One for All is a student off-shoot of OLPC Boston that was founded this fall to promote 1-to-1 computing in both domestic and international classroom settings. The organization includes students and faculty from:
- Harvard College
- Harvard Kennedy School of Government
- Harvard Graduate School of Education
- Boston University School of Management
- Olin College of Engineering
The group has already begun a pilot program at the Cambridge Friends School (CFS) in Cambridge, MA using the XO laptop. The pilot includes teacher training workshops, classroom activities, and after-school projects designed to encourage open-minded approaches to education.
Cambridge Friends School
As part of the CFS pilot, we are currently hosting weekly workshops for three sixth grade teachers and fundraising laptops for 28 sixth grade students. Members of OLPC interest groups around the country have generously donated six XO laptops. In order to achieve a 1-to-1 student:laptop ratio that will facilitate our understanding of the XO's potential in the classroom, we need your help!
During the week of January 5-9, high school students from Illinois Math and Science Academy (IMSA) hosted classroom simulations for CFS teachers and customizing software for specific curricular needs. As the first OLPC high school chapter in the world, the IMSA organization represents a unique opportunity for a self-sustainable approach in which students teach other students how to use the XO as a tool that expands the traditional boundaries of the classroom.
The Cambridge Friends School pilot model will be scaled up to include other Boston area schools over the course of the year. In addition, One for All is partnering with OLPC Kenya, a Harvard student organization led by Kennedy School Professor Calestous Juma. One for All will be joining forces with this group to fundraise laptops for a summer program in Kenya during the summer of 2009. One for All will also be training volunteers for this program and imparting the most successful aspects of the CFS pilot.
If you are interested in donating your XO laptop, we would really appreciate your consideration. Please contact MacKenzie Sigalos and Katelyn Foley to learn more about our project. Thank you in advance for considering this request.
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