Mobile Lab White Paper

8/6/2019 Mobile Lab White Paper

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A B u s i n e s s W h i t e P a p e r P a g e |1

Mobile ThinkLab:

Helping South African Schoolstranscend Lab Based Computing

Accelerating the integration of ICTs into the curricular

as well as progress towards Vision 2014 through rapid

deployment of cost effective and functionally effective

mobile computer labs

A Business White Paper by: Thando Qamarana

Introduction

It is widely held that when a government decides to make an investment in

education, it is in effect creating value for future generations, equipping its

citizenry with improved tools for creating a better quality of life along with

increased capacity to contribute to the countrys economic future. To this end,

the accomplished statesman, Nelson Mandela advanced that education is the

most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

The importance of ICTs in enhancing learning in South African Public Schools

is a fact that cannot be overemphasized. The Department of Basic Educations

stated Vision 2014 of 1 laptop-1 learner attests to the level of importance that

South Africa places on ICTs as an enabler of quality teaching and learning.

According to EMIS data dated 02/11/2009, there were 24, 460 schools in

South Africa, and of this total only 23% had computer labs and only 10% of

the total number was stocked with computers. Notwithstanding attempts to

rapidly computerise public schools, the turnaround time of deploying the

traditional 25 seater fixed computer lab has been rather very slow and costly

for government.

Over the past decade authorities and private sector partners alike have had

their share of deployments that failed to live up to expectations. A recent

example of an extensive attempt at large scale deployment was the attempt by

the Gauteng DoE (infamously termed Gauteng Offline by its critics) to

Table of Contents

Introduction....1

Constraints to current

School computerisation

interventions in South

Africa2

School Computerisation

backlog as per EMIS 2009

dataset3

Proposed solution..4

Comparative advantages

over fixed eLearning

models.5

Comparative Financial

Benefits...5

Expertise in Optimizing

Large Scale School

Computerisation

Initiatives..6Recommendation.6


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computerize schools. While millions of rands have been invested in the

project by the province, the Gauteng Online project has failed to achieve its

targets due to a variety of reasons, chief of which were infrastructure related

challenges that constrained rapid deployment.

The Gauteng Online project focused mainly on urban areas (townships) in

Gauteng with access to electricity, with fairly accommodative infrastructure,

comparatively affluent communities, easy access to law enforcement

agencies, etc. Granted that the Gauteng Online project struggled to achieve its

targets with all these comparative advantages when juxtaposed against rural

schools, thus one can only postulate that if the same conventional solution

and its attendant deployment model was to be exported to rural South Africa,

we will not only have costly delays, but missed service delivery targets.

Within this backdrop, this white paper proposes a shift away from thetraditional fixed computer lab model and presents an innovative approach to

achieving the strategic objective of computerizing schools. Compared to the

conventional fixed computer lab model, the proposed alternative model

presents the following two operational and strategic benefits to the

Department of Education:

cost effectiveness operational efficiency, and sustainability.

Constraints to current School computerisation interventions

in South Africa

Lessons from large scale deployments such as the Gauteng Online project and

the Western Capes Khanya Projectprovide insight into key challenges that

bedevil school computerization projects. These deployments (like most in

South Africa) have been characterized by a common set of challenges, these

being:

Opportunity cost of forsaking a classroom so that it can be convertedinto a computer lab.

High cost of preparing classrooms and make them ready to function ascomputer labs,

Lack of access to electricity in rural areas High cost of acquiring computer hardware (incl. accessories) and

putting in sufficient security measures

Low student to computer ratio (25 seater fixed computer lab model) High total cost of ownership (TCO) Threat of theft, and damage from vandalism

CURRENT INDUSTRY

RESPONSE:

Fixed Computer Lab

Source: SMMT Online

Converted Shipping Container

Source: Google

Mobile Training Lab

Source: SMMT Online


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Lessons learnt from previous school computerisation projects demand that

things be done differently. Granted the need to bridge the digital divide and

enhance current teaching methods, certainly there is a need for strategic

continuity and a drastic revision in tactics. In this business white paper, an

alternative solution that addresses all the above listed challenges in a costeffective and operationally efficient manner is proposed.

In summary, the top three bottlenecks inherent in current models are:

Infrastructure constraints: resulting in delayed deployments Budgetary constraints: resulting in lower ICT penetration rates Socio-economic constraints: resulting in lowered value added per

rand spend

School Computerisation backlog as per EMIS 2009 dataset

According to the 2009 EMIS report from the National Department of Basic

Education, the status quo with regards to school access to ICT was last

reported to be:

Percentage distribution of schools with computer centres

With the exception of schools in Gauteng, Northern Cape and the Western

Cape wherein schools with computer labs account for more than 51% of the

total provincial population of schools, other provinces are faced with much

lower percentages of schools with computer lab facilities.

This low prevalence of computer facilities in schools presupposes that in

these other 6 provinces, significant investment still needs to be made inpreparing facilities to house computers in schools.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Gauteng

Western Cape

Northern Cape

North West

Free State

KwaZulu Natal

Mpumalanga

Limpopo

Eastern Cape

% Stoked with computers

% with computer centre


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Proposed solution

To address the complex of

challenges facing large scale

school computerisation

interventions a mobile computer

lab is advanced as an alternative

model to the conventional fixed

computer lab model. Apart from

the mobile computer labs abilityto address the pervasive

infrastructural challenges such as

availability of classroom space,

cabling requirements, learner to computer ratio, and ergonomics, the

proposed model also addresses issues of theft, access to electricity, and

interactive learning..

The key components of the proposed solution are the following:

> Mobile Computer Lab: Schools have a number of configurations tochoose from to ensure optimal use of available resources and enhanced

learning. The self-propelled mobile trolley can be configured to carry 32

notebooks, and can be adjusted either upwards or downwards to 16 or

up to 48 semi-rugged notebooks. The mobile cart also comes with an

integrated 32 display panel with surface acoustic wave technology

(multi-touch screen). Other peripherals in the cart include: wireless

router, multi-bay battery chargers, spare batteries, printer and server.

> School wide Wireless Connectivity: Within the school, both teachersand students will have WiFi connectivity to facilitate access to the

internet as well as communication via e-mail. The proposed solution

accommodates various technologies such as GSM/Satellite/ADSL/etc.

> Interactive projector: The proposed solution makes interactivelearning more affordable through integrating a smart alternative to

interactive whiteboards. The solution incorporates short throw

projectors with breakthrough LightBoard interactive technology. With

this technology teachers and other professionals interact with the

projected image turning any surface into an engaging, collaborative

interactive workspace.

> Management software: the proposed solution comes with integratedschool management software which automates attendance

management, facilitates communication between the school

administration and parents can be configured to facilitate reporting

back to the Department.

> Optional Fuel Cell: For schools that do not have access to electricity,the mobile computer lab can be deployed with an optional Fuel Cell

technology to provide affordable and environmentally friendly energy.

The total cost of ownership of the fuel cell is lower than that of anordinary generator.


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Comparative advantages over fixed eLearning models

In principle both fixed computer labs and the proposed mobile computer lab

aim to achieve the same end-result, enhancing the quality of teaching andlearning. While this remains true and indispensable, the proposed mobile

computer lab enables the Department to achieve the same objective in an

efficient and cost effective manner.

Comparatively the Mobile Computer Lab offers the following comparative

advantages compared to the Fixed Lab model:

Comparative Financial Benefits

The proposed mobile computer lab is more cost effective than the traditional

fixed lab. With fixed computer labs, there is a lot of costly preparatory work

that needs to take place before PCs are deployed. The mobile computer lab

INTELLIGENT MOBILE LAB TRADITIONAL FIXED LAB

Eliminates the need for aDedicated Classroom

Requires a Dedicated Classroom(displacement of learners)

Eliminates the need for

upgrading of electrical wiring

Need for additional electrical outlets


Ergonomic Special Computer

Desks

Fixed desktop computers require

special desks

Eliminates the need for a Climate

Controlled or Air-conditioned

Room

Laptops run on lower current, therefore

generating less heat


Structured Data Cabling Network

Desktop workstation require Dedicated

Drops, Wiring and Switches


Upgrading Security System

Fixed lab are more prone to theft,

breakage and vandalism and therefore

require robust security system

Eliminates the need of a fixed and

cumbersome interactive

whiteboard

Fixed and cumbersome interactive

whiteboards are installed to facilitate

interactive learning

Can be deployed in a day Can easily take up to 3 months to

deploy


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eliminates the need for a dedicated classroom, special furniture, electrical

wiring and network cabling, air conditioning, etc.

Based on current USAASA and industry figures, the pre-VAT cost of deploying

a fixed 25 seater computer lab averages R908k per school. With the proposedmobile computer lab (excl. the fuel cell optional feature for schools without

access to electricity), a computer lab with double the capacity (from 25 to 49

computers) can be delivered with an accompanying saving of R227k per

school. Thus, for 4000 schools as an example, government can realise a

saving of R 908 million while doubling the number of computers

delivered.

Expertise in Optimizing Large Scale School Computerisation

Initiatives

Apart from developing the Mobile Computer Lab, over the years Mentha

Technologies has helped senior ICT managers in top organizations to

efficiently and effectively identify, prioritize, and optimise the introduction of

cutting edge ICTs within their organisations, thus ensuring delivery of super

service.

A partnership with Mentha Technologies would allow the Department of

Basic Education to tap into and apply this industry experience and best

practices to enable it to accelerate the achievement of Vision 2014. Mentha

Technologies is able to develop and deploy innovative interventions that can

significantly improve the turnaround time of deploying ICTs in schools within

a relatively short space of time than what can be achieved with traditional

models. Further, with optional features such as the Fuel Cel, the Department

can also deploy the mobile lab even in rural schools without access to

electricity within a day.

Mentha Technologies can build powerful out-of-the box service delivery

acceleration models designed specifically to integrate resources and

capabilities, while aligning interventions across the board to deliver computer

labs quickly for a compelling return on investment.

Recommendation

Government officials who are challenged to: (i) improve the value derived per

rand spend in school ICT projects, (ii) improve access to ICTs in underserviced

rural schools, or (iii) leverage the available school ICT deployment budget to

create local jobs, should immediately explore how a partnership with Mentha

Technologies can assist them achieve their strategic goals within the

obtaining budgetary constraints.

Contact Details:

Mentha Technologies

Royal Troon Building

Fourways Golf Park

Roos Street, Fourways

ohannesburg

Tel: +27 11 076 7766

Fax: +27 86 653 5367

[email protected]

Documents

Mobile Lab White Paper