The project to make laptops more affordable to governments for education is laudable, but is giving the laptops straight to students the best way to go about it?
Instead of OLPC a Nepalis newspaper proposes to give teachers the connectivity tools to guide students through the knowledge in the internet. Nepali Times | Previous
The media coverage of OLPC I've seen so far has been mindlessly positive towards this program. Has there been other coverage questioning the benefits of this program? I for one is a little suspicious: while it is great that technology for the third world is being developed, the idea of "one laptop per child" makes a great and easy to understand headline and fundraising slogan, may be too simplistic for realistic and effective implementation. Thoughts?
- Liebchen, Aug 03, 07 | 6:41 am
OLPC is a good project and is the passion of a lot of people who are working on it. sure there are OTHER things that could happen, but those other things don't have to be instead of OLPC. it's kind of a both/and situation. the problem is finding people who are passionate about those other things and want to work on them.
the value of a program like OLPC shouldn't be downplayed because of those who would say '...but they could have been doing __ instead'. there will ALWAYS be that something else.
i think the costly infrastructural upgrades is a necessary and worthy investment in the longterm for countries in southeast asia...and probably inevitable.
i don't know enough about the in and outs of OLPC vs OLPT, but perhaps it is still too early to make an accurate assessment of the program.
personally, i've learned a lot and have acquired more information bc of access provided by my laptop than i would have by not having one....mostly from reading archinect!
Agree with you 100% Steven. I do see the point of the article though, 3rd world countries have limited resources and one lap top per child may be a larger change then those countries may be ready for. Also, children may not know exactly what information to go after and without knowledgeable adults to guide them it may not meet the goals they are trying to reach.
I'm sorry, but who pays for the laptop? The OLPC website is never specific about who will foot what bill, though it eventually does mention:
"The OLPC Association focuses on designing, manufacturing and distributing XO laptops to children in lesser developed countries, initially concentrating on those governments that have made commitments for the funding and program support required to ensure that all of their children own and can effectively use a laptop."
Oh, I guess it does continue by saying that it hopes only subsidize laptops for those without governments, such as refugees in the future.
Oddly enough, the OLPC website mentions that "...Given the resources that poor countries can reasonably allocate to education—sometimes less than $20 per year per pupil..." And this laptop will cost more than $100 per child (Libya has paid $208 per laptop)? I certainly can see the benefit in challenging governments to spend more on their children, especially when it is a product that is as compelling as this one. But can they do it?
I'm not trying to be "negative," but in the media there is a lack of contrary views on this program. Sure, there are right-wing nut jobs that want to bash the program because they'd rather exploit the 3rd world than help it, but are there and balance rational thinkers that are saying "wait a minute..." on some of the specifics of this program? Might it be almost criminal to entice poor-ish countries into buying these nifty little gadgets that might become an utter (and expensive) failure in the near future?
Just trying to make good conversation...
Aug 3, 07 8:24 pm ·
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One Laptop per Child vs. One Laptop per Teacher
The project to make laptops more affordable to governments for education is laudable, but is giving the laptops straight to students the best way to go about it?
Questioning One Laptop Per Child
Instead of OLPC a Nepalis newspaper proposes to give teachers the connectivity tools to guide students through the knowledge in the internet. Nepali Times | Previous
The media coverage of OLPC I've seen so far has been mindlessly positive towards this program. Has there been other coverage questioning the benefits of this program? I for one is a little suspicious: while it is great that technology for the third world is being developed, the idea of "one laptop per child" makes a great and easy to understand headline and fundraising slogan, may be too simplistic for realistic and effective implementation. Thoughts?
- Liebchen, Aug 03, 07 | 6:41 am
my comment on the news thread:
OLPC is a good project and is the passion of a lot of people who are working on it. sure there are OTHER things that could happen, but those other things don't have to be instead of OLPC. it's kind of a both/and situation. the problem is finding people who are passionate about those other things and want to work on them.
the value of a program like OLPC shouldn't be downplayed because of those who would say '...but they could have been doing __ instead'. there will ALWAYS be that something else.
why not be positive?
i think the costly infrastructural upgrades is a necessary and worthy investment in the longterm for countries in southeast asia...and probably inevitable.
i don't know enough about the in and outs of OLPC vs OLPT, but perhaps it is still too early to make an accurate assessment of the program.
personally, i've learned a lot and have acquired more information bc of access provided by my laptop than i would have by not having one....mostly from reading archinect!
Agree with you 100% Steven. I do see the point of the article though, 3rd world countries have limited resources and one lap top per child may be a larger change then those countries may be ready for. Also, children may not know exactly what information to go after and without knowledgeable adults to guide them it may not meet the goals they are trying to reach.
I'm sorry, but who pays for the laptop? The OLPC website is never specific about who will foot what bill, though it eventually does mention:
"The OLPC Association focuses on designing, manufacturing and distributing XO laptops to children in lesser developed countries, initially concentrating on those governments that have made commitments for the funding and program support required to ensure that all of their children own and can effectively use a laptop."
Oh, I guess it does continue by saying that it hopes only subsidize laptops for those without governments, such as refugees in the future.
Oddly enough, the OLPC website mentions that "...Given the resources that poor countries can reasonably allocate to education—sometimes less than $20 per year per pupil..." And this laptop will cost more than $100 per child (Libya has paid $208 per laptop)? I certainly can see the benefit in challenging governments to spend more on their children, especially when it is a product that is as compelling as this one. But can they do it?
I'm not trying to be "negative," but in the media there is a lack of contrary views on this program. Sure, there are right-wing nut jobs that want to bash the program because they'd rather exploit the 3rd world than help it, but are there and balance rational thinkers that are saying "wait a minute..." on some of the specifics of this program? Might it be almost criminal to entice poor-ish countries into buying these nifty little gadgets that might become an utter (and expensive) failure in the near future?
Just trying to make good conversation...
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