
==Insights==
Children, given unsupervised access to computers in public
or play areas become:
* Computer literate – in their own way, with their own vocabulary, but highly effective nevertheless.
* Better at math and English, perhaps because they learn to analyze and solve problems in groups.
* More social and cooperative – because they learn that knowledge, unlike material objects, grows with sharing.
* More interested in school – if the computer is near or in the school premises.
* Less likely to drop out of school – because they want their computer.
* Less interested in petty crime – mostly because all their free time is spent at the computer.
* Generate local goodwill – parents like the idea that the child is learning something and not creating trouble at home.
It took five years of rigorous measurements across the Indian subcontinent to verify these results amongst 40,000 of the world’s poorest children. Almost half of them, girls.
==Details==
The data based outcomes showed:
* Acquisition of functional computer literacy
* Improvement in academic performance
* Increase in confidence and self-esteem
* Increased collaborative behavior
Apart from data-based findings, there is consistent anecdotal evidence
of large-scale impact on school enrollment, retention, concentration,
attention span and problem-solving ability.
==Outdoor Computing==
To keep computers working in, mostly, outdoor environments, several pieces of hardware and software were needed for the design. In five years a design
emerged that is reliable and low on maintenance. The design is
resistant to vandalism and undesirable adult access. Interestingly,
both vandalism and adult access is automatically low in public places
where children are present. Organizers were also able to design software to
remotely monitor all activity at these “playground” computers.
We found much more effective use of the computers already owned by
schools. Some 200 children can become computer literate using one playground
computer—making it an effective and affordable method.
Without adult intervention or supervision, 40,000 village children
experimented with computers and software to acquire an enduring
understanding of the information age.
==Links==
* News article: http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/5865
* The scientific articles: http://www.hole-in-the-wall.com/docs/Paper06.pdf and http://www.hole-in-the-wall.com/Publications.html
category:technology category:education