meshing with OLPC

A third video installment regarding the OLPC project is out. This video helps explain mesh networking.

Jim Klein on OLPC

Jim Klein brings up several good points about OLPC and its inhernet design favoring the learner. He finishes his post with the following -

"We've been so bogged down answering questions about reliability, availability, price, performance, implementation, etc. that we've lost sight of what makes the OLPC a solution that can work. The learner is the goal - not the teacher, institution, or government, but the learner. And empowering the learner always has, and always will, generate more knowledge, skill, and ability than any institution or government can provide."

One would hope that any country's government/educational officials deciding between the learner-centered OLPC and other more market-centered options (e.g. Intel's Classmate PC) will take this point seriously. Assuming one understands the pedagogy and intent behind the OLPC project, the decision becomes a no-brainer.

On another note, Jim starts his post by pointing out common, shallow declarations and questions such as "[The XO] doesn't run Windows", "who will teach the kids to use the machines?" and "how will we protect these kids from Internet addiction?" A specious argument against OLPC Jim didn't mention is, "Kids in developing countries need food, shelter and medicine more than they need a laptop!" True on a superficial level, but I beg to differ.

OLPC Nigeria

Nigerian students try out their green machines.

More pictures and commentary here.

1:1 computing in education a step closer

Tom Hoffman points us to this article and advises schools to "Hold Those Purchase Orders!"

I was just writing a little on this not too long ago. I wasn't expecting progress quite this rapid. Good news indeed.
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Update 1: Digital Rights advocator Russell McOrmond says

"[...] an inexpensive laptop that is designed from the ground up to be lower-powered and run FLOSS is important to me."

and points us to another article by Ryan Paul here.
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Update 2: Bill Kerr says

"The mere existence of the OLPC is changing the way we think about what is possible"

and points us to another article by Ron Teitelbaum here.

achieving 1:1 computing in education

Tom Hoffman adds to Miguel Guhlin's thoughts regarding 1:1 computing initiatives in schools and the "entrenchment of anti-technology" attitudes that often come when administrators/coordinators feel pressure to prove the value of such investments. Tom ends his post saying:

"We need laptops that are cheap and functional enough that nobody thinks they will go away, that we can afford whether or not they are being used perfectly."

This gets right to the heart of the matter. One imagines a future where computer life-span is extended considerably and machines are so affordable that a school's tech budget no longer sticks out like a sore thumb. We need cooperation and vision to reach Tom's described goal.

So how do we get (the sooner the better) there? We support projects like this. The OLPC project is visionary in a couple of ways. First, it actively increases the value of the computer by removing all mechanical devices. That's right. No hard disk, no CD, DVD, or floppy drives, not even a fan. Less moving parts means less wear-and-tear. Less wear-and-tear means less repair which translates into financial savings. Second, OLPC machines are designed around FLOSS. While giving the user the freedom to study, share, and tinker (can that be any more educationally sound?), FLOSS is usually obtained for low or no cost and avoids proprietary licensing arrangements that often force costly upgrades and anti-virus software. Furthermore, machines that can run FLOSS are typically useful for longer periods of time. That is, proprietary upgrades often make otherwise useful hardware obsolete sooner than need be.

Tech coordinators (and administrators/teachers) dislike the worry over whether or not the ability of the teaching staff to skillfully utilize computer access will justify the tremendous financial expenditure involved in sustaining a 1:1 environment. The concern should be pedagogically, not fiscally, focused. Nonetheless, it's an unavoidable worry that must be addressed...at least for now. Unfortunately, this often leads to awkward and artificial pressure (whether consciously or not) being placed on teachers to "step in line" with the institution's tech requirements. Of course, teachers should be encouraged to use technology when appropriate and good teachers will do so regardless. But this process will work best when it comes about naturally. Meeting Tom's goal implies that natural scenario for teachers to dive right in. Support for innovative, FLOSS-based laptops is the most expeditious and socially sound way of bringing about the change schools need to realize a sustainable and effective 1:1 computing environment.

See more about OLPC here and the Taiwan-based ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) Quanta Computer Incorporated here.

OLPC CTO - A Dream Job

Here's an article on Mary Lou Jepson, CTO of the One Laptop Per Child project. I admire those who have helped turn this project into reality. It takes determination and vision to ward off attractive but useless free (as in beer) offers from proprietary operating systems vendors. Those heading the OLPC project must be human-centered and down-to-earth. I found Mary Lou's take on academic credentials (specifically, her Ph.D.) to exemplify the way many must think who are involved in this project. She says -

"It’s a union card; that’s all it is. Just get the stupid union card. So that’s what I did."

And now she's traveling the world, working on a project that directly helps bridge the global digital divide. Kudos to Mary Lou, all other OLPC contributors, and especially all FLOSS developers who have provided the software these machines will run.

Visit Planet OLPC to meet others helping make cyberspace a better place. The site also has a RSS feed to subscribe to.