electric lemons produce shocking results for houston students
Volunteer Tanya Kazansky helps students build a chain of electric lemons.
What happens when you combine lemons, electrodes, and 100 giddy 5th graders? According to Schlumberger intern and SEED volunteer Tanya Kazansky, the result is positively indescribable.
Kazansky conducted a Fruit Power workshop at a Houston elementary school, where students learned about electricity by building a battery from lemons and other simple parts.
Fruit Power is one of ten SEEDKITS offered by SEED. Each kit provides training and resources that enable volunteers and teachers to engage students anywhere in science workshops. SEEDKITS are available on SWPS and the SEEDSTORE.
Read more about Tanya’s electrifying experience in the Voices of SEED.
A student is ready to light the LED.
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can you name all 42 seed countries?
See the full list on the SEED Web site!
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computing gets personal in nigeria
For the past twelve years, SEED has been connecting schools in underserved communities to the Internet through its School Network Program (SNP). The goal of each connection is to create a generation of student leaders who will bring their communities—and countries—into the 21st century. The program is effective; after connecting 248 schools in 42 countries, SEED has impacted the lives of 260,000 students.
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Nigerian students explore the different applications on their XO laptops.
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However, students in underserved communities need more. To meet the challenges of tomorrow, these students need to learn in an environment that promotes familiarity and regular use of computers and the Internet. Through a unique collaboration with educational group One Laptop per Child (OLPC) and United Company RUSAL, SEED and the Schlumberger Nigeria GeoMarket are taking learning to the next level in a pilot program for two schools in Nigeria.
What’s different about this program? To start, each student will receive his or her own laptop, as will each teacher. This type of distribution is known as saturation, or “one-to-one computing”. “By giving each child his or her own laptop we instill a sense of ownership and pride,” explains Claudia Urrea, who has been working with both SEED and OLPC for several years. “Also, SEED will link them to the entire world by providing this amazing piece of technology and Internet connectivity. Imagine never setting foot outside your own village and suddenly having access to a world of knowledge. It’s a very powerful tool.”
What else besides saturation makes this project unique? There is also SEED’s learning while doing (LWD) educational methodology, which actively engages learners in real world projects. For instance, students can learn about the causes of global climate change and create hands-on projects with alternative forms of energy. The LWD approach is used in all SEED workshops, and the students and teachers at these two Nigerian schools will also use it within their classrooms. However, it is important to note that LWD is not restricted to a classroom; it can venture into houses and communities as the students take their laptops and learning home with them.
The final component of this project is the collaboration between corporations, a national government, and NGOs. Though different in purpose and in industry, each entity shares a vision of improving education in underserved countries. The laptop distribution took place last week in two ceremonies at the schools. SEED Nigeria Coordinator Valerie Edozien Nwogbe is overseeing the project locally. “I can’t wait to see the students when they start training with their laptops, because it is at that juncture that change will begin.”
To participate in the pilot SEED-OLPC program in Nigeria, contact Valerie Edozien Nwogbe or the SEED Volunteer Coordinator.
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REACH OUT! SEEDLINK is published monthly. To learn more about SEED, visit www.planetseed.com. We invite your suggestions, feedback, news and questions at seed@slb.com.
ABOUT SEED The Schlumberger Excellence in Educational Development (SEED) program is a global non-profit education program focused on students aged 10 to 18 in communities where Schlumberger people live and work. SEED offers a range of specialized learning tools delivered through a multilingual Web site, through face-to-face, experiential education workshops and through collaborative international projects. At the heart of SEED are our volunteers, who generously share their time, inspiration, knowledge and passion for science and learning.
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