Progress in Computer Literacy

The big event in mid-March was the delivery of the computers. The order had been placed early March, but the two-day assembly and delivery promise was never made. A number of ‘reasons’ were given by the vendor, holiday for Holi, only half the computer cases are delivered, hard drives being shipped to Jodhpur by accident. All the equipment was fully delivered while I was away in Ahmedabad for the Indicorps worshop. It was interesting co-ordinating all this over the phone, and wouldn’t have been able to pull it out without the help of Lisa Gohil, the Indicorps intern working on Women’s Health.

After workshop, there were still a few things to iron out before the lab could be fully operational. One was to install all the software, all of which is legal and licensed. The wiring in the GDL house had to be fixed, because the main Earthing line wasn’t connected properly. Thankfully, the room is taking the load of all 12 computers and printers, along with the lights and the fan without any issues. The GDL lab is also another testament to the necessity of the UPSs (Uninterruptible Power Supply). With the summer in full force, the light flickers and goes out, and the UPSs definitely help protect the PCs.

The students were clearly excited about working on the new computers. Each student in a batch has one assigned to him, with their own accounts on the computer. The students have also named their computers, after 12 landmarks in Bagar. Some examples:
• Goushaala (Where the stray cows are kept)
• Chouraaha (the four-way)
• Riddhi Siddhi Mandir (a temple)

At that point, the students were learning the fundamentals of computers. Most of this was taught as concepts, or demonstrated on one computer (usually my laptop). One of the first things that the class did when the lab was set up was to learn how to touch type (type without looking at the keyboard). All of these students are ones who have had exposure to computers before, and clearly want to learn some, hence they are in this class. Some of them are also going to be potential owners of computers soon. One of the things I’ve noticed is that inability to type fast often becomes a barrier to computer usage, because of the slowness of data entry. For example, the Bagar Nagar Palika (municipality) has a computer, with a dial-up internet connection, that is at present only being used for playing music. The reason they give as to why they don’t use it: “It takes me an hour to type something in there that I can write by hand in 10 minutes”. This is indeed unfortunate, for in a heavily administrative setting like the municipality office, simple word-processing and spreadsheet applications could save them quite a bit of time.

Right after that, the students had a 3 week break for their end-of-year exams. Classes resume last week. The curriculum covered thus far in the class is:
• Fundamentals of computers
• Fundamentals of Windows
• Touching typing (in English)
• Some MS Word

Because of the finals, and a couple of weeks break due to workshops with Indicorps, the total duration for the class is going to be 6 weeks. Due to the time restraint, the remaining syllabus of MS Word, MS Excel and Introduction to the Internet will have to be curbed. Expect to mainly cover fundamentals and applications of the Internet, along with beginners/intermediate MS Word. To encourage the students, I have also started a ‘Typing Challenge’ for them, with a prize for the student with the fastest typing speed at the end of the class. Students have been willing to come for an extra hour before class to practice their typing. The improvement in speed has been remarkable, with people going from 30/40 characters per minute (cpm) to 90 cpm in 2/3 lessons.

The initial goal of the class was to teach the students practical skills, in a learning-by-doing (project oriented fashion). Since the students had limited experience with MS Word, I threw them on the deep-end this week, by preparing a letter which they had to duplicate in MS Word. The students were excited about actually creating something and printing it out. However, as a teacher, it was an interesting experience for me. I realized that everyone is at quite a different level, and experiences different difficulties. Thus, you have to be dynamic with your teaching, and try to introduce concepts along the way that the students will understand, because all of them have the required skills as a base.

Incidentally, the letter that the students were typing was an invitation to their parents for the “How To Buy A Computer” workshop. When I had inquired, around 8 students responded that they’re seriously considering buying a computer in the near future (as soon as this summer in some cases). So, for them and their parents, I’m organizing a workshop on Sunday May 13, 2007 at 4:30pm where I talk to them about the factors to consider when buying a computer, answer some Frequently Asked Questions, and also invite a couple of computer vendors from Jhunjhunu to answer any questions on pricing, the different models available etcetera.

This class gets over on May 15, when the schools close for the summer vacation. However, many people have already approached me, expressing their interest in computer education. I am contemplating at least two such classes.
One segment of the population in Bagar that hasn’t been exposed to computer education is that of girls. In its 7 years of operation, the Indian Institute of Computer Education (IICE) computer centre in Bagar has not had a single female student. Many people, including the owner/operator of the centre, attribute that to parents not feeling comfortable with a co-ed learning environment. However, since the word of the computer class has spread, many girls have expressed interest in learning. To provide a suitable opportunity for these girls, propose starting a free/low-cost computer education class for girls this summer. Such a class could be potentially in partnership with Microsoft through their Unlimited Potential program. In India, one focus of this program is to provide computer literacy for women, with organizations like Drishtee having obtained funding for conducting free basic courses for women in rural areas. In addition to potential funding, the program provides a curriculum in Hindi language, and certification on successful course completion.

Another segment of the population that has expressed interest in learning computers is that of adults. They range from parents of current students, school teachers, school/college administrators, to simply people who wish to renew/develop computer skills in order to get back to industry or upgrade their earning potential. A course catered to such students could have immediate impact on the use of computers in Bagar, either through use in their organizations or for personal use.

In addition to starting the new classes, there are meaningful opportunities to continue working with the students of the current batch in the summer. One opportunity is a planned website for Bagar, catering to residents and non-residents. Being involved in the design and development of this site would get the students to see further value in computer technology, learn newer, marketable skills and give ownership over a piece of Bagar’s identity. Furthermore, in the ongoing effort to computerize the administration of the Piramal Boys Sr. Sec. School, students of the school who are in the class could be involved in developing some of the spreadsheets, documents, records etc, and maintain them as and when needed.

Lastly, to keep the momentum of the planned workshop on buying a computer, a ‘Computer Owners Club’ for Bagar could be started, involving the students who purchase personal computers. Such a club would provide a way for current and new computer owners in Bagar to more effectively use their computers and see value in their investment.

Beyond the summer though, there are other exciting long-term ideas. One such idea is to look into starting a technology-based business in Bagar to generate local employment. Such a project can really spur local technology usage, provide employment and provide an incentive to learn computers.

Since there is also potential for getting interns at GDL for the summer, I am planning to kick-start some of these activities with the help of the summer interns. More of these ideas, and associated internships, can be found in the attached PDF document.