NUR-New Educational Strategy: OLPC

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NUR aims to promote digital inclusion, in order to reduce the digital division and enable more and better access to education and culture.
But the mere inclusion of technology in schools does not ensure compliance with the target if it is not accompanied by an educational proposal in line with the new requirements, both for students and teachers.
Thus, the project is based on a complete system that seeks to ensure the use of technological resources, teacher training, development of appropriate content, as well as family and social participation.Nur is the result of going one step forward: A New Educational Strategy in Armenia (Նոր Ուսումնական Ռազմավարություն)
NUR was conceived, as the result of Mr. Eduardo Eurnekian’s strong will to give Armenian children the opportunity to a quality education.
NUR introduces a revolution that implies maximising educational opportunities.
NUR is a community project because it involves teachers, students and their families.

Geeking out young: gadgets and coding need to be core in US schools

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By Steve Dent origanily posted in Engadget Nov 11th, 2013

Remember readin’, ‘riting and ‘rithmatic? According to our Rethinking Education panelists, the three R’s need to be joined by a “C” — for computer science — or the US risks getting run over by more progressive nations. That was the opinion of Rodrigo Arboleda from the One Laptop Per Child organization, who spoke at Engadget Expand along with Jeff Branson from SparkFun and Pat Yongpradit from Code.org.

…Though many feel that there are already too many gadgets and too much internet in kids’ lives, Arboleda and One Laptop per Child have the opposite viewpoint. He said that a laptop could become a precious, transformational object for a child, taking them to new places in their personal development — especially if coupled with internet access. As for the sorry state of computer science in schools stateside, Yongpradit emphasized the need for teacher certification programs in computing, building a curriculum the same way math and sciences were: one block at a time. Arboleda took it a step further, saying that access to digital tools and internet has become “a basic human right” — severely disadvantaging those who lack them.

Watch the video and read the full article here.

Barnes & Noble and One Laptop per Child Announce that Innovative NOOK(R) App for Kids to Come Preloaded on XO Tablet

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NOOK’s Specially Designed Kids App Is COPPA Compliant and Features a Curated Reading Experience for Children on XO Tablets

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--October 21, 2013--

NOOK Media LLC, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS), one of the nation’s largest booksellers and the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, and One Laptop per Child (OLPC), the global children’s educational non-profit born at the MIT Media Lab, announced today that a specially-designed NOOK App for Kids will come pre-installed on OLPC’s XO Tablet beginning this week.

The NOOK App for Kids provides a curated reading experience for children, with access to thousands of new and classic children’s titles, and is fully compliant with the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Kids can easily find a favorite story and engage with the books and their favorite characters by digitally turning pages, interacting with the text, and zooming in and around graphics — all on the XO Tablet, the most flexible OLPC tool to date.

The app helps parents select books that are appropriate for their children by giving them complete control over the browsing and shopping experience. The XO Tablet will also come preloaded with the full NOOK for Android(TM) app for use in parent mode, providing adult users with access to more than 3 million books, magazines, newspapers, comics and graphic novels in the NOOK Store(R) , including more than a million free titles.

The multilingual XO Tablet designed and developed by OLPC — with XO Learning System and child-centric “Dream” interface provides children with access to state-of-the-art educational content curated in collaboration with leading educational experts. One Laptop per Child has become a model for providing disadvantaged children worldwide with the opportunity for education, a window to the outside world, a way to connect with each other, and a springboard to a brighter future.

“By partnering with One Laptop per Child, we are strengthening our commitment to make NOOK content available to new and existing customers across a broad range of platforms and devices,” said Mike Saturnia, Vice President and General Manager of NOOK Sales & Business Development. “Through the pre-installed NOOK App for Kids on the XO Tablet, we are opening NOOK’s expansive catalog of more than 3 million titles to even more families and children.”

“The intuitive nature of touchscreen technology makes connected tablets ideal learning tools for children. With the XO Tablet, we wanted children and their families to have the absolute best tools and the broadest access to educational information and content,” said Rodrigo Arboleda, CEO and Chairman, OLPC. “The addition of the new NOOK App for Kids offers children and parents a powerful reading tool and opens the door to an ever-expanding library of family-friendly content.”

The new NOOK App for Kids will be preloaded on the XO Tablet (7-inch, $149.99), available at Walmart, Walmart.com, Target.com, Toys”R”Us, ToysRUs.com, BrandsMart, BrandsMartUSA.com and OfficeDepot.com. The XO Tablet features an educational curriculum with lessons that draw from the top names in education, including Oxford University and Discovery Communication, and is built with parental dashboards that track usage and learning styles, allowing parents to better understand their child’s development. OLPC’s proceeds from XO Tablet sales are reinvested to further OLPC’s global mission, update and expand the XO Learning System, and subsidize the distribution of XO Tablets and Laptops to children in need throughout the world.

Like all Free NOOK Reading Apps(TM) , purchased content is safely stored through the NOOK Cloud(TM) , making it easy for customers to access digital books, magazines and more wherever they go. NOOK Reading Apps automatically synchronize a customer’s last page read across all of their devices. Customers can learn more about the full suite of Free NOOK Reading Apps at www.nook.com/apps.

About Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS) is a Fortune 500 company and the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products. The company operates 674 Barnes & Noble bookstores in 50 states, and one of the Web’s largest e-commerce sites, BN.com (www.bn.com). Its NOOK Media LLC subsidiary is a leader in the emerging digital reading and digital education markets. The NOOK digital business offers award-winning NOOK(R) products and an expansive collection of digital reading and entertainment content through the NOOK Store(R) (www.nook.com), while Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC operates 692 bookstores serving over 4.6 million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States. Barnes & Noble is proud to be named a J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Customer Service Champion and is only one of 50 U.S. companies so named. Barnes & Noble.com is ranked the number one online retailer in customer satisfaction in the book, music and video category and a Top 10 online retailer overall in customer satisfaction according to ForeSee E-Retail Satisfaction Index (Spring Top 100 Edition).

General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company’s corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

NOOK(R) , NOOK Store(R) , NOOK Video(TM) , and NOOK Video Apps(TM) are trademarks of Barnes & Noble, Inc. Other trademarks referenced in this release are the property of their respective owners.

Follow Barnes & Noble on Twitter (www.bn.com/twitter), Facebook (www.facebook.com/barnesandnoble) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/barnesandnoble).

About NOOK Media LLC

NOOK reading and entertainment products make it easy to Read What You Love, Anywhere You Like(TM) with a fun, easy-to-use and immersive digital reading experience. With NOOK, customers gain access to the expansive NOOK Store(R) of more than 3 million (US) and 2.5 million (UK) digital books, plus periodicals, comics, apps, movies and TV shows, and the ability to enjoy content across a wide array of popular devices through Free NOOK Reading Apps(TM) and NOOK Video Apps(TM) , available at www.nook.com/freenookapps. NOOK owners receive Always Free NOOK Support in any of Barnes & Noble’s nearly 700 bookstores. Find NOOK devices in Barnes & Noble stores and online at www.nook.com, as well as leading retailers including Best Buy, Walmart, Target and many others. NOOK products are available in the United Kingdom at leading retailers; NOOK content can be purchased at www.nook.co.uk.

For more information on NOOK, follow us on www.twitter.com/nookBN or www.twitter.com/nook_UK and www.facebook.com/nook or www.facebook.com/nookGB.

About XO Tablet, XO Learning and One Laptop per Child

The XO Tablet, fully designed and developed by OLPC, harnesses the power of a connected touchscreen device to create new ways for children to learn. Its launch also marks the global debut of the XO Learning System, designed as a child-centric interface to empower kids to build, learn and dream as part of OLPC’s mission. OLPC was launched in 2005 at the MIT Media Lab as a project to provide a modern education to every child around the world through access to laptops and connected devices. The organization has since distributed 2.8 million of its specially designed XO laptops to children in 60 countries, and the XO Tablet extends that experience into a modern tablet form factor.

Visit OLPC at http://www.laptop.org.

For FAQs, where to buy and more information on the XO Tablet, visit www.xotablet.com.

 
    CONTACT: Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Mary Ellen Keating, 212-633-3323

Corporate Communications

mkeating@bn.com

or

Carolyn J. Brown, 212-633-4062

Corporate Communications

cbrown@bn.com

or

One Laptop per Child

Heather Gioco, 713-299-1312

Communications

hgioco@hoogassociates.com

 
    SOURCE: Barnes & Noble, Inc. 
Copyright Business Wire 2013

 

TEDxMiami – Be the difference – Oct 24, 2013

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This year, TEDxMiami’s fourth annual Fall Conference celebrates the power of innovation and different viewpoints which innovators bring to longstanding problems. Our speakers will provoke you to Live Differently, Work Differently, Play Differently, Learn Differently, and most importantly, to Be the Difference.

Be part of a catalyst moment for Miami
With more speaking applications received than ever before, Miami is certainly bursting at the seams with innovative and disruptive ideas. With the platform set, we can help take these ideas worth spreading and continue supporting them to the next level.  Join us for a night of connection, inspiration and action!

When:  Thursday, 24 October 2013 - Doors open 6:00PM, Event 7:00PM to 10:00PM
Where:  Adrienne Arsht Center - 1300 Biscayne Blvd. Miami, FL 33132
Tickets: Purchase your tickets here (Tickets are General Admission) SOLD OUT

The networking reception is at the Knight Concert Hall Lobby from 6-7pm. Doors to the auditorium open at 6:30pm. Concessions are available throughout the evening however, food is not allowed in the auditorium. Mingle with attendees at the after-party immediately following the event in the lobby.

Speaker Line-Up (revealed thus far)

  • Rodrigo Arboleda – One Laptop per Child, Revisited
  • Risa Berrin – Health Information Project
  • Richard Weiner – The Virtues of Gossip
  • Anabelle K. Paulino – A Modern Twist on an Ancient Memory Technique
  • John E. Lewis, Ph.D – A Solution for Your Health Care is Ringing. Will You Answer the Call?
  • Fernando Fabre – Creating An (Entrepreneurial) Mafia
  • Frankie Ruiz – Running to Join a Miami Movement

Rwanda’s IT revolution targets knowledge economy – BBC News

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Originally posted: 17 October 2013 By Lerato MbelePresenter, Africa Business Report, Kigali

he One Laptop Per Child initiative has seen thousands of laptops distributed across Rwandan schools

Olive Uwineza is 12 years old and dreams of becoming president one day. She sits in a class of about 30 pupils, at a high-tech primary school in Kigali, Rwanda.

Each student has a green, white and orange laptop that uses cartoon animations to make lessons more fun.

A lover of maths and science, Olive says tackling these subjects without computers “can make my lessons difficult”.

Five years ago, an initiative called One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) was introduced to the school, led by the government and NGOs. It has seen 200,000 laptops distributed in more than 400 schools across this tiny east African nation.

Facilities at Olive’s school have been upgraded and modernised, with access to wi-fi, and software tailored for the curriculum.

Healing a nation

The OLPC programme is one of the pillars of Rwanda’s Vision 2020, which aims to turn the country into a knowledge-based economy similar to that of Singapore in South East Asia.

Richard Muragijimana works on a bus equipped with computers, teaching people basic IT skills

In the wood-panelled halls of his official office, we meet President Paul Kagame, who has personally been a driver of this vision. He says information technology will help to turn Rwanda into a regional tech hub that will help Rwandans “find jobs, feed their children and regain their dignity”.

The tragedy of the 1994 genocide is a strong motivation for President Kagame. In his view, better access to information might have helped victims and perpetrators make different political choices.

For him, the IT revolution is not only about modernising the Rwandan economy – at the core, it’s about healing the nation.

Mr Kagame has presided over an era of robust growth in Rwanda. Last year, the economy grew by more than 7%.

Government reforms have encouraged foreign investment and the World Bank has ranked Rwanda the third best country in sub-Saharan Africa in its “Doing Business” index.

Continue reading: Improving access