Edutopia sits down with Nicholas to discuss his thoughts on the $100 green laptop. When asked what the potential is for the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) program might be in the US, Nicholas does a go-big-or-go-home reverse that I deeply value:
This has always been for the developing-world market and conceived for places where less than $200 per child per year is spent on primary and secondary education.
The benefit to the United States is perhaps a wake-up call.
The nation should just do it. We are not needed. When you spend $8,000-$10,000 per child, whether the laptop costs $150 or $400 is not meaningful.
A month or so ago, I was asked during a Q&A of a presentation I had given why OLPC was not trying to make their machines available to school districts like her's. I tried in vain to explain that the literal mission of the organization is based on developing nations. She was set in the fact that it was 'unfair' that her students -- upper middle class -- would not get one of the green machines. I realized at that moment how much of a gap there was in terms of what this machine really represents.
One day soon, the cost of the machine will be seen for what it truly is: ONLY a design premise to force talented folks to find new solutions where normally there would be too many bounded assumptions.
BTW, has anyone else looked at the "Why Google Ads on Edutopia?" link that accompany articles like this? I find this a very strange capital-raiser for a foundation that clearly could get far bigger sponsorships than small click traffic. It is the ONLY thing I've seen in several years at Edutopia that I think is beneath them. Not about the money. But about the disconnect of Google ads and everything else on their site and in their magazine. Not worth a bigger analysis; just a passing head-scratch.
Christian,
There is already a long history regarding 1-1 efforts in the US. It has never really been about the money, although critics always bring up the cost. What I found very revealing was that when Massacusetts seriously considered participating in the OLPC project the criticism morphed away from costs into other areas. There is deeply entrenched skepticism within many people about enabling kids with laptops. That is the real barrier. Not cost. When a lot of moms and dads start saying to their school boards and congressional reps "I want that for my child!" it will happen very quickly.
(BTW, I believe any state that wanted to opt in for a million laptops could do so... the issue at this point is volume, distribution and support, not some deep philosophical opposition to getting the laptops out to US kids)
Posted by: Fred Bartels | January 11, 2007 at 06:38 AM