One Laptop Per Child Stumbles and Regains Footing through “One Education” Program
Give a man a fish you feed him for a day, teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime. Similarly, give children laptops they have laptops, but teach them to use computing effectively and they develop useful skills. One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) envisions providing laptops at low cost to children as both a window and a tool, giving children the self-initiative of having individual devices and bringing experiences to their peers and families.
A recent report indicates that control groups given laptops in Peru have not shown improved Math or Language scores, although some positive effects were recorded in general cognitive skills, especially in relation to computer use. Scores were abysmal with 70% of seven-year-olds not meeting required levels in math and 87% not meeting reading levels. The Economist suggests that Peruvians need to improve teacher-training and the curriculum to take advantage of the presence of laptops in the classroom.
As in the United States, technology does not prove to be an educational panacea replacing the importance of teachers and educational material. However, now OLPC proactively bundles laptops with mandatory teacher training that accentuates the merits of technology as another teaching tool that brings new opportunities. For instance, merely replacing note-taking from paper and pencils to laptops will not fundamentally change the education provided, but remaining focused on teaching students to effectively wield the tools provided by laptops for exploration and communication can be huge.
Enter: One Education, a new initiative being tested in Australia that trains and certifies students to use and repair their laptops. Classroom walls display the certificates earned and students also receive gear for successful completion. For example, students earn a wristband that incorporates a 4GB flash drive to extend the power of their XO laptops and take pride in their accomplishments. With Linux distributions that could easily fit on a 4GB flash drive, this sounds like an awesome program that could graduate some aspiring hackers from the child-friendly Sugar desktop environment to full blown Linux.
Custom designed for easy repair, OLPC purposefully ships spare batteries, keyboards, replacement screens and a screwdriver to allow children the chance to earn an XO Mechanic certificate for repairing laptops. Other programs include the XO Champion which deals with safety, software use, and school attendance.
So, OLPC computers are now repositioning themselves to more effectively meet realistic goals. Rather than a teacher replacement, they empower teachers to provide technology education in places it would otherwise be impossible. No small gift to the world in the 21st century global economy.
Creative Commons Love: laihiu on Flickr.com
Written by Jonathan Davidson
