Creating learning environments and addressing educational needs of culturally diverse societies and people.

There were a couple of really interesting discussions in the class which stood out in my mind, one was the talk about learning reform in Saudi Arabia, and the other was the discussion about the impact of OLPC in Peru.

The following article on Slate by Kelly McEvers titled "Changing the Way Saudis Learn" is in three parts and discusses education reform in Saudi Arabia. The first part titled "Reforming Saudi Education" at is a great introduction to some of the underlying causes and worries in Saudi Arabia, and the reason why King Abdullah launched "Tatweer" a education development program, which seems to be primarily aimed at how the younger generation is taught, helping them broaden their horizons and really change how they themselves perceive the modern world and its values. With most of Saudi Arabia's population comprised of a much younger demographic, especially in these uncertain economies, it is essential that they get the education they need to grow up and be a part of the global workforce.

The next part of the article "Changing the way Saudis Learn" discusses, how the "Islamic Saudi Academy (ISA)" and their education system is perceived after the 9/11 attacks revealed that most of the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. Its an interesting read that touches upon how the school located in Alexandria, Virginia, has a mix of teachers from different religions, and a system that being in the U.S. allows its students to be more open and discuss issues with their teachers. The final installment "Angry Teachers and Empty Libraries", in part discusses how a majority of teachers in Saudi Arabia feel that the changes to their education system and the reforms are being dictated by the west, which in turn removes sensitive topics which they feel should be discussed with their students.

In conclusion, I feel that this is probably one of the most complex educational reform projects ever. When you are trying to reform a system, it is not feasible to expect things to change by just making changes to the curriculum and provide them with the technical resources they need. At the core of it all, it's really about understanding the teachers and the students in the system, their ideologies, and talking to the teachers about what the younger generation needs, and finding some common ground based on which the system and its ideologies can change. It seems most likely a reform issue that will take years to execute from the ground level up, but will hopefully result in a more global system for the children there, which will help them understand how to best use the new tools they are now provided with.

There was also a brief discussion in class about OLPC and about whether it's truly a technical or an educational tool. Researching online, you see both points of view. The following e School News article "Laptop project enlivens Peruvian hamlet" talks about how life has profoundly changed for students using the XO in the town of Arahuay, Peru. But looking further at the blog article by James O'Hagan "Fluff Piece in Peru OLPC", you have to think further about whether the XO is truly a learning tool which is improving the educational foundations and understanding of children, or if it's just a cool new device for them to explore and play with. Would it be useful to dig deeper into the culture and the environment and see what their specific needs are in order to build tools targeted towards them, or is it possible to create something generic which can be applied to children in different countries to strengthen their foundations in basic subjects ?

Now onto some lighter topics! The first class was great. I wasn't sure what I would expect going into it, but the idea of being able to create a tutorial and writing up a research paper that addresses a social need, already has my mind trying to think up what I could do. We had the opportunity to study some past projects and videos from students who had taken the class earlier, which was very helpful.

I got to know Christopher and Jason, my classmates, who are from completely different backgrounds, which opens up new learning opportunities. Chris has a great memory (more so because mine can be quite terrible), since he remembered everything about Jason without having to write down a single word. Jason, who is in the MBA/MA program, is working on an online professional learning system for teachers, which is a great need based project.

As the quarter progresses, I look forward to being able to explore some more topics related to need based learning and write about them.