How Tablet Computer Technology is Revolutionising Education in the Developing World

Published on Monday, 17 January 2011 10:45

By Jo Massie

Recently tablet computers seem to be everywhere with around 80 being launched at CES 2011. With such a great deal of options going to be available in 2011 offering competition to Apple's iPad and Samsung's Galaxy, it would appear tablets are going to be big business this year.

In the Western world, tablets are changing the way in which we spend our leisure time or 'dead time', such as commuting. Apple especially have focused on this with their iPad device's main features being the ability to browse the internet, check e-mails, read books, play games and listen to music. They are exploiting the portability of the product in order to provide entertainment to their consumers. However, with the iPad's price tag starting at £439 it isn't exactly in everyone's price range.

Education not leisure the proiority

In the developing world, entertainment and leisure time is not the priority. Not that having £439 spare to spend on such things is very common either. Instead companies are focused upon using technology for a different purpose – providing education. In July, the Indian Government and HCL Technologies announced the prototype of a $35 tablet computer which was being targeted at further education students. As well as this you have the non-profit organisation, One Laptop Per Child, developing a tablet as a cheaper alternative to the laptop they created for children in the developing World.

India's tablet announcement coincides with an ambitious education policy to extend broadband to all of India's 25,000 colleges and 500 universities. The product in question would then be subsidised by the Government for the students at these institutions to enable them to purchase the product for $20. Having been developed by the Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Science, the whole concept is part of a push to provide students with a better education and the technical skills which are required to continue India's economic growth.

So how is it possible? A ministry spokesperson, Mamta Varma, said the device was feasible due to falling hardware costs. The device would not have a hard-drive; instead it will use a memory card much like a phone or camera. Unlike the hoards of apps which are available on tablets here, this gadget will be equipped with a browser, media player, video-conferencing capabilities and word processing – among other facilities. These are all facilities which can aid and empower education. The gadget is believed to run on the Linux operating system and there is an option (albeit more expensive) for it to run on solar power. This would be a bonus for many education institutions across India where reliable power sources are scarce and where poverty is rife. As yet it is unclear if any manufacturing deals have been reached to make the price of the tablet possible but it is expected to hit schools at some stage this year.

One Laptop Per Child

Nicholas Negroponte is the cofounder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media lab. His non-profit organisation, One Laptop per Child, is now working on plans to launch a $99 tablet. This again will be focused upon increasing education in the developing world. The organisation already has the XO laptop in existence which has been in circulation for more the two years. The website describes their mission as creating "educational opportunities for the world's poorest children, by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop."

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The organisation is currently working with computer chip maker, Marvell, in order to develop a suitable product for their audience. Their current product, the XO-1.5, costs $199 but they unveiled a $165 hybrid tablet-computer laptop model at this year's CES. They are hoping to lower energy costs and prices further with a full version of the tablet which they are hoping will cost around $100. It is expected to have 10-11 hours of battery life, again a necessary factor in an area with limited electricity. The gadgets will have the capability to browse the internet and also opportunity for the child to download eBooks onto the device allowing them to gain access to sources which aren't available locally in a tactile sense.

OLPC proves that this concept works with the website claiming that "almost everywhere the XO goes, school attendance increases dramatically as the children begin to open their minds and explore their own potential." By offering the children opportunities they are encouraging them to go to school opposed to staying at home to earn money for the family. The bonus is that the parents are also able to physically see the benefits for their children.

A tablet gives the non-profit organisation the opportunity to halve their costs which would in turn encourage more Governments to take part in the scheme and roll it out on a larger scale.

Feasibility

However, how feasible is it for either of these products to come into existence? Rewind back to 2005 and Negroponte unveiled a $100 laptop for the same cause; however, as mentioned above it eventually cost double what was expected. At this time, India rejected this as too expensive and they have since been working on an effort to develop a cheaper option. This culminated in an announcement last year by an official that it was about to unveil a $10 laptop. This never materialised as a real feasible option and the "Sakshat" turned out to be a prototype of a handheld device with no clear indication of cost.

Could this happen again with this insanely cheap tablet? Why is it that the Indian ministry are projecting their tablet to cost a third of OLPC's? Let us hope that it is indeed possible and soon a higher quality of education can be rolled out to all those who desperately need it.