technology gap

Just a few decades ago, the concept of unmanned aerial vehicles, or, as you may know them: drones, was a reality confined only to science fiction films and comic books. In fact, if you told someone just 30 years ago that there are over 900,000 drones registered in the United States, with over half of them being used for recreational use, they’d probably look at you like you were crazy. But the truth is, unmanned aerial vehicles are quickly becoming a close companion to the concept of smart cities, with the potential to offer cost-efficient services for everything from environmental monitoring to traffic management. Yet, with no established system within cities to rent out drones, the potential to use these flying machines for good is wasted. Drones can deliver packages in under 30 minutes and cut surveying costs by up to 98% - so why shouldn’t we make them accessible to all?

A common thread running through all IB Programmes is the commitment to service learning. From the beginning of an IB student’s education, they are exposed to, and participate in, hands-on efforts to help others through the IB Mission which is, in part, to create a better and more peaceful world. 

Years ago Stu Keroff began a service club at a local IB School in Minnesota that collected and refurbished old computers and then gave them to students and families in need. They used the open source Linux operating system to make the effort (and the computers) affordable. 

When I heard Stu had taken this idea to his new (non-IB) school, I thought it was an idea worth sharing with the greater IB world. 

In this episode, we talk to Stu and several of his students from Aspen Academy in Savage, Minnesota. Listen to hear directly from Stu and his students how the program works and how you can use a program similar to this to provide for your local community.

The idea is so well-suited to IB schools around the world because students of all ages whether in PYP, MYP, DP, or CP could replicate this work in some form. 

Students featured in this episode: Cam Citrowske, Ethan Tinega, Jayden Anunda

Links:

• www.linuxclubguide.com
• https://twitter.com/studoeslinux
• https://aspenacademymn.org/penguin-corps/
• https://kstp.com/news/middle-school-students-tech-skills-help-others-learn-from-home/5854002/
• https://opensource.com/article/20/7/donate-linux
• https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/09/11/students-at-shakopee-school-fix-computers-and-give-them-to-classmates
• https://www.swnewsmedia.com/savage_pacer/news/local/news_briefs/aspen-academy-wins-stem-innovation-award/article_ea83a343-8498-5be7-a2dd-13f1dc988380.html
• Email studoeslinux@gmail.com

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