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"One laptop per child" Plan Launched in Artsakh

Fruifull Armenian Fund proudly announces the launch of NUR Plan in the Nagorno Karabagh Republic (NKR).

Following the agreement signed last January between NKR Prime Minister Ara Harutyunyan and Mr. Eduardo Eurnekian, FAF is presenting today the general concept of NUR, a plan aimed at changing the future of the educational system.

NUR will be implemented with the cooperation of NKR Government and AGBU, the world’s biggest non-profit Armenian organization, which will be providing on-the-ground support to ensure the success of the project.

NUR has been conceived following the concept of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC).

OLPC is an educational program developed at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. OLPC has successfully married constructivism (learning by doing) with the creation of an affordable state-of-the-art laptop computer, the XO, specifically designed and conceived for educational purposes.

NUR will be providing XO laptop computers to school students from first to fourth grade, and their respective teachers.

The government of NKR has agreed to provide the internet connection at the schools, which is one of the key aspects of the Plan.

In a first stage, in September 2011, 160 teachers from schools in the cities of Stepanakert and Shoushi will start the training which will consist of a 3 week intensive course on SUGAR, the educational Software of the XO. They will also attend a 6 week virtual course to incorporate further updates on the different programs to be used with the students.

The following stage will consist of the deployment of NUR Plan laptops to 3.600 children, promoting equal opportunities and integrating technology in everyday school classes. The schedule will be agreed with the government of NKR.

The government will also ensure that the rest of the cities and villages of NKR will soon follow with internet high-speed connectivity, an essential component for NUR Plan.

Once this is implemented NUR Plan will deploy more new XO laptop computers for the connected schools so as to reach to cover all the elementary students.

NUR Plan introduces a revolutionary change to the educational system which main objectives are: 

  • To enhance the educational experience by introducing technology to the classroom, the school and the family
  • To promote equal opportunities for all students by providing a laptop per child and per teacher
  • To guarantee access to information and worldwide education and culture
  • To develop a collaborative culture in 4 lines: child-child, child-teacher, teacher-teacher and child-family
  • To contribute to the promotion of Nagorno Karabakh Republic’s culture in the region and in the world. 

Comments (1)

Michael
Personal Manifesto regarding XO computers for Nagorno-Karabakh Republic(NKR) school children (From One Laptop Per Child project founded at MIT) By Michael Bezjian, Student at Anania Shirakatsi High School in Yerevan August 16, 2011 XO computers and what they bring 1. The Internet can be accessed with these computers 2. NKR is planning to provide internet access in all their schools 3. XO computers have mechanical keyboards which you need to apply pressure to use Problems 1. The children will be exposed to Porn at an early age (6-12) because of the connection to the internet 2. The children will attempt to use the computers and internet during class for things that are irrelevant, and not pay attention to the subject at hand. This will cause disturbances and arguments between the students and teachers. 3. Mechanical keyboards are not healthy for children's fingers because they might cause Carpal tunnel syndrome later in their lives. Since they are still at a young age and their tendons and bones of their hands are still developing. Solution 1. No internet, only Bluetooth or/and infrared. The teacher should have the power to permit or forbid cross communication between the students during class. The teacher should be able to quickly tell what programs every student has run or is running during class. The teachers should have the power to stop any program that any student is running. This way the students will not be able to play games with the computers during class! 2. With no internet provided the possibility of the download or upload of porn, graphic images, and content that is not appropiate for underage people, will be greatly mitigated and reduced. 3. Touch-Pads instead of XO computers should be distributed to the students. The touch-pads will have touch keyboards in Armenian, Russian, and English. Hopefully the Swipe program (where you slide your fingers over the keyboard rather than tapping it) will be available in all three languages. This way the children will not hurt their fingers by over using the touch-pad. I have heard by word of mouth that OLPC failed in Jordan. The children used the computers to expose themselves to porn through the internet, the teachers were disgusted and could not control the situation.

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