Week 1

The past few days with OLPC in Rwanda has been both highly challenging and extraordinarily rewarding. In addition to having to become rapidly acquainted with Kigali, the experiences within Kagugu, Nonko, and Rwamagana have allowed me to enjoy a first-hand account of the successes and shortcomings of the Rwandan educational system. Through this, I can better comprehend the role that OLPC can play in transforming the capabilities of primary education in this country.

Through this internship, I am hoping to learn and acquire a variety of experiences and skill sets. At the most broad and general level, I am hoping to understand the process in which a government sponsored NGO initiative can transform an entire educational system. I wish to understand the details that go into an NGO like One Laptop Per Child and the intricacies in how it undertakes the challenge of incorporating the XO laptop into primary schooling. Certainly, there is no time more exciting than the present, when OLPC in Rwanda is in the midst of deploying the 60,000 laptops that the government has purchased. Already, with my experiences in training the teachers I can see that saturation of the XO laptop is not going to be an easy achievement. Still, simply by observing OLPC's interaction with the schools, I am obtaining a better grasp on how progress with international education is made.

On a more pedagogical level, I am looking forward to honing my creative capabilities to engage the students and become a more effective teacher. Though my assignments this past week have consisted of reflashing computers and working with teacher training (both equally enjoyable and educational in their own right), I am most looking forward to being able to work within the classrooms with the students. Truly, while working in the schools this past week, it was really the children that were the absolute highlight of the week. It was my passion for the universal right to education and the pleasure I find in working with children that originally drew me to this internship, and I really do hope to build upon my teaching skills so that I can carry the skills over to my future endeavors in making progress for international education.