| One Laptop per Child – from a Vision to a Global Effort |
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bridges vol. 18, July 2008 / Feature Article by Christoph Derndorfer mp3 download On April 25, 2008, 135 children in two schools close to Kathmandu, Nepal, each received a small green laptop. Most of the children had never used a computer before, but within a short time they were exploring it, taking photos of themselves with the integrated camera, playing games, and showing each other how to use everything. Similar scenes had previously taken place in other schools around the globe from the Peruvian Andes, to rural areas in Ethiopia, to Thailand.  These children, their teachers, and parents are among the first ones to benefit from the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project which was started by MIT's Nicholas Negroponte. The non-profit organization has developed a low-cost laptop, the "XO-1" or "$100 laptop" as it's more commonly known. The laptop is designed to be an educational tool for children in developing nations, giving them access to interactive learning contents and the wealth of knowledge and information that is digitally available. As Nicholas Negroponte often reiterates:
"It's an education project, not a laptop project."
It is an attempt to overcome the digital divide that is hindering nations from achieving economic prosperity. In order to achieve the necessary large-scale impact, Negroponte envisioned ministries of education purchasing a minimum of 1 million units to be distributed in their respective school systems. That way, he had planned to have 5 to 10 million children with access to a laptop by the end of 2007. Even though OLPC has encountered many challenges along the way, and this ambitious goal has not been reached so far, the project has already had a significant impact. Apart from the tens-of-thousands of children using the XO-1 laptops, an increasing number of individuals and organizations are now actively working on solutions for introducing information and communication technologies into education, especially in developing nations. At the same time, there are efforts underway to create a new 9th United Nations Millennium Development Goal which calls for ensuring "that every child between the ages of 6 and 12 has immediate access to a personal laptop computer." Access to the full article is free, but requires you to register. Registration is simple and quick – all we need is your name and a valid e-mail address. We appreciate your interest in bridges. |
