WCE Chicago preloads computers to enhance learning

In the beginning, WCE simply sent computers to our partners’ schools. It’s easy to imagine: kids crowded around a computer, fingers poised on keyboards, squeezing close to the computer screen, excited to be part of the digital world. In those days learning by using the computer was limited and connection to the Internet was sporadic. A great start, but it was difficult to gauge the benefits. Gradually WCE offered “off line” digital libraries and more Partne organisations had Internet access.

We’ve always known that our Partners wanted educational, learning-focused, skill building content that would not depend on being connected. Besides finding the right content, the real challenge has always been how to make it cost effective, reliable and accessible.

Because of Walgreens, things are dramatically different. Their tech teams have made it possible not only for a variety of content to be preloaded on to our computers but each computer can be customized in as many as four languages to meet our Partners needs. This has transformed how WCE defines access to 21st century education. Now our expectations are much higher.

Walgreens tech staff  has been volunteering with our Chicago Chapter for some time, helping to install the open source Ubuntu operating system one computer at a time using the CD disk. A very time consuming process.

Then two Walgreens volunteers had an idea. Bob Kessler, who leads a support team assigned to troubleshoot new tech installations in stores and Matt Fiscus, who sets up Unix/Linux servers for Walgreens corporate, thought a server could replace the manually loading process. Bob and Matt figured out that by using a pixie server WCE could preload Ubuntu and multi-lingual content on the computers. Since there’s no space limitation, more space = more content. 

Currently about 40 educational software packages and a homepage to the web browser are preloaded. Instead of one computer being manually loaded now 96 PCs connect to the server simultaneously. And once connected to the server, we only need to chose the language and come back in a couple of hours.

At the moment, content is limited. Each computer’s homepage can be programmed to be in English, Spanish or French with links to external sources of information on education, agriculture, health, environment, and culture. We are in the process of getting permission from a number of health sites and exploring other avenues for content. We hope to offer Arabic in the near future.

The Dominican Republic will be the first shipment to receive customized content using this system. This shipment of 200 computers includes 180 computers in Spanish and 20 in French with additional content from BluWorld and Reciclemos (environment and recycling).

Though still in the pilot phase, Bob and Matt's ingenuity will make it possible for WCE to take a giant leap in bridging the digital divide. No wonder our expectations are higher.