New 10 lb Baby

The 950+ surveys (holy moley) are done! They are a beautiful set of surveys! Just the right size for a "new baby," can't wait to take care of the baby for the next few months!

Great Day

We had a fantastic run yesterday, true interaction with all the administrators of the colleges, we all connected well. They were so cooperative, they gave me ALL their students to survey. We ran out of photocopies of the survey! (rookie mistake) One very sharp vice principal requested we do a control and experimental group at his school over the next few months. I am traveling with two sharp guys from the NGO, they know how to take my questions and ideas and make them better, turn them into fantastic stuff. Am spending the night out tonight to make better time tomorrow, we'll stay at a youth hostel with our intended audience, the rural youth of India.

Heading Out

All the survey questions I wanted are now ready to go, translated into Marathi... we're heading out to three rural college in a few minutes to deliver the survey. Fingers crossed this goes well!

Cat Rodeo

The first day on the ground is always a bit of a cat rodeo. The conversations people working in the field hold with researchers before they land tend to reveal a lot, except there is still some vital information left covered (kind of like bikinis).

I'm wondering how many researchers have to change most everything at the 11th hour. Probably more than I could guest. Fortunately, I'm not worried. Things really do tend to turn out the way they are supposed to. I'm just very happy to be here and happy to be part of something that may really help people. www.smsone.in for more on my partner NGO, and eduvarta.blogspot.com for more information on the new project.

Spring Break

This spring break, I am headed to India to conduct a survey on job search training delivered via SMS text!

Survey questions are on this google doc (stripped of any identifying information). I am looking forward to spring break (in March)!

This work will will build towards my idea to pilot a service in Mexico that delivers vocational training for public servants (front-line people like police, teachers, land bureaucrats).

Request for Data on Learning via Cell Phones + Research Timeline

The idea of delivering ANY education via cell phone is new. There are few good studies on this idea. Aker's study on delivering literacy training via cell phones in Niger is one.

I am gathering studies to create a mini-meta analysis. Thanks to the sharing habits of the digital generation, data on the effectiveness of delivering education via mobile phones may be available faster than in previous years

Inspired by a bar in Jalalabad "beer for data" program, I am working to copy this at my local pub, the Dutch Goose. Click here for an interview on this program in Afghanistan.


The timeline for my research work is below (blank months below the dates indicate school work/finals).






[See here for a video on the results of some of this collaboration (Thank you for your help on this, Google!)]

Inspiration

A core problem in fragile states is:

Reformers at the top do not have foot soldiers at street level to deliver public goods to strengthen the state. I aim to discover discreet, effective means of delivering vocational training to new public servants.

It turns out, they all have cell phones; the police officers, teachers, health workers, everybody working in fragile states has cell phones.

Can this be of use?

I am spending the year at the School of Education at Stanford University to research and write a masters thesis on this topic.