Wouldn't it be great if on your mission trip, before you left, you had
set up a computer lab for Christian distance education ?
We'll show you how to utilize old, discarded and unwanted computers into a
full fledged, highly efficient Christian computer lab designed especially
for Christian education (a great gift to a developing world ministry to
close the digital divide).
The education
provided through this computer lab will be a gift that keeps on giving for
a long, long time.
We will help any mission team heading to
a developing world country to build (with their computers and hardware) a
fully functional , high speed computer lab. We will help install software
and will help provide continued technical support for the lab and the
software once it is installed. This assistance to short term
mission teams is free. FREE!
Bring the gift of distance education and lifelong learning with
you on your missions trip!
Our program will teach you how to make a computer lab from old and obsolete
computers that will function as fast as a new PC. Included with the lab will be
an entire suite of education software that will enable your group to continue to
be blessed even after you have returned home.
When you establish them with a computer lab you have enabled them to acquire
knowledge.
Hos 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of
knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that
thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God,
I will also forget thy children.
If they don't have Internet bring them a lab anyway! Download info on to CDs
for them. One CD that costs less than twenty cents can hold thousands of dollars worth
of books. Knowledge of agriculture, medicine, hygiene, engineering, electricity,
mechanical, etc (and Bible study material of course) can save lives.
If the group you are visiting has Internet available even better. Through the Internet the
material can be "fresher" but mailing CDs can still bring lifesaving knowledge
to even remote villages.
HOW TO BUILD A COMPUTER LAB
- Seek donations of used computers (486s and
newer)
- Acquire one "good" machine to act as a server for the lab (preferably with
a processor over 1 gigahertz and plenty of memory)
- Download the software and install it on the one computer that will
act as the server.
- Connect the remaining computers to the server with switches and network
cable.
That is it! Visit these websites to find out more about this system and the
various software.
www.ltsp.net
www.k12ltsp.org
www.moodle.org
Visit the ARTICLES section of this website for
more info.
Contact
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Ministry By Internet |
For as touching the ministering to
the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you:
for I know your readiness, of
which I glory...
2Co 9:1-2
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Intro
These instructions will give you directions and an introduction on how to
put together an inexpensive educational computer lab for as few as 3 or more
than 200
students from free software and discarded computers. All the software we will discuss can
be downloaded for free, including the operating system. You will also
learn how to install the software and network the computers to each
other. There will also be
directions and links to find inexpensive or free computers for the lab
from professional refurbishers. Top
Hardware
Used Computers -
Computer speeds, storage capabilities,
software capabilities, download speeds, etc have increased tremendously. As a result that high-end computer of a few years ago has become obsolete for many
applications. In fact their disposal has even become a problem in many
locations. The systems you are about to learn change that older equipment
into thin clients.. With the knowledge
provided here you will be able to take that discarded computer equipment
and with only slight refurbishing you will have a robust computer lab to
bring with you. Top
Server -
There is a catch, however (isn't there always?). The lab will
require one decent sized modern computer to function as the labs server.
There are various opinions regarding "how big" it needs to be but the number of students, the course load,
internet access all affect the proper sizing. A smaller server (500-800mhz) may only be
able to run 10 computers where a Pentium 4 might be able to handle 200.
Top
Clients - Clients
are the workstations of the lab. In this
system, the clients computing power (that old 486 processor for instance)
is only used to power the transfer of data from the mouse and keyboard to
and from the network server and to operate the monitor. The client is able to access the programs on
the server and uses the processor of the server when it does. The client
uses so little of its own resources that they can fully function within
the network even without a hard drive. Top
Network - Costs for
the network hardware should be minimal. You will need a switch or switches
large enough to handle the number of computers you have and the cables to
connect them all together. Top
Software
Linux is the operating system that enables us to run these older
computers at acceptable speeds. Linux also lets us run "thin clients"
(which is a stripped down PC) that sends all the user queries to the
server to be processed. Linux is Open Source software and many free
versions are available by download. Top
LTSP - LTSP stands for Linux Thin Server
Project. Do visit their website to get all the information on the
project. Thin clients serve as network connections only. They use the
server's software, not their own. Often they don't even have hard drives.
In principle it is similar to the old "mainframe" configuration.
Top
K12 -
K12 is the Linux build that we use and is
our suggested version for the lab. LTSP is
built into K12. In fact k12's complete name is
K12LTSP. K12 is a Linux built
especially for young students (thus the name K12 as in kindergarten thru
twelfth grade). There is a multitude of educational software bundled in
especially for students . Top
Moodle -
Moodle is an open-source
software
package designed specifically for creating and teaching online courses. It
is being used by major universities, high schools, middle schools, and
even elementary schools. Moodle is not part of the K12 project. It is its'
own project and we're adding it to the lab. It is exceptionally well
supported. Moodle was designed for teaching online from an internet hosting server
. Since Internet access in the developing world can be sporadic or
expensive we configure the lab to run separately from the Internet
as well as connected. Top
XAMPP -
Xampp installs
PHP and
MySql on you lab's server. PHP is a programming language that is
in very common use by a lot of websites. MySql is a database program.
Moodle , as well as many other programs, need both of them. If you run
Moodle it is necessary to install Xampp; otherwise it isn't necessary.
Top
Installation Instructions
Complete installation instructions for
all the various software are
available at the software designer's websites themselves. The
K12LTSP Linux operating
system is the most complex of them. If you aren't familiar with Linux you
may find it advantageous to find someone who is familiar with Linux
already( I'm available) . You will need to download four very large
files (broadband connection is a must), and burn them to CDs. After
installing K12 then you install Xampp
. It is very easy to install and involves nothing more
than
downloading the file into a folder. within the K12ltsp file tree and the unzipping it
using the code given at the Xampp site. It really is that
easy.
Moodle is so well supported that any install problems can be
straightened out by a visit to their forums.
You will need access to a high speed internet connection to download
the necessary files and it's best to burn those files onto a cd. The
K12LTSP operating system fills four
CDs (nearly 2800 mb). That would take forever to download with a dial up
connection. The other two software packages can be downloaded to your hard
drive (they don't need to be burned to cd).
Xampp is only 39
mb and
Moodle is only 9.36 MB. Downloading
them with a dial up is do-able but it would still take a while.
Top
Miscellaneous
Considerations
Administration
K12LTSP includes a program called VNC which enables remote access
to another computer through the Internet. If your computer lab is
connected to the Internet you will be able to be a remote
administrator to provide much of the technical administration through
VNC from your home location.
Top
Shipping Normally, shipping the computers is one of the most difficult things to do. That's why your short
term mission trip is a perfect opportunity to bring them. It is the least
costly and most secure method cover any other method. Check with your
airline what their baggage specs are well in advance of your trip. Packing
always causes some tough choices to prioritize what items to bring. When
discussing baggage with the airline be sure to mention it is charity and
also that you will be coming back very light to make up for the overage
(it's worth a try anyway). Top
Internet Costs The
infrastructure in the
developing world is either non existent, in poor
condition, or very expensive. It is advisable to find out what it
costs to be on the Internet in their area and plan for the expense. One of
the things in our lab that we have done to reduce Internet costs is to
design it so that it can run effectively without being connected to the
Internet. Read my article about "Internet
In A Can" for more info.
Top
Teachers Once a ministry
has a computer lab it needs teachers. The software we install in the lab
is designed to enable volunteers to easily design and teach
courses. These teachers can be young, old, homemakers, part-time, etc. You
can start to train your volunteers (we call them "virtual" missionaries by
the way) even before the trip and even if they're nor going on the trip.
Top
Curriculum
What curriculum is taught? That decision will be up to the pastor or
leader of the developing world ministry and the teachers. Some suggestions include Bible
study, health, trades (electrical, automotive, etc), agriculture,
languages etc. Top
TAKE A COMPUTER LAB ON YOUR MISSION
TRIP!
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