Supercool School

Ukini and the web killer coding ninja monkeys from outer space

is the initiative to leverage the digital divide present in both public and private schools in Mexico.

And what do they want to accomplish?

"...we will change the focus of the learning system, shifting from a model that thinks of teachers & blackboard as main source of knowledge to Student Focused Model. This means that the students and their resources will be the source of knowledge and will share it with both students and teachers. This will enable students to:

    * Develop critic and reflexive thinking skills
    * Create knowledge
    * Find Organize and apply knowledge effectively
    * Apply knowledge in non structured problems
    * Learn Collaboration
    * and Computer Literacy

Does it get any sweeter than this or what ?" Ukini

Seems we share a deep rooted believe at Supercool School and Ukini in the power of the people and the need for a shift of our understanding about learning.

We have to give the power of education to you - the people. And we have to build bridges for children not rooms full of walls! I know it´s sounds naive and ignorant and that´s why I believe it can work ( ignorance is bliss ; )! We want to give the world a school without limits. Not the limit of time, space, money, sex, background, skin color...what? Why you still reading? When we say no limits - we mean NO LIMITS!

There are alot of cool projects in the education & learning area out there and I am excited about the possibilities!

No project is an island.

Thankx to hj barraza from Ukini for starting this conversation...I will keep you updated about Ukini here.

And to all of you out there who plan to take action and solve some education problems - feel free to contact me and tell me what you do! This is also true for those of you who know about cool education projects - talk to me!

P.S. If you want to know what the hell Ukini has to do with the web killer coding ninja monkeys from outer space you´ll have to go to  hj barraza´s  ABOUT  page and check it out yourselves ;)

Much power to the people! Steli

 

I didn´t know anything about the "Hole-In-The-Wall"!

Thanks to Guy Kawasaki for pointing us to this remarkable education experiment in India! This is the kind of education attitude that Supercool School is all about!

The basic question was what would happen if you give children in the slums access to a computer & the Internet WITHOUT any supervision or education about how to use this technologies? The answer: they learn it & use it!!!

You can read more about this very inspiring experiment here.

One Laptop Per Child

OLPC is a non-profit organization who works on developing a $100 Laptop - a technology that could revolutionize how we educate the world´s children. I love this idea!

Hmm…Supercool School is a organization who works on developing a $0 online world school  - a place that could revolutionize how we educate the world.

What will happen if both ideas become reality? Here´s my theory:

One Laptop per Child and Supercool School - the solution to the world wide education problem!!!

Two important resources we need to solve the education problem are Teachers and Schools. Now till today the world community tries to solve the problem with money! And that´s simply stupid! It´s like trying to stop a hurricane in waving with a hundred dollar bill in a different direction - we will never have enough dollar bills to make a real impact!

What we need is a different approach - we need to leverage what´s there! I believe that if you don´t have enougn resources you have no chance but leveraging everything you do.

SO HOW COULD WORK? PRETTY EASY…

Let´s imagine a place in south Africa where there is JUST one little barrack (the school) and JUST one teacher and TOO MANY children to educate them all properly. Now they get the blessing of receiving 500 Laptops for the children. What a blessing. But what now? There is still just one teacher who could educate them about how to use the machine to learn. Don´t get me wrong, I believe that this alone would have a huge impact to these children but there is something important Supercool School could do to leverage the whole effect even more! Now this teacher could create for free a virtual classroom with Supercool School and teach ALL CHILDREN over this tool AT ONCE!!! One teacher could educate thousands of children over a virtual school and classroom!!! And the $100 Laptops could be the keys to unlock the door to the classroom for the children. Let me take the time to ask you this:

DID YOU GET WHAT I MEAN??? CAN YOU IMAGINE THE IMPACT THIS COULD HAVE???

I think I didn´t.  My little brain is just to small to capture the effect this would have on earth. And now I know what some might say: “Yeah, right. Sounds cool but Supercool School didn´t even started and you are talking about changing the world. And even if it would all work there are still some more things to think about and more problems to solve.” And you are right and I don´t give a damn As long as I live I will always reach for the sky. That´s just the way I am. There are people who are better in being “realistic” then me and I invite them all to help me make this vision real.

I will keep track over the OLPC Project and try to get in touch with these great people when the time is ripe (means when Supercool School is more then just a idea in my head…hahaha).

If you like to watch the TED Presentation of the founder of OLPC, Nicholas Negroponte simply visit:

http://www.ted.com/tedtalks/tedtalksplayer.cfm?key=n_negroponte

Lots of passion for your life

Steli Efti, Education Revolutionary