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One Laptop Per Child

Samme said Oct 1, 2006, 6:45 AM:

This concept will revolutionize the learning process and the world.

Go to the ONE LAPTOP PER CHILD website to learn more. Be inspired!

laptop introduction

One Laptop per Child (OLPC) is a non-profit association dedicated to research to develop a $100 laptop-a technology that could revolutionize how we educate the world's children. This initiative was launched by faculty members at the MIT Media Lab. It was first announced by Lab co-founder Nicholas Negroponte, now chairman of OLPC, at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland in January 2005.
Don't you love this, comments?

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Re: One Laptop Per Child

Yorick said Jan 3, 2007, 6:26 PM:

OLPC is extremely cool indeed. However it seems to fly in the face of much of the capitalist philosophy of Zaadz. To function the $100 lappy has to use Free Open Source Software.

Modern capitalism seems inextricably entwined with 100 year old ideas of intellectual property. IP kills innovation when it was originally designed to protect. In these modern times almost everything we invent/create is based on what has come before. We stand on the shoulders of giants except there are those that claim the giants work as their own.

In the best possible world we cooperate and share and innovation like the OLPC Lappy is born.

Unfortunately our present capitalist model militates against this.

I would be interested to know Bri’s philosophy on IP. I’ve searched his blog without success.

Another thing interests me: The fact that noone has replied to this thread in all this time.

Cheers
Yo

Re: One Laptop Per Child

Joy Bringer said Jan 5, 2007, 6:43 AM:

The OLPC intitative is one of the most inspiring developments I've seen ever since it was annnounced. What is really astounding is the amazing intent behind all the other technological and other innovations and extraordinary efforts.

Just imagining what these laptops as mobile tools and means for dramatic lifestyle change and personal and planetary transformation can and will do for those children is mind-lifting.
The mere idea of providing such multi-function well-thought and executed devices to the most needed human beings on earth at this stage is a quantum leal into our future.

Being able to connect to the world info and knowledge matrix/internet through ad hock network/meshworks at any time from anywhere, with innovative power and be able to communicate via text, images, sounds, music, video and more is a dream come true for any and now it will be available to those that have not even dreamed about it - what can be better? Add to that all the additional caring consideration about super durability and ability to see it in the sun, to charge it with wind energy, to make it beautiful, fun, useful and almost irreplaceable! Priceless and at that relatively low price - incredible, and it is happening!

This is TOO GOOD AND I am so glad that it IS TRUE!
Darina

More from the web site: http://www.laptop.org

OLPC rollout

(green) those countries we plan to pilot

(red) those countries we plan to include in the post-launch phase

(orange) those countries who have expressed interest at the Ministry-of-Education level or higher

(yellow) those countries who are currently seeking government support

What is the $100 Laptop, really?
The proposed $100 machine will be a Linux-based, with a dual-mode display—both a full-color, transmissive DVD mode, and a second display option that is black and white reflective and sunlight-readable at 3× the resolution. The laptop will have a 500MHz processor and 128MB of DRAM, with 500MB of Flash memory; it will not have a hard disk, but it will have four USB ports. The laptops will have wireless broadband that, among other things, allows them to work as a mesh network; each laptop will be able to talk to its nearest neighbors, creating an ad hoc, local area network. The laptops will use innovative power (including wind-up) and will be able to do most everything except store huge amounts of data.

Why do children in developing nations need laptops?
Laptops are both a window and a tool: a window into the world and a tool with which to think. They are a wonderful way for all children to learn learning through independent interaction and exploration.

Why not a desktop computer, or—even better—a recycled desktop machine?
Desktops are cheaper, but mobility is important, especially with regard to taking the computer home at night. Kids in the developing world need the newest technology, especially really rugged hardware and innovative software. Recent work with schools in Maine has shown the huge value of using a laptop across all of one's studies, as well as for play. Bringing the laptop home engages the family. In one Cambodian village where we have been working, there is no electricity, thus the laptop is, among other things, the brightest light source in the home.

Finally, regarding recycled machines: if we estimate 100 million available used desktops, and each one requires only one hour of human attention to refurbish, reload, and handle, that is forty-five thousand work years. Thus, while we definitely encourage the recycling of used computers, it is not the solution for One Laptop per Child.

How is it possible to get the cost so low?
* First, by dramatically lowering the cost of the display. The first-generation machine will have a novel, dual-mode display that represents improvements to the LCD displays commonly found in inexpensive DVD players. These displays can be used in high-resolution black and white in bright sunlight—all at a cost of approximately $35.

* Second, we will get the fat out of the systems. Today's laptops have become obese. Two-thirds of their software is used to manage the other third, which mostly does the same functions nine different ways.

* Third, we will market the laptops in very large numbers (millions), directly to ministries of education, which can distribute them like textbooks.

Why is it important for each child to have a computer? What's wrong with community-access centers?
One does not think of community pencils—kids have their own. They are tools to think with, sufficiently inexpensive to be used for work and play, drawing, writing, and mathematics. A computer can be the same, but far more powerful. Furthermore, there are many reasons it is important for a child to own something—like a football, doll, or book—not the least of which being that these belongings will be well-maintained through love and care.

What about connectivity? Aren't telecommunications services expensive in the developing world?
When these machines pop out of the box, they will make a mesh network of their own, peer-to-peer. This is something initially developed at MIT and the Media Lab. We are also exploring ways to connect them to the backbone of the Internet at very low cost.

What can a $1000 laptop do that the $100 version can't?
Not much. The plan is for the $100 Laptop to do almost everything. What it will not do is store a massive amount of data.

How will these be marketed?
The laptops will be sold to governments and issued to children by schools on a basis of one laptop per child. Initial discussions have been held with China, India, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt, Nigeria, and Thailand. An additional, modest allocation of machines will be used to seed developer communities in a number of other countries. A commercial version of the machine will be explored in parallel.

When do you anticipate these laptops reaching the market? What do you see as the biggest hurdles?
Our preliminary schedule is to have units ready for shipment by the end of 2006 or early 2007. Manufacturing will begin when 5 to 10 million machines have been ordered and paid for in advance.

The biggest hurdle will be manufacturing 100 million of anything. This is not just a supply-chain problem, but also a design problem. The scale is daunting, but I find myself amazed at what some companies are proposing to us. It feels as though at least half the problems are being solved by mere resolve.

Who is the original design manufacturer (ODM) of the $100 laptop?
Quanta Computer Inc. of Taiwan has been chosen as the original design manufacturer (ODM) for the $100 laptop project. The decision was made after the board reviewed bids from several possible manufacturing companies.

Quanta Computer Inc. was founded in 1988 in Taiwan. With over US $10 billion in sales, Quanta is the world's largest manufacturer of laptop PCs; the company also manufactures mobile phones, LCD TVs, and servers and storage products. In addition, Quanta recently opened a new US $200 million R&D center, Quanta R&D Complex (QRDC), in Taiwan. The facility, which opened in Q3 of 2005, has 2.2 million square feet of floor space, and a capacity to house up to 7,000 engineers.

How will this initiative be structured?
The $100 laptop is being developed by One Laptop per Child (OLPC), a Delaware-based, non-profit organization created by faculty members from the MIT Media Lab to design, manufacture, and distribute laptops that are sufficiently inexpensive to provide every child in the world access to knowledge and modern forms of education. OLPC is based on constructionist theories of learning pioneered by Seymour Papert and later Alan Kay, as well as the principles expressed in Nicholas Negroponte's book Being Digital. The founding corporate members are Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Brightstar, Google, Marvell, News Corporation, Nortel, and Red Hat.

Nicholas Negroponte is chairman of One Laptop per Child and Mary Lou Jepsen serves as chief technology officer. Other principals involved in developing the $100 Laptop are: Walter Bender, Michail Bletsas, Mark Foster, and Jim Gettys.

Fuse Project and Design Continuum have collaborated on the laptop design.

Re: One Laptop Per Child - One week left to Give One Get One

Joy Bringer said Nov 21, 2007, 10:00 PM:

You are reading this as a reminder about One Laptop per Child's “Give One Get One” Program. There is just one week left to participate. For a donation of just $399 ($200 of which is tax-deductible), you will be giving the gift of education to a deserving child in the developing world, and also receiving an XO laptop in recognition of your donation. Once “Give One Get One” ends, the XO laptop will no longer be available to the general public.

T-Mobile is generously offering everyone who participates in “Give One Get One” one year of complimentary access to T-Mobile HotSpot broadband Internet service, available at more than 8,500 locations throughout the United States. This complimentary year of service is valued at over $350! Just use any Wi-Fi enabled device, such as the XO, your laptop computer, or a Wi-Fi enabled mobile phone, and you can connect and communicate your way. Find out more at www.laptopgiving.org/en/t-mobile-hotspot.php.

To donate, or to find out more about the XO laptop, please visit www.laptopgiving.org. You can also donate by calling toll-free
1-877-70-LAPTOP (1-877-705-2786). We hope you'll join us in our mission to bring education and connection to children in even the most remote regions of the globe.

Thank you.

laptopgiving.org \| privacy policy
If you have already participated in Give One Get One, thank you very much for your donation. One Laptop per Child PO Box 425087 Cambridge, MA 02142 USA

Re: One Laptop Per Child

Mary said May 10, 2007, 5:02 PM:

I 'd like to see the demo TELL me something about the interface instead of just showing me screenshots. If the GUI paradigm is so redefined, then I am curious how the software actually promotes understanding and knowledge building. What is the teacher's role in the OLPC revolution? From where is the content derived? I'm still looking at the site and wiki so perhaps I'll find the answers but right now I'm not seeing the pedagogical information.