No electricity? No problem! – A classroom on the go

MANILA, Philippines – Meet Nikko Torcita, 25-year old engineer from DLSU who pours his free time into making gizmos and gadgets to reach the minds of the rural youth.

Particularly, his passion is in science and technology education.

Nikko’s story all started in 2010 when he chanced upon an article about a project in India called Hole-in-the-Wall. 

The idea of Hole-in-the-Wall is simple. Founder Sugata Mitra, education researcher and 2013 TED Prize winner, wondered “what would happen if we put a computer in a wall?”

He made sure that it was unsupervised: no guards, no teachers – no adults.

The computer ran educational games. It was only a matter of time until kids started teaching themselves – some of whom have never used a computer before. 

Nikko recounted,  “I was inspired by how a simple computer setup became a powerful learning tool for children in the slums of India. So I began thinking of ways I could do a similar initiative back home. But I knew that the costs would have to be realistic.

Then came the Raspberry Pi, a credit card-sized single-board computer developed in the UK. Created with the intention of teaching basic computer science, it cost a mere 40 dollars. It came like a miracle – imagine, a 40-dollar computer!

The next thing I needed was a power source and a way to display what was happening. So I got a motorcycle battery and a Pico projector. Putting two and two together, I then had a complete computer setup. 

The next thing I needed was a place to bring the technology. So I called a few friends and was introduced to Casili elementary school in Montalban – a school that ran without the help of electricity. I thought to myself, ‘Just perfect.’”

DIY microscope

Nikko’s next project was to make a microscope.

The microscope he made uses a single collimating lens, the kind used for laser pointers. The collimating lens is a planoconvex lens which means it is convex on one side and flat on the other.

But basically, it is a structure with a magnifying lens. The drawback is that a smart phone is needed to view the magnified image. 

Going to the community

After development, the only thing left to do is to test. Nikko went to his testbed community, Casili elementary school, to figure out just how kids would react to these new devices.

When the computer was turned on, the kids were curious but didn’t really know what it was and why they were being shown a black screen with several boxes lined up on the left side.

But little did they know that this unkempt-looking setup of blacks and silvers on the table could play a colorful video.

Kids were all eyes and all ears as Nikko showed a time warp video of flowers blooming and wilting, of a rubber ball exploding upon impact and a cat being thrown up in the air upside down and still landing on all fours.

While the video of the rubber ball was being shown, Nikko even sneaked in physics concepts such as tension and elasticity.

These videos were simply downloaded from Youtube.

Videos, youtube and the Internet are some of the things most of us city-dwellers take for granted. Yet for the kids of Casili elementary school, it was a different learning experience. Indeed, one could hear the ooh’s and aah’s popping up in every part of the room.

Aside from a mobile computer, the kids also had some time with the microscope.

And while the setup was a bit difficult as the slides and the smartphones had to be aligned in a certain way, the kids were able to see up close a mosquito, a fly, a head louse and a spider, among others. For most of them, this was their first time to ever see a microscope.

Digital divide

A main source of inspiration for Nikko is a fellow electrical engineer, Dado Banatao, a man whose rags to riches story was propelled by engineering brilliance.

Nikko believes that if only kids from remote underprivileged areas in the country are given access to effective learning tools, they can become successful scientists and engineers just like Dado.

Technology doesn’t remove the need for good teachers. And we can’t say good teachers don’t need technology. They work hand in hand.

As the hole in the wall initiative in India had hoped to conquer the digital divide, so does Nikko. – Rappler.com

 

Christine Chan is a budding mathematician. She studied BS Applied Mathematics and is currently completing her research degree at the University of the Philippines. She loves to write on topics of science, technology and philosophy.