Becoming a Practitioner Scholar

in Technology for Development

(And Involving Students!)

Dr. Laura Hosman

The Polytechnic School &

School for the Future of Innovation in Society (SFIS)

My Work: ICT4D

My Big Questions

What happens when ICTs are introduced

where they haven’t ever been before?

Can they improve people’s Quality of Life?

How can we do things better? (And how will

we know?)

How to fight the “technology as the magic

bullet” syndrome?

What do my students & in-field partners get

out of this?

My Teaching:

In a world with…

cell phones: 7.22 B

people: 7.2 B

working toilets: 4.5 B

computers: 2 B

libraries: 350,000

This is not a story about

technology!

One Laptop Per Child: Haiti

IIT Empowering Haiti Project

Approached by OLPC Haiti

Challenge: Develop a low-cost solar system

Work on project for semester, traveled post-

semester to deploy on-site

Bring student work/innovations to the field,

build professionalization skills, etc.

1st Project-focused, team-based

course w/in-field deployment

Offer Unique Courses…Multidisciplinary Team-Based, Project-

Oriented, Real-World Challenge-Focused

Cross-Cultural, Experiential, International

Service Learning

Multi-Partnered

1 Main Point: You will never have all the

skills needed to address complex problems

in the complex real world

Second Deployment Trip

Innovative Design

Successes & Lessons Learned

3 Student Trips to Haiti (some students came alive!)

2.4 KW DC Solar System installed

Internet Connectivity at school 2 Yr contract

Charging system

Fundraising, PR

Communication bottleneck w/ Partner

No local capacity-building: for MoE or teachers

Local community & parents not interested in involvement

President cuts program

Solar Computer Lab in a Box

2nd Prototype

Solar-Computer-Lab-in-a-Box Setup

at Udot Primary School, Chuuk, FSM

Student

Competition:

SCLiaB

Prototype 3

Working on their own time

Introducing the:

Weeklong Hands-on Workshop at U Guam in Long-Distance, Solar-Powered WiFi

Team travels to Chuuk, FSM Installation of Long-Distance Solar WiFi link

Deployment of Solar-Computer-Lab-in-a-Box

Work with Dept of Education, PREL

Form & Solidify Partnerships

Local Capacity Building Hands-on Workshop at Univ. of Guam

In-Field Experience

19 Km Link Between Udot and Weno

Installation in Udot Primary School, Chuuk, FSM

Community Support (literally!)

Long-Distance WiFi Setup in Weno (main Island)

Solar-Computer-Lab-in-a-Box Setupat Udot Primary School, Chuuk, FSM

Meeting/Working with Dept of Education

Working with the Peace Corps

Site Survey Map

Building Offline Educational Server

+ Tablet Training Manuals

Open Access

Online + Offline

In the Meantime…Schools have

No Electricity or Connectivity

…Leads to…the Solar Digital

Library!

How to get content out to every school, no matter the infrastructural challenges?

Even more simplified technology (use devices already present and locally owned)

Not waiting for Electricity or Internet to reach schools

Builds Internet-related skills

Avoids connectivity costs & ongoing fees

Avoids unsafe/distracting surfing, viruses

Adding Peace Corps Volunteers

The key to addressing the teacher training challenge!!

Augmenting work that’s already taking place

Going out to schools exactly like these

Across the Pacific: The Mission is to Teach English

Use Technology when possible

Help in school/community as requested

Spoke with Peace Corps FSM and Vanuatu—now also Samoa and Tonga

Testing…Demo-ing…then travel

Micronesia Peace Corps Training

Vanuatu Peace Corps Training

What just happened here?

Focus shifted from solar PV system to

computer lab to library

Never got things right the first time

Involving students: always challenging, always

rewarding

Most (students, funders, anyone…) will miss

the amount of work that is hidden: esp:

content, fundraising

(Take things for granted)

Other Points

Magic Bullet/tech shortcut mentality never

goes away: But it is ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE

Peace Corps partnership, e.g.

Partnerships: It takes a team!

SolarSPELL Partnership w/ASU

Libraries (& Hackathon)

Let’s Try it Out!

Solarspell.org

Thank you!

Priorities: Share! Bill of Materials,

Content, Appearance,

Progress/Deployments & How to

Build It!

What’s next?1. For SolarSPELL: Keep improving the library!

Keep improving website (search, add content)

Add new content, especially collecting from local

partners. Class at Poly next semester! (You’re

invited!)

2. Keep Incorporating

Feedback from Field