This is what One Laptop Per Child looks like: a remarkable idea taking root in remarkable places. Founded by legendary Internet pioneer Nicolas Negroponte, its mission is to get every kid in the developing world a simple laptop for a more active way of learning described as "Giving children good things to do so that they can learn by doing much better than they could before." The concept was developed by Seymour Papert, creator of Lego Logo – a simple computer learning system both my kids used in elementary school, Alan Kay and other legends of technology and education.
Think about this: if you grow up wandering around the world online, won’t your perspective on that world be broad and curious? If you create a game to teach fractions, won’t you learn them more completely? They call it "learning learning."
In 2002 every Middle Schooler in Maine got a laptop. The Maine Learning Technology Initiative has reported great results from the initial laptop distribution by 2005. If there is significant performance improvement in a reasonably well-resourced environment, think what it can do for one with little access to books, maps or math tools in the earthbound world!
For a brief period starting November 12th, you can “give
one” and “get one.” Buy two laptops for
$399. One will go to a child in the
developing world; you or your favorite child will get the other one. But act fast – this is only a two week
outreach.
If you’re interested or want to help, you can visit the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) site here.
*NOTE: In order to observe the Sabbath, this post was written in late October and set to post on Saturday morning.
Mr. Negroponte is opening the door to the world as it really is-warts and all-via cyberspace, and thereby offers a hand to isolated children everywhere to reach resources and avenues for hope, and to learn how to choose and seek the best the world has to offer. Bravo to him and to all the developers he is working with.
Thanks for sharing info and links about this tremendously exciting project.
You’re right Terryl. He’s a real visionary. Did you read Being Digital?
Love your post on these kid-lap tops. I read about them in the NYTimes and plan on buying computers for my two grandsons and two more. They are quite wonderful. Thanks for reminding me there’s a window of opportunity for purchasing. Hope you’re well. I see from your posts that you are certainly ‘carrying on.’ All the best.
Hi Cynthia,
Thanks for your post about the new XO laptop from the OLPC campaign. We at Razoo really support this kind of creative solution, so much so that we’re including it in our “Good Travels” contest.
The “Good Travels” contest encourages travelers to do good while one the road. As part of the contest, five 2nd prize winners will receive the new XO laptop (and 5 laptops will be donated to children in developing nations).
(By the way, the grand prize of the contest is a trip for two anywhere in the world to put good into action, via ResponsibleTravel.com.)
You can learn more about it and enter here: http://beta.razoo.com/good_travels
Cheers,
rebecca
Razoo. Come Together, Change Your World.
http://blog.razoo.com