Educacion Si
Having taught in a second world country on a remote tropical island before, I have some practical experience with humidity and finances and their relationship to textbooks. Textbooks are too expensive for most countries to replace periodically or even keep updated, so "paper" libraries are virtually non-existent. The amount of free, up-to-date online learning modules, books, and animated demonstrations make the computer the textbook and library of the future, especially for remote locations as in Bocas.When our Ngobe learning center at Salt Creek began in 2006, I started researching how to get computers with Internet capability into our classroom. The problem was two-fold; power and signal strength. There is no municipal electricity in most of the archipelago so an alternative power source was required. Rising fuel costs ruled out a generator, which leaves solar (wind and hydro in some cases). A typical laptop computer needs approximately 250 watts, which would allow only one computer for each 300-400 watt solar panel (each panel, not including the storage batteries, costs over $400). The school would need to have 3-4 computers at a minimum to effectively function with a class of 15-30 students broken up into computer station work groups.
The necessary signal strength for an Internet connection, at an affordable price, is also not available in the Salt Creek area at this time. We needed another solution and now we believe we have found it. In March, 2008, a group of volunteers put together a computer solution package for SBT. The company is named Copernicus and the Panama solution is called Educacion Si (or "Yes Education"). They decided to use Bocas as the pilot project since SBT was located here and because Bocas is the perfect “test” site, due to its extreme topography and the distances between communities.
Educacion Si would utilize a new broadband communication protocol to send a signal capable of delivering "streaming video" up to distances of approximately 50 km (strong signal at 35 km). With the installation of a few properly located towers the signal would cover Bocas del Toro from the town of Changuinola to the Ngobe Reservation (practically the entire province). Thus providing for the first time ever, the capability for remote schools to connect with the rest of Panama and the world by computer.
They also solved the issue of the power vs. number of workstations problem, by providing a trade marked device (patented by one of the Copernicus founders), which would allow four workstations instead of one to use a single solar panel. The device will has the capacity to allow up to 20 workstations to function together at 1/5 the normal power requirement, thus a huge savings in power generating equipment.
At present, the Educacion Si’s proposal is being reviewed by Bocas agencies and the Ngobe community. We have had positive reviews from the local agencies and are awaiting an endorsement from all the Ngobe Caciques (Head Men). Educacion Si would function as a non-profit organization owned by the Panamanian government. The educational system of Bocas and later Panama could be enriched through a centralized library of high-end and locally produced educational video lectures and demonstrations, which could be "streamed" to the schools "on demand". The Internet would now be available as an "electronic" research library. Indigenous cultures could also create specific videos for cultural preservation-related education to be shown in their schools.
The system would additionally allow Internet connectivity for after school hours, giving the communities access to both medical and agricultural agencies and other services. Teachers would also have a valuable tool for further personal curriculum research for enrichment materials.