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OLPC Announces Buy-2-Get-1 XO Laptop Sale
theodp writes "Starting November 12, The One Laptop Per Child Project will sell its affordable XO laptop to Americans for a brief period of time, but there's a slight catch: U.S. buyers must purchase two computers — one for their own child and one for a child in the developing world — for a total cost of $399. 'Staff members of the laptop project were concerned that American children might try the pared-down machines and find them lacking compared to their Apple, Hewlett-Packard or Dell laptops. Then, in this era of immediate global communications, they might post their criticisms on Web sites and blogs read around the world, damaging the reputation of the XO Laptop, the project staff worried. So the laptop project sponsored focus-group research with American children, ages 7 to 11, at the end of August. The results were reassuringly positive.'"
I thought this was the $100 laptop?
If so, how is it buying two costs $399?
Or are they Canadian dollars?
...they cant play world of borecraft on it. Then they'll really be moaning on the web.
If sharing a song makes you a pirate, what do I have to share to be a ninja?
Is there a Live CD of the XO's distro for people to try before they buy (and not regret)?
that Americans take. They will sell the systems here, but only at a double price. And yet, these systems will soon be in other countries at the low prices.
In addition, we buy these systems, and one will be sent to a developing nation. Well, I have been watching American education heading backwards. While I have defended our Education, it was more based on what I recall as a child. IOW, my generation KNEW the geography that we are accused of not knowing. But I talk to kids today and it is obvious that their core knowledge is degrading (as well as their desire to work). I worry about my kids (1 and 3.5) future. I would like to see at least some of these computers go to American schools. Do not get me wrong. I like donating to developing countries, but we also need to take care of home. Our inner cities need help. Even rural schools could use these.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Do a black (or silver) one for businesses. With OO installed.
Deleted
Friends, I have a modest proposal. I contend that OLPC is a massive waste of resources. It goes further than the usual liberal scourge of "good intentions" - it may actually be a covert Russian weapon designed to weaken the fabric of our society by introducing socialized medicin, together with all the moral turpitude this will induce.
Is your next kid going to be named '95'?
http://twitter.com/onion2k
Want to improve your Karma? Instead of "Post Anonymously", try the "Post Humously" option.
In California, I recently recieved a Canadian nickel and penny, and passed them both on. There were both the same size and color (copper color for penny) as an American nickel and penny. If one country isn't copying the others currency, then it appears that both countries are working together to create a common currency standard.
The more of these cheap laptops they can put in the hands of American teens, the more those teens will contribute to the available code base. By effectively pricing them so high, forcing donations like that, they're limiting the usefulness of the platform.
Since these cannot be upgraded and those countries will evolve to wanting far better computers in less than half a decade, is there going to be a landfill made of these or can they be recycled somehow?
Surely they should set a price to maximise total profits and spend the profits on more laptops for the third world. A robust portable device like this would be ideal for a lot of people who travel a lot and don't want to worry about their computer breaking (It's tough and even if it does break most people could afford the loss). But $399 is a bit too much for that. I'm sure they'd get more than twice as many buyers at $299, and that result in more money to make computers for kids.
Is the added cost tax-deductible?
Personally, I do my giving through an organization that provides food, medical care, education. There's far too much poverty in the world to go around handing out laptops. Malnourished and sick children are going to have a hard time concentrating in computer class.
For the price of these two computers a person can sponsor a child through World Vision for a year, and it's tax-deductible.
Umm? America has been living on credit paid for by the rest of the world for the last thirty years!
That makes US fleecing THEM. And now our chickens are coming home to roost. The bottom is dropping out of the dollar at a rapid rate, and all the countries who were proping up the dollar are looking for a way out.
Oil will soon be sold in Euros. A Euro was worth a dollar - it is now worth about $1.50.
I don't give it long before the US will need world charity. And what have we done? Really pissed off the rest of the world with an agressive and murderous foreign policy. What are our chances?
Surely 'NT 4.0'
Don't get me wrong, but I personally believe that US Americans are unable to get good education, because Osama people in the nation, and I believe that the education over here in the US should help countries such as everywhere like the Iraq and South Africa such as, to be able to get a good future.
molmod.com - computing tips from a molecular modeling
It has nothing to do with fleecing Americans. It's about getting the biggest bang for the buck. The limiting factor is US education is not access to computers or to the Internet; US schools already of technology programs. Therefore there is no reason for a charity to try to get these in US hands; they just want adult gadget hounds to underwrite getting these into the hands of kids who don't have technology.
US education has more to fear from ill considered education reforms than a lack of technology. That said, my experience is different with respect to "today's kids". In my state (ed reform is state based) they are much better educated even than kids of my post-Sputnik days, particularly in mathematics.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Yes. Specifically, they need to know how to use computers. Most of the teachers don't really know how, and worse, most of them are certain that they do. The best way to teach them is to give them a simple one that isn't (readily) capable of playing flashy video games, music, and movies, but can be programmed.
This has to be done before they're thrown the high school "Computer 101" class where they're put through every circle of MS Office Hell. With very few exceptions, you can't start teaching someone to code in college; either they've already been doing it, or they'll never know how. The kids who took the Office classes in high school and think it made them computer savvy don't normally last past the first year in CS.
Just in time for the holidays too!
http://www.youtube.com/v/9MhQ5jIj5aw
I, for one, was looking forward to the XO for an x-mas gift for my son, and being able to tell him that the same kind of computer was found everywhere worldwide. But for that price, the EE-PC from Asus looks far more appealing. I hate sounding like I'm thinking with my wallet, but egads. I'm all for charitable giving and the such, but this feels like something arbitrary that wasn't necessary. If they'd gone for $299 so someone in Africa could buy it for $100, then sign me up! But just an arbitrary handout feels cheap.
Karma Whoring for Fun and Profit.
I think today it is similar to asking why kids of yesteryear require pencil and paper when they could use chalk and slate. Use of a computer, while I would agree is not a necessity for a good education, is certainly something required to seek most types of employment.
>that Americans take.
Pah, you guys get everything dirt cheap compare to other countries - welcome to our pain. It's not for nothing that it's always joked that when companies sell in the UK they use a 1:1 GBP/USD exchange rate effectively doubling the cost of everything. As an e.g.
Vista Ultimate $400 (US)/$555 (UK)
PS3 $500/$600
Photoshop $650/$852
iMac 20inch $1200/$1500
OK, not doubled but you get the idea...
I want a list of atrocities done in your name - Recoil
Books are too high priced and as such, schools do not change them. In particular, consider geography. I learned all about USSR when I was kid (which came into play in the early 80's, when I was doing research on their biological weapons). Yet, there are literally schools here in USA that still have maps with the same USSR. The laptop allows for a change of instruction material so that teachers and kids can keep current at a fraction of the price. The XO is the ideal system for this. Even instructional material changes as we figure out what makes a student tick with regard to the approach. In the future, The computer will even even alter how it is presented to the student allowing them to learn the lessons via what ever approach is best.
No doubt about it, computers with GOOD software is needed (enough of this reader rabbit crap; that is just private enterprise doing what will sell the most for themselves).
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Trust me, the last thing we need is shitty Python code written by inexperienced teen "developers".
Now, I'm sure you'll find a small handful of teens who can program worth a shit. But they're extremely rare. And really, if they're that good, they're already working part-time doing professional development. They're not wasting their time writing trinket software for some starving African kids to use.
http://finance.yahoo.com/currency/convert?from=USD&to=EUR&amt=1&t=5d
http://finance.yahoo.com/currency/convert?from=USD&to=GBP&amt=1&t=5d
I'm just wondering how much faith the Japanese, Chinese and Saudis have left. The Saudis have just unpegged their interest rates...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/09/19/bcnsaudi119.xml
Is Bernanke really, truly going to make the US pay it's debts? It's like watching train wreck in slow motion. Fascinating and horrifying at the same time.
Deleted
I don't think the problems with Western education systems are caused by a lack of computers, or even a lack of any kind of resource.
The problems we have are caused by the attitudes of many of the parents and students and the lack of a stable and sound education policy and curriculum. Politicians and voters in the West are easily fooled by the money + good intentions = results equation, which is consistently failing to work. In the developing world, on the other hand, where the bottleneck is a lack of resources, a laptop can make a huge difference.
Actually, many schools do not have tech. Here in the Denver region, I see loads of 486s still in use. That is a sign that things are really wrong. The XO can ultimately be used for good material presentation i.e. replace, not supplement, a book. What is needed is for a decent education framework to be in place which allows for ease of use. As I said elsewhere, skip the reader rabbit approach.
BTW, the 2 places that I described as needing these kinds of computers (inner city and rural), really are behind times. As I pointed out elsewhere, they have limited 486's and still use maps with USSR. And as to kids being better at mathematics, I trust that you are kidding. In freshman high school, I was doing calc, along with other kids. While we were a little bit advanced, nearly all the kids came out of school with decent algebra under their belts. Now, American kids can not even return correct change from a buck without the use of a cash register. Algebra? Please.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
America pretty much funds the medical world. In particular, we pay top dollars for drugs (and with our fairly recent handout, we pay even higher prices). The same drug in Canada costs 1/10 what is does here. And in europe it is also cheaper.
But if companies are charging the same price, that is silly. You can easily buy from dollars based store off the net and pay half the price.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Better buy, better performance, bigger disk, lower price. Same small form factor.
Only real advantage the olpc still has imho is the swiveling screen.
http://event.asus.com/eeepc/
Good to see that Bush has finally stuffed your country economically, like he's done with your internal legislation and Foreign Policy....
When you come begging to us, don't expect to get any favors! Maybe we'll come down and set fire to your White House again?
I just saw a short segmetn on ABC news. It was a very good segment and was quite positive.
"Buy a Laptop for a Child, Get Another Laptop Free"
We're getting a $100 laptop for free when we pay $399 for two?!
Luckily both weren't for free, or we would have to pay $799!
--- "To pee or not to pee, that is the question." ---
Hah! Just about any consumer products I look to buy here in Ireland are cheaper in the US than anywhere in the EU. Far from getting fleeced, you get rock-bottom prices cause that's all the US consumer is prepared (or able) to pay (this has been the truthful response I received from at least one customer service dept - others try the Steve Job's "cost of doing business" line or cite tax differences). Oftentimes the numerical prices in dollars is less than the numerical price in euro, even now with such a disparity in exchange rates! Tax doesn't remotely account for the difference, as at most, generally there's 10% extra to the price due to tax differences. Whereas the price difference can be 50% or more!
-- *~()____) This message will self-destruct in 5 seconds...
Strongly disagree.
Maybe I'm one of the very few in your definition, but on a personal note I've never done any sort of computer programming until my freshman year of college, and even then the course was taught in a manner too liberal for anyone to learn anything. I started doing real code last year, and it is now fairly easy for me to pick up any language with the right amount of learning time.
It's not so much the age of exposure that's important, but the level of interest that is. If someone wants to learn how to program, they will with enough guidance. Unfortunately, this is a declining trend in the United States...
I can't help wondering when the first round of these appears on eBay. I suspect an American gadget hound who doesn't want to be fleeced will be able to pick one up there on the cheap shortly after they arrive in the collective hands of the Third World.
"Can't you see that everyone is buying station wagons?"
Or the rest of the world for that matter. Are we not good enough to buy those? I can see the teen from a third world country who worked and saved his money for years to get one of those, only to be told "Sorry, you can't buy it! You need to be given it, and your government has chosen not to give one to you!"
They're creating an artificial scarcity with this. If Americans want these laptops, 3rd world people will put them on e-bay and sell them.
Moreover, the people who might otherwise have pointed out that "yeah, he's right, I tried learning computers at college and I failed miserably" aren't likely to be around these parts of the net.
sigs are hazardous to your health
Do you remember the concept of the White man's burden? These are well-meaning thoughts, but they are patronizing since we are pushing on second and third world nations that our Western views are the only way to go. This is false.
But, given the stated concern, paying for the extra unit effectively increases the price, so lowers the value of the unit for the US buyer. While $188 might seem acceptable for a modest travel machine (even though the upcoming Asus products look more attractive), $399 for the same machine doesn't look so good.
US teens are not particularly good at assessing value, but a few of those expected blog posts might venture into this area. Staff members of the laptop project were concerned that American children might try the pared-down machines and find them lacking compared to their Apple, Hewlett-Packard or Dell laptops. Then, in this era of immediate global communications, they might post their criticisms on Web sites and blogs read around the world, damaging the reputation of the XO Laptop, the project staff worried.
Can we drop the stupid Surag interface and install DamnSmallLinux on it?
*then* it might worth it. The hw rocks (and esp. the power generator to take to OLPC in the caves when the economy will collapse, together with rifles and gold). But the sw has been a failuer.
Unpatriotic troll
Why do children need to code anyway? And why do they need to use a computer? Isn't it better to teach them to think, and other basics such as reading, writing, and maths?
www.itjerk.com
Each laptop should come with free samples of Lithium, Prozac, and Ritalin -- plus an instruction guide for developing ADD/ADHD and avoiding contact with girls.
I suggest you read Slashdot
This is an inexpensive learning computer for children in developing countries, not a bargain-of-the-month consumer electronics product designed to be flung around wealthy consumer markets like the U.S. or the Eurozone. If the only thing you are concerned about is "why can't I buy this laptop for myself fo $199?" you probably don't understand the purpose of the project to begin with.
I am not kidding. Look, I happen to know that learning calculus as a ninth grader is no big deal. I taught myself Calculus, because it wasn't even offered by my school. It was not typical then for kids in the ninth grade to be ready for Calculus then, any more it is now. More importantly, it is not a particularly impressive or important accomplishment to learn calculus in the ninth grade. Any sufficiently motivated parent can transform a moderately talented child into a "prodigy" capable of doing all kinds of mathematical parlor tricks above his age level. I've seen it happen, and by in large these "prodigies" don't grow into a population of adults that contribute more to society than others of their general talent level.
It is not so important that kids learn things early so much as they learn them well.
The Achilles' heel of ed reform in math is that it often addresses the wrong question. The most important question is not how much math kids can do, so much as the amount of math they understand. It's one thing to be able to perform in an integration bee, it's another thing to be able to think in terms of applied math. In my state, kids in middle school are way ahead of where most high schoolers were in my day in being able to translate everyday problems into mathematical terms. Of course, your state may be different than mine. Remember: ed reform is state based. The Republican educational reform model is broken: it demands "tough standards" but it's quasi "states rights" ideology means those standards cannot have any Federally mandated (or apparently even recommended) content. Thus "education reform" might mean teaching creationism in Kansas or keeping maps of the Soviet Union in place in Colorado (so far as I know).
With respect to 486s -- I'd rather have kids with 486s, the Logo language, and a good teacher than the latest quad core processor, electronic flash cards and an apathetic teacher. Of course this is a false dichotomy, but the point I'm making is that of all the factors involved, the quality of the curriculum and its implementation far outweigh the level of tech.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
I would agree that as far as the third world is concerned this may in fact be the XO-1. As far as kids in the USA, UK or anywhere else in the developed world an X-term off the family server does the job equally well. I have a few of them booting diskless and can add in a new one in about 5 mins. As a result the kid can sit down and use any of the computers in the house if he needs to (and so can I). Granted, the price together with a monitor is more than a XO-1 http://www.conciseit.co.uk/thin-client.htm?gclid=CI-anKeK3I4CFQESEgodv0pvAA. It is much better hardware from a HS perspective. One thing you would not like your kids to get is RSI from a tiny laptop keyboard further complicated by an eye problem from staring at a tiny 10' screen.
Baker's Law: Misery no longer loves company. Nowadays it insists on it
http://www.sigsegv.cx/
Why should you consider an OLPC over an Eee PC? Because the OLPC program is about giving kids an education and technology that will enable them to build a 1st world future for their 3rd world country. The machine itself has a very accessible user interface: it is highly simplified, and not does not expect the newcomer to be literate in any particular language. (The latter is important because there are many dialects out there, and because children may not be literate when they are initially given these machines.) It also makes learning IT accessible, since it involves two excellent programming tools for the learner: Squeak (via eToys, a.k.a. Squeak), and Python. In many ways, it is about teaching them "how to fish" rather than giving them the fish. If you think about this in dollars and cents, you are missing out on something great. If you think that they should be given food or the ability to grow it, you're missing out on something too. Not everyone is able to contribute to the welfare of others in the same way. Negroponte and his band of loyal academics, geeks, and so forth decided that their ability to contribute is through IT. After all, that's where their skills and aspirations lay. The food first angle also misses the point that the peoples of many nations don't want to be stuck in a subsistence or donor recipient situation. The want an education so that they can grow beyond the handouts of the 1st world. (Of course other peoples and other nations have other aspirations.) To some, the OLPC may step beyond the bounds. The OLPC is not perfect, and it isn't only about price. It's initial introductory mantra of the "$100 laptop" was mostly about making it accessible by making it inexpensive. And even though it is $400, I hope to snag one through this deal. I have seen the computer, and it is rugged and useful. As an educator, I also see that it may have more utility than the standard "made for the office" desktop/laptop PC. Perhaps I would also use it to contribute back to the project if I did get one.
We are fleeced by the medical industrial complex for drugs. Where is an administration to protect us from this unfair trade by a law that says we can not be charged any more than any other country. That would not stop any charity work. We have 3rd world country people here, and we are heading there by our own arrogance. We are fleeced by China, by having dollar exchange rates that are not allowed to gradually reach their real values, in the marketplace. Where is an administration with enough guts and wisdom to insist on fair trade gradually over time? Why not have a 10% charity tax on these MIT computers with an option to add funds with no limit? And, why not some of these MIT computers going to our kids, that are without computers? Very Respectfully, Michael @ http://recoverybydiscovery.com/
Does you limited example consider UK VAT of 17.5%? Were you to deduct the tax and THEN compare prices you'd find that the premium you pay on s/w (Vista, Photoshop) is 19-12%, respectively, while the premium on h/w is 3% and 7% (PS3 iMac). Seems to me that most of the incremental cost in adopting s/w goes toward language adoption and metrification.
-- Cave quid dicis, quando, et cui
In fairness, he's been promising his next kid for ages. /and/ sport champion... seriously.
He says it's going to be a world political figurehead
Apparently it's only 9 months away still.
(hehe - captcha is "restart")
You ramped up the price to make Windows run and now look for excuses? Well, I think I'll root for Asus EEE (10" machine looks really really good as a replacement for almost all of the functions people's desktop and laptops do, but even 7" is not too shabby either). Bonus points is that by default it's KDE oriented as opposed to evil GNOME on OLPC/XO.
This is an honest question: why do kids need laptops? Is there some fundamental problem in teaching today that can only be solved with computers?
It's a tool, like a pencil and paper / books are tools. Do they NEED them, like they need water and air? No, but with them they will have the ability to explore and learn outside the classroom environment, and use them to facilitate / enhance education inside the classroom environment.
Keep in mind that the target for these machines is countries with poor formal education, and that the laptops are designed to augment what little education there is. Read up on the OLPC program for more info (no sense in repeating it here) and how the kids actually USE the systems.
Many of these concepts apply to the US as well, but in a little different way. Can anyone deny that the future of American industry is going to require more and more computer skills? Hell, can anyone deny that LIFE in the US is going to require more computing skills?
Outside of niche industries / products, manufacturing is all but dead, and the remainder is highly computer automated. Yes, there are still lots and lots of unskilled and semi-skilled labor jobs, but when you look at the economy as a whole, computer / technology skills will be needed by the vast majority. Remember - it's not just California competing with Alabama, the entire country is competing with the world.
Without computer skills, people are also going to find it increasingly difficult to interface with government, stay informed about things going on in the world around them, do banking / investment, etc. etc.
So maybe the question should be, Why *wouldn't* kids need computers / laptops? How are we going to prepare them to live in a future that we can hardly imagine without them? Our grandparents (or parents for the older crowd) saw tremendous advances in technology via robotics, materials sciences (plastics / ceramics) aerospace, transportation, etc. that give us fresh food from around the world available in every supermarket, instant communication everywhere via satellite / fiber cables / cell technology, the ability to travel anywhere in the world within 24 hours, not to mention medical technology, and so so much more. The advances in human knowledge over the last 80 years is more than the entire rest of human history combined. Anyone see that screeching to a halt?
In november 2005, when it was first announced by Carlo Negroponte and Kofi Annan, it was hoped that it would cost around $100. Currently it is going to cost $188. That's an increase of +88%.
Quanta, the maker, is Taiwan-based. The local currency is the New Taiwan Dollar (NT$, TWD).
The initial $100 was at that time 3'358 NT$, and is currently 6'214 NT$, which is a ~ +85% increase.
Some may argue that the, because the NT$ isn't a strong currency, the $ may had repercussion that pulled it down allong. Given the fact that there's a lot of international collaboration going on behing the OLPC project, it won't be too far fetched to compare to other international currency for reference.
In Euro, the initial $100 corresponded in 2005 to 85.50 , and the current price of $188 is 136.25, which is only ~ +60% increase.
In Swiss francs (CHF), the price jumped from 131.10 SFrs to 223.70 SFrs, which is only ~ +70%.
In Japanese Yen (JPY), the price jumped from 11'844 Y to 21'619 Y, which is only ~ +82%.
So depending of who we take as a reference point, results do vary, BUT indeed we see that part of the prise increase may come from the dollar itself loosing its value.
What would be most interesting is to see potential buyers :
Brazil (BRL) : 221.00 to 345.28 thus ~ +56% (only)
(The only country from the OLPC's list whose currency history I managed to find... )
Or country that might be targeted (although not currently interested) :
India (INR) : 4'563 Rs to 7'588 Rs thus ~ +66% (only)
Thailand (THB) : 4'110 B to 6'048 B thus ~ +47% (only)
We definitely see a trend there : the price of the OLPC hasn't risen as much in developing countries as it had in the USA.
Thanks to Wikipedia and Google for the DATA.
Not that I am not an economist. Also I only calculated currency. Factoring the Purchasing power, or the duration of work given salaries in those countries, would be interesting too.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
All the regular vendors have to do is come within $100 of this price for a laptop running Vista. Then only the few idealistic geeks will participate in the 2-for-1 program. I'm sure the big manufacturers can eat the losses on one model for one month.
Programs like this look good on paper, but don't take typical human behaviour into account.
"That is a sign that things are really wrong."
No, maybe it's a sign that things are right. Computers do not add to the educational experience for most students. Most students show a profound inability to write coherent sentences. Their critical reasoning is suspect. They haven't read the classics.
How will a computer help? I'm not talking for special education where rote based learning of simple concepts is important. I'm talking about created well rounded people.
I think most high schools would be better off with limited or not computer access for kids.
I'm a dreadful cynic and I hope I'm wrong...
Be nice to people on the way up. You will meet them again on your way down!
I picked up my first (Basic) programming book in 1978 at Radio Shack and wrote my first program IN THE STORE on a Model 1 (much to the amazement of the sales staff) at age 12 (ok, that dates me too.) The interest was very strong, and I was regularly experimenting with electronic circuits and learning assembly language programming by age 15. In college, I was one of the few that could be regularly found in the Vax lab at midnight.
I am continually AMAZED at how POORLY (in general) educated kids are in computers when the graduate college with a CS degree. Seems like all they have at that point is a basic ability to think, but they don't (again in general) know jack shit about computers, or have the team-work skills either. Yes there are exceptions - typically I have found them to be the type who has had strong interest in HOW things work their entire life, and have been self-teaching well beyond standard course material. The exceptions that only found interest in college seem to be MUCH more rare.
Just how rare are they? Well, typically I get about 300 - 500 applicants for a position, and usually only ONE is *really* good - it's rare to have more. Frequently we don't even find that one, but end up hiring someone anyway. It's been that way for the past 10 years at least.
IMHO, high schools SHOULD offer some type of internals / programming / networking instruction. Hell, they have wood and auto shop, music and art, why not computers? Why should one of the most important tools (computing) for the future of business / industry be left out?
...back when the laptop was going to be $100.
Now... now so much.
> This is an honest question: why do kids need laptops? Is there some
/. comments on OLPC have a pretty weird perspective; as if these kids are certainly on the brink of starvation ("What a waste of money! We should buy them a bunch of Snickers bars instead.") but very few seem to stop and consider basic stuff, like the fact that electricity might not be readily available all over the globe. These children are poor in a way that most of us obviously can't even begin to comprehend. But it's not as if they're tribal savages, nor are we talking about the clichéd image of a dying child in a cloud of flies.
> fundamental problem in teaching today that can only be solved with computers?
I think this question misses the mark by taking some 1st world standards for granted. Bear in mind that some of the communities the OLPC are aimed at, can't even provide every student with individual pencils. This isn't about giving kids cool, new laptops. The point of the XO is to be power efficient (human powered as a possibility; and in the long run, its much more efficient to work with electronic data as opposed to actual paper), versatile and durable. _We_ are not the context here. 90% of all
Those who can't, teach.
Question everything
There's likely some amount of truth to it though, related to the brain development of a child. It's not that you can't start learning as an adult, but that you'll have a more intuitive understanding by starting at an early age. Similarly, it's much easier to start learning a spoken/written language as a child than as an adult.
Of course some of the more advanced aspects of both language and programming require a background that most or all children won't have, partly due to time constraints. But if the fundamentals are hard-wired in by learning them while the relevant portions of the brain are developing, the concepts that build upon them should be much easier to pick up at any age.
If you have an old monitor lying around,Sun's first generation Sunrays are also and option.
Supported by Solaris and Linux. Similarly live-linux distributions (Ubuntu comes to mind)
on any old laptop also work well. Although frustratingly Ubuntu's live-linux DVD doesn't
come with Acrobat, Flash or codecs installed (because of licensing no doubt), so a warm
linux install definately offers more.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
So does it mean that the price for this over-talked thing is now officially $199.50?
From my own brief experience 20 years ago, it was far easier to teach programming to those who could not already program, than to those who thought they could program.
They each knew the tools relevant for their society, which were three quite different set of tools. Todays kids needs to master a fourth set of tools.
There are commonalities in their education, they probably all knew who Homer was, and the basic structure of the Iliad. But Descartes knowledge of Calculus would be quite insufficient for Einstein to do his work (modern Calculus was formulated after Descartes (and partly building upon his work)).
That's a fair point but I'm assuming the US prices also include tax or does that get added at the checkout? If the latter then I'll hold my hand up and say it's probably not as bad as it looks then and you're correct.
I want a list of atrocities done in your name - Recoil
There are a ton of grads coding in open source and MS environments from the local college here in IL that would disagree with you, and prove you quite wrong. I imagine this school is not in the minority.
It IS fleecing - an antiAmerican position that rips off one slice of western civilization for nothing more than 'appearances' and feel-good economics. Bah and humbug, say I. I'd be interested in buying one for my daughter, were it not for the antiCivilization aspects of the marketing. Feh and meh on them! -r
> Why do children need to code anyway? And why do they need to use a computer? Isn't it better to teach them to think, and other basics such as reading, writing, and maths? That's precisely what teaching them to program does - teach them to think systematically. And if you teach them how to program solutions to simple math problems they are covering all of the points you mentioned in a uniquely interactive and practical way. As for why children in the 21st century need to learn to use a computer, I think the answer is self-evident.
"They will sell the systems here, but only at a double price. And yet, these systems will soon be in other countries at the low prices." It's discrimination pure and simple. At least you can still pick up some free dinner from the soup kitchen on your way home.
In the US, prices do not include sales tax, the only exceptions I am aware of are gasoline and cigarettes. Sales tax in the US varies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_taxes_in_the_United_States, but is added during check-out, thus all prices quoted for the US are pre-tax.
-- Cave quid dicis, quando, et cui
First, the students NEED to be proficient. Why? Because if they are not, then in the next class they will learn less, followed by less and then less. As I mentioned earlier, kids are not even able to make change. That shows that they do not have the proficiency.
As to the discussion about republican model, there is none that I know. But you seem to want to compare it against your fiction state, yet do not say why yours is working. Do note that the map issue is because we DID have a republican gov who massively cut funding to support road construction. And that was on top of the tabor act. It is not because the teacher want to teach from old maps. Trying to compare creationism in Kansas vs lack of resources in Colorado is a total red herring.
In addition, if you looked through the postings from others that followed mine, you will see the issue that see. That is, all of these ppl learn in different fashions. The problem with books is that they present the material in a static fashion, so it requires the teacher to be a great deal more dynamic. A computer that can adjust to the student with help from the teacher is a much lower cost and quite possibly better approach. Now, I do not know how much teaching/training you have. I will tell you that I have taught for more than 7 years before (computer training all over the USA; Bell labs/avaya, HP, IBM, Sprint, Boeing, etc; C/C++/Perl/Unix API/Kernel) In addition, I did a year of teaching at a university. I know that students vary and it takes a lot to help students that have different needs. I would have welcomed the ability of a computer that could presented the information in a different context.
Finally, you mention parents. That is one of the major lacking issues these days. They need to be more involved. No doubt about it. But society has changed. Due to the situation that America now finds itself in, I seriously doubt that you will see the majority of families will have the luxury to have one parent unemployed. In fact, it will be a very small minority within another 20 years, that can afford it.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Take advantage of the program then, spend $400 and send one to a 3rd world country, but take the one you get and learn about it. Let your kids play with it. See how it works and where it can be applied locally. Then, instead of writing to slashdot, write to the OLPC project and your school board with sound proposals of how our own children can benefit from the things we are 'giving' away to others.
My 6 year old has her own PC already, but I feel strongly enough about this to do exactly what I've suggested above. I do everything I can to help my local schools.... these kids are going to be the ones taking care of me in 30 years. And no, I'm not one of those 'think about the children' types... most of them are spoiled brats. But, like it or not, they will be shaping (y)our future. Invest in them.
I bet the GP's youngest (Vista) is going to be huge and FAT!
You know, there is a difference between trolling and pointing out the flaws in your reasoning. Just saying.
one for their own child and one for a child in the developing world
I hope buying one for my inner child counts.
Start Running Better Polls
One of the big benefits of these OLPC machines is their automatic peer-to-peer networking. How can I take advantage of that if I buy one laptop? To really show the benefits of this machine, they should partner with some U.S. school district or city to get one of these into the hands of each of their kids. There are already hundreds of districts around the country pursuing school-wide laptop initiatives, I'm sure these programs would be very receptive to a reliable machine that costs less than $200 per kid.
Is there any law or moral principle that states the OLTPC is obligated to sell anything to you at a price you would be overjoyed about? If not, it is not fleecing. It is failing to address your desires, desires that the way have nothing to do with the reason this organization exists. Their mission is to bring tech to children in societies that can't afford to equip them with it. Our society is perfectly able if not willing to provide technology to its children. In the worst case, it is probable that you could buy a cheap commodity PC as a last resort.
This is simply a deal this outfit is offering; if you like it, go for it. If you don't like it, it's not for you.
Now, you might argue that while this decision is neither right nor wrong, it is a bad strategic decision. That's reasonable. Maybe if they sold these things in CompUSA or Fryes for $250, they'd sell enough to cover their fixed costs and be able to provide the device to the third world for the marginal cost, something closer to $100. This would be a valid argument, although I don't know if it is correct. However people would still complain that it is unfair for kids living in a hut and going to a school without electricity or running water pay less for this device than kids in the first world. That's cool, but only if you really embrace fairness as something we are obligated to pursue in every sphere.
I'll trade equalizing the OLTPC price to the first world, in the name of fairness, if likewise all the educational conditions were equalized by the same principle. If it's not practical, then I will accept something less than perfectly fair that will work, provided it tends to equalize the net fairness of the situation.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
The XO-1 can replace textbooks and provide better up to date information. Say a school system has six textbooks per student at $50 each. Even if the textbooks are designed to last a decade, that's $300 or $30 a year. School supplies (provided by parents) are at least $30-50 and more often more. The $188 laptop (we'll give it a three year lifespan typical in corporate environments) would be about $63 a year. The textbooks can be up to date and you can add course management and online learning using a free tool like moodle. Lower medical bills for not having to lug around textbooks, expert teachers in rare subjects can be shared between schools, no book repositories to shoot at political figures from. Wins all around.
I hear he's keeping the gestation schedule, but to do so, he had to cut back on novel ideas like re-sequencing the genes from the ground up. The new kid will statistically be more than 50% identical to the last one.
I worry about my kids (1 and 3.5) future.
He didn't have any kids in 2.0, but I am sure he is gearing up for the newly released 4.0 child!
I only look human.
My mother is a halfling and my dad is an ogre, so that makes me an Ogreling
Submitting an email address on the "sign up for an email reminder" form results in a Microsoft VBScript error. It's either slashdotted or horribly broken.
These laptops are meant for "everything we still don't know" that kids will do with them.
I think it's not just "coding" or "office use" topic. It's to provide the ability to communicate easily with each other, and start "things" together, using the computational & communicational help of the laptop.
So, the people who made it don't know what the kids are using the laptops for. They just made sure the laptop is hard to break , easy to use & easy to link with others. The rest is upon kids imagination, and that is a force very much stronger than people use to think.
Want to improve your Karma? Instead of "Post Anonymously", try the "Post Humously" option.
Then they also can do fancy little physics experiments (i saw a XO tutorial on learning about gravitation using the built-in camera as a measurement instrument. Can't find the link but it seemed great), learn to program and be a geek, whatever, but the main thing is access to knowledge.
Actually, what kids need is access to information. A laptop with Internet access is one way to provide that access. (the other way would be to provide lots of books, but that would be a lot harder to scale, ship, translate into the appropriate language, keep up to date, etc... and even then the books would only provide fairly static information)
I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
You make a joke, but the simple fact is, that a lot of American kids (families) ARE eating from soup kitchen. I know because I contribute to the local food bank as well as use to at my old church. Years ago, I use to work with the handicapped (taught swimming), but would occasionally help at the food bank. I was surprised to see how many ppl were in absolute need of assistance. Keep in mind, that these are not the ppl that you see on street corners collecting money (most of those do NOT need money; it is a scam at work). Most of these ppl were truely downtrodden. It was sad to see.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Works for me; you have clichés and groupthink within those clichés. You have the unpopular kids (Microsoft), the jocks who think their way is best and want all the attention (Linux) and you have the A/V club that everyone ignores (BSD). Heck you even have the unwashed undressed kid (Alan Cox).
Yes I realise this is the first time some of us have been called jocks. Deal with the humour :p
At $400 for one laptop and one to give away I would hope you could select the country to donate to from a list on countries or refugees that are the most unable to afford the laptops. Could I select a laptop for a country that has had over 50% unemployment for multiple years (i.e. Haiti) or the refugees from Sudan in refugee camps of neighboring countries? If the laptops go to countries that might otherwise be able to afford the laptops it will lower the number of developing countries buying the laptop, but if the criteria for the free laptops is over 3 years of unemployment over 50% (lower by 5% increments when all countries over 50% that are stable have a laptop) then few leaders would be able to keep the country stable with that high of an unemployment rate so few would attempt it without getting killed.
Does the USA version still have the capability to generate energy for the battery/PC by hand/foot? An option to not have to search for an available outlet or work outside far from outlets for 8+ hours could be a great option compare to most laptops sold. My laptop doesn't have a good battery and the replacements don't last long and cost nearly $100 each, so working remotely without a standard battery/electrical outlet would be great.
Computers can help. Teaching someone to do science without demos and experiments sucks. When you teach English Literature, you give students good books to serve as an example. When you teach math today, you usually -- and this is unfortunate -- just use paper and pencil to drill basic concepts. This alienates a lot of people from the entire field and, from what I've seen, results in fewer people who can think critically.
A well-used computer, though, can run simulations and teach the same concepts as we teach today. The student interaction, having the student actively engaged in the learning process, has been shown numerous times to result in better learning of the material.
If give a student the tools necessary to learn something more effectively, the chances that they'll learn said something increases.
Has anyone else installed the OLPC operating system? Good lord what an atrocity. One more reason to feel sorry for poor kids in Africa.
------ The best brain training is now totally free : )
Am I missing something? or have I been sucked in by ther hype? When I read the spec and the pre-reviews of the XO it's 'groundbreaking' this, 'world record' that, 'unbelievable' the other. When I read this discussion it's money, cash and dollars. Are we really more interested in the money than the technology? The Asus EEE sounds to me like a small, cheap laptop - great what they've done for the price but with the OX I actually want to read about how that keyboard works or why that screen could potentially use as little as 0.1Watts of power. I dont even understand half of it, but it sure beats a discussion about exchange rates.
Someone has sat down and thought about E-D-U-C-A-T-I-O-N. This idea is the most innovative thing I've seen come out of IT for a long time. No wonder the likes of Microsoft want to ruin it - it shows them up rather badly.
The MS way would be to develop the million dollar pen that writes in zero gravity - the OLPC is using a pencil.
Insert
According to this video at YouTube you'll need to find a couple of kids to fix it for you.
:-)
However, under NO circumstances let any UK PC World staff touch it
Insert
If I can install Windows XP Professional on this thing.
Admit it, with Linux on it, about the only people who'd want to use it is from 3rd world countries.
Now, with Windows it would be slightly more usable.
> Cash isn't money, it has no intrinsic value - confidence in the cash is the money.
DING! Give this guy a cookie! Or at least a good upmod.
Since everyone abandoned the Gold Standard all money is 'faith based.' Which is why exchange rates fluctuate so wildly these days. I'm not a pure 'Gold Bug' in that I don't think gold is the ONLY possible basis for currency, only that sound money needs A basis in reality and that gold has performed that function well in the past. But if someone made a case for a different foundation I'd listen. This current scheme blows though.
Democrat delenda est
Be nice to people on the way up. You will meet them again on your way down!
Agreed. I also never wrote a line of code until college. Before that, I was computer literate in the sense that I could navigate Windows and MS Office, but I hadn't touched any other OS, and I was pretty damn far from an expert.
Anyway, I majored in CS, and I'm now a software engineer writing embedded code for medical equipment. I know a lot of people with similar stories. It's not impossible to pick up later in life.
Also, on Slashdot, you always here these "Why Johnny can't code" posts. Computers, in my opinion, are like cars, in that not everybody needs to know how to rebuild a fuel injection system or whatever. Most people will be just fine if they know how to get behind the wheel and drive.
I have an XO (from the Developer Program) and I highly recommend it to give to your kid. Better yet, if you have some money to spend, consider furnishing a school with them, as it really shines in a collaboration environment.
It is a very sturdy equipment: It has fallen a few times already, with no problems. It is very kid-proof, I gave it to my 5 year old nephew to play for a day, and although I was a little bit anxious watching him rotate the screen just a bit too strongly, it seemed to support that. In fact, it made me more at ease in handling it, as I learned that I don't have to be so gentle with it (something which is probably engraved in my brain: small technology -> handle with care).
Most applications are in python, to which you can easily make changes, and see the result. The laptop has a "View source" button (in the space bar), which will in the future bring up a dialog choice on what source to view: For example, if you are seeing an SVG image, you may want instead to open it in a SVG editor, instead of viewing the activity source. Right now it is only working as a proof of concept with Browse, the gecko web browser, opening the current webpage in Write, the text editor.
Python creator is developing Develop, a kids IDE to develop python with, which will let kids to create a branch of an installed activity, and make changes with it. Activities, the name of the programs, are readibly shared : for example, if you see someone sharing some activity, and you don't have it installed, it is installed to your XO once you enter that activity (I've tested this already).
The software stack is reaching a Beta release, with a Final 1.0 release in a month or so, as development is ocuring very fast. For this same reason, documentation of the API's is still lagging a bit, but once the version hits 1.0, and they get stabilized, I think this will improve.
D6 63 0D 70 89 81 BB 8E 7B 7C 5F 5D 54 EA AB 73
Why does it cost $400 to buy two $100 laptops?
I've seen "real" notebook computers selling at the $399 price point.
You know, there is a difference between trolling and pointing out the flaws in your reasoning. Just saying.
> she really did think altruism was evil
That would be my read as well, but after declaring it evil I doubt she would do anything to prevent you from doing something she though wrongheaded, stupid or even evil so long as you weren't using force (taxes) to do it.
And that is really Freedom Zero. The Right to be Wrong. Person A must be free to think/argue that person B is 'Wrong' but the second they try to enforce that choice on person B they become more wrong. Even though it doesn't fit perfectly I'll use this topic for an example.
If you believe OLPC is 'altrustic' (and believe that to be a bad thing) it is perfecly acceptable to argue the project should not be supported on those grounds in the public arena. Convince enough current supporters to abandon it and it dies, again that is perfectly ok. To even attempt to convince Congress to stomp on it crosses the line to wicked. Of course it is equally wicked to solicit Congress for any assistance on such a project, too bad THAT part is ignored every day Congress is in session.
Democrat delenda est
The MS way would be to develop the million dollar pen that writes in zero gravity - the OLPC is using a pencil.
You've got it backwards, dude. The OLPC pen here costs four times its original projected cost and just as much as the Microsoft pen, but does much less.
uhm... i may be mistaken, but it seems to me that coding is *all about* "reading, writing, and maths".
and attempting to assemble bits in the proper order to do what you want them to requires quite a bit of thinking, unless i am sorely mistaken.
in all honesty, understanding programming syntax is purely reading comprehension, no?
if you lack the ability to output your changes to the screen (writing), you're finished before you begin.
and let's not even get into the mathematical concepts required for slinging code - if you wanna get picky about it, a program is nothing but a huge "word problem" - try implementing a basic bubble sort without basic algebra skills.
i know you were playing devil's advocate, but still... think before you speak, please.
I am all for charity... of the voluntary type. But I have become sick and tired of others sucking off the U.S. as though we can continue to afford it, and don't even mind. I have news for you folks: we will not continue to put up with it, and we do mind.
It sure looks good in the local paper. ...or, hell, building maintenance. Our local high school converted its library into Yet Another Computer Lab at a not insignificant expense. Here we are a month into the school year and the lib^Wcomputer lab wing is closed because of structural integrity concerns. I guess it's alright, Office isn't on the MCAS, yet.
Unfortunately, it usually goes to consultants and gear rather than IT staff, new tech educator hires and staff education workshops
--- Do you believe in the day?
Never? You mean, not once did you ever write a dinky little game or implement a formula on your graphing calculator, or look at the code for gorillas.bas, or write a DOS batch script? Frankly, I find that hard to believe, considering that you're posting on Slashdot.
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
Hell, they have wood and auto shop, music and art, why not computers?
Jesus, I'm moving to your city. They cut all of that shit around here a long time ago, to make sure nobody was getting left behind.
--saint
Everything OLPC has done since its inception has pissed me off. They bloat the price, in order to add a webcam!?!? Now they are pulling this BS. They will probably launch with almost no content, and be shocked when their project fails. I really hope they loose. Unfortunately, that will put Intel's windows-based offering at the front (which will cost about the same, OS included). Hopefully ASUS's EPC will come through (with its non-school only approach).
nt.
I forget whatever came of the Theo DeRaadt / OLPC Wireless developers spat. Would this thing run OpenBSD, Freebsd, or others or just GNU/Linux?
Of course, there are no poor people in the United States. What a bunch of A-holes!
From the article: "one popular use will be to load textbooks at 25 cents or so each on the laptops, which has a high-resolution screen for easy reading."
WHAT???? - What happened to the books at project gutenberg - http://www.gutenberg.org/ - Wikibooks at http://wikibooks.org/ from the Wikimedia project created with the mission to create a free collection of open-content textbooks.
http://www.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.html- Myriads of Math Books!
To quote from the last site: "The writing of textbooks and making them freely available on the web is an idea whose time has arrived"
Please oh please - don't tell me they are attempting to monetize the OLPC by selling textbooks.
There is quality material out there - Make sure the OLPC's come with a comprehensive list of resources where to get quality textbooks and other educational material.
E.
The BBC reports that the offer is limited to 2 weeks/25,000 units, on the reasonable grounds that they do not divert too much capacity to the 1st world.
I'm sure if the US Department of Education (or probably even any state Department of Education in the US) wanted to buy them on a 1 per child basis for the entire school-age population of the US (or any state) they'd get the same deal that national ministries of education all over the world are getting. Even though the design specs are driven by the needs of the developing world, the project has never indicated it would reject any government, and there have been discussions, IIRC, with some US states.
The more expensive version is for individual sale which is outside of the core mission of the OLPC project, and useful to the project mainly as a means to subsidize the core mission.
Then stop whining about OLPC's pricing for individual sale in the US, and work to get your state or federal government to buy into the program for the schools in the US or just your state.
If (by the time you receive your degree) you can't apply what you learned, you are useless, and haven't *really* learned a thing.
1. I didn't say that programmers can't be taught in high school. However, their chances of getting a capable teacher (in the formal sense, anyway) at that stage or earlier are slim to none. Their chances of getting damaged by an incapable teacher or a brain-dead office class are high.
2. Teaching a child to program doesn't keep them from learning how to read, write, or do math. In fact, I'd say it reinforces reading and math quite a bit.
What's "a lot"? 10%? 5%? 1%? Less than that? Words like "a lot" don't mean anything without context. To a third world kid, a can of beans for dinner would be "a lot of food". To an American kid, it'd be insulting.
when his son (Vista 64) comes of age to get his drivers license he wont pass until he is 30 probably.
Balderdash!
Does it matter how many it is? And as a can of beans being insulting, you are WAY wrong. For MOST Americans that may be true. But not for ALL. But does it matter? The simple fact is, even if 1% of America is starving, that is 3 million ppl. That is a lot. And yes, I have seen American kids be VERY happy with beans, and Mac/Cheese was apparently a treat.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
It's not about children needing a computer, it's about having the access to a computer. There are hundreds of millions of poor children in the world who might not ever even see a computer! You only need one of them to be a genius who might create the next computing language or operating system or killer application. A computer is a very powerful tool in the hands of those that know how to use it (not yours, obviously).
Contrary to what you believe, schools all over the world taught programming since the 60's for sure; even with no formal training at a school, programming is something that can be self-taught.
What makes programming appealing, in that very act of programming you're solving logical problems one after the other. So there goes that second point.
March down to your local Best Buy and pick up a 14.1 inch Celeron 512MB Ram 80GB Harddrive laptop for $349 cash and load Ebuntu over the included Vista Basic.
Okay no power crank and perhaps not as durable or "new - cool" but optical drive, memory, and HD should do just fine with Ebuntu educational software. Oh, you can donate the $50 saved to your favorite charity too. . .
Disclaimer: Best Buy, Celerons, and Vista may be not be the best deal out there, just one that I found in only a few minutes.
Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes. -- Edsger W. Dijkstra
Sure, I wish my CS curriculum had included more hands-on projects. But I'd rather graduate knowing all theory and no practice than graduate knowing all practice and no theory. That's what distinguishes CS from IT. Both are important in computing situations, but I think it's unreasonable someone excel at both upon entrance into the working world. What would they have to learn then?
Ceci n'est pas une signature.
^ Idiot ^
Again you use that phrase, "a lot". You still don't get it, do you? Even if only 100 kids in ALL of the US were somewhat malnourished, you could still say that "a lot" of kids in the US are "starving". It's a meaningless friggin' phrase. You seem to be confusing your emotional outbursts for a factual argument.
I know what you mean. My high school only offers Web Design and Networking for computer centric courses. They used to have PC Repair and Java programming, then took those out. We barely have networking, since our teacher hasn't been present for five of seven of the weeks in the class, so the substitute taught us keyboarding and gave us a worksheet where we had to copy definitions from this sixth grade level site on the Internet. I took this class to learn networking, and I don't get networking. I get basic sixth grade work that teaches me nothing. I'm not even allowed to back up my typing assignments to a flash drive! Everyone except four or five people actually wanted to take the class. The school shoves the leftover people with no schedule into vocational courses, so they just sit, play games, and fail. The same thing happened in my drafting class. So many students just don't care about education.
The only way I can take computer courses is by dual enrolling at the local college, and only there do I find more competent students.
From http://www.xogiving.org/faq.html
"How come these laptops are going to kids in developing nations when we have needy children in the U.S.?
In the U.S., the average expenditure for education is $10,000 dollars per child. In developing countries, the average expenditure is typically less than $300 dollars per child. One Laptop Per Child is initially focused on where the need is most urgent. A number of U.S. states have approached One Laptop Per Child and expressed interest in the program, and in the long run, One Laptop Per Child hopes to work with those states and help children everywhere."
In other words, every US American child could have a laptop supplied by their school. You'll have to go ask your school board why they do not.
with great power comes great responsibility..
Simply posting 'mod parent up' is a work-around to broken code. Brilliant!
My parents got my bro and I a computer in 1995... they saved for ages to get it. It was no easy feat for them. We played a bunch of video games, sure... then we started breaking things. Then we learned to fix them. Then we started wondering how to make games, and started to program (in QBasic, at first, then in ASM then C). When I got to college I was astounded at how little my classmates knew, even 2+ years into our education.
College taught me very little compared to what I learned with curiosity and search engines in my Jr. High years. Having graduated with my CS degree my only regret is having wasted my money on tuition when I could have spent that money on just learning for myself. I learned more before high school with no formal tutor than any high school "how to use a word processor" course could dream to teach me.
I think people are too quick to close learning off in a corner, in the classroom. What the kids of underdeveloped nations need to brighten their futures may be found in a classroom, or on the Internet, or more likely both. The need basic facts, but also a window on the global economy. And luckily laptops are good for both - for storing almost any quantity of easy-to-duplicate texts, or for Internet access. And before you dismiss the Internet as nonexistent in places like Africa, take a look at their cellphone adoption rates.
I'm all for this program, but... The cost seems to have doubled from what they led us to believe it should have costed. Second, how do I know that that second laptop was really produced and really ended up in the hands of a child? I'm not trusting this as is.
It seems to me (devil's advocate), that the XO is a solution in search of a problem. What wasn't this offered to "first" world countries first? Doesn't America need home-grown programmers? Or are we so rich that we can just afford nominally priced laptops to begin with? c
www.itjerk.com