The XO-cert course

Overview

The XO-cert course has been developed to train teachers in the use of the XO laptops, so that they feel comfortable integrating the devices into their classrooms. The course covers both the technical operation of the XOs and advice on teacher practice.

The online course has been developed by educators for educators - allowing teachers to complete it in their own time and empowering them with the knowledge to gain manimum benefit from the learning devices.

What is the format of the course?

The course is delivered online through the Moodle platform. There are 10 modules to complete:

1. Course Introduction
2. Introduction to One Laptop per Child Australia
3. The XO Hardware
4. The Sugar Software
5. Sugar Activities
6. Sharing and Collaborating with Activities
7. More Activities for the Classroom
8. Developing Logical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills
9. XO Troubleshooting
10. XO Deployment and Evaluation

What are the requirements of the course?

The XO-cert course should take approximately 20 hours to complete.

Participants will be required to submit assessments for grading by a tutor. Grades will be either ‘Satisfactory’ or ‘Not Yet Satisfactory’.

The assessments are not difficult and will reflect the balance of technical training and pedagogical reflection. Assessments include text based submissions, forum contributions, and competency in the uploading of files and quizzes.

What are the pre-requistes?

• Two updated XO1.5s. OLPC Australia will help you update your XO if it is not running the latest software. Many activities can be run with one XO, but in order to enjoy the benefit of the collaborative features of the XOs, you will need access to a second machine at certain points in the course.
• An internet connection
• A USB stick (preferably 1GB space)
• You will probably find it easiest to work through the course on a standard laptop/desktop machine – with accessibility to your XO.