OLPC - Total Confusion May 15, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, OLPC.add a comment
I used to think the One Laptop Per Child was a noble endeavor, but after reading the linked article below, I have to say I’m not so sure. This insider article is peppered with four-letter invectives, so please be prepared. It is still important reading for anyone interested in deploying a one-to-one laptop initiative, especially if you are considering the XO as your laptop of choice. Thanks to a tweet from Andy Carvin.
As far as I know, there is no real study anywhere that demonstrates constructionism works at scale. There is no documented moderate-scale constructionist learning pilot that has been convincingly successful; when Nicholas points to “decades of work by Seymour Papert, Alan Kay, and Jean Piaget”, he’s talking about theory.
There are three key problems in one-to-one computer programs: choosing a suitable device, getting it to children, and using it to create sustainable learning and teaching experiences. They’re listed in order of exponentially increasing difficulty.
Nicholas’ new OLPC is dropping those pesky education goals from the mission and turning itself into a 50-person nonprofit laptop manufacturer, competing with Lenovo, Dell, Apple, Asus, HP and Intel on their home turf, and by using the one strategy we know doesn’t work. But hey, I guess they’ll sell more laptops that way.
So here’s to open learning, to free software, to strength of personal conviction, and to having enough damn humility to remember that the goal is bringing learning to a billion children across the globe. The billion waiting for us to put our idiotic trifles aside, end our endless yapping, and get to it already.
ivan krstić · code culture » Sic Transit Gloria Laptopi
$100 Laptop Roundup April 25, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Hardware, OLPC.add a comment
Liliputing has put together a fairly comprehensive list of low-cost ultraportable laptops. There are several on the list I’ve never heard of, but for some reason doesn’t include the XO although it is mentioned in the reviews of other laptops. The whole site is a terrific resource for anyone looking for more information about small inexpensive laptops.
http://www.liliputing.com/2008/04/over-past-six-months-or-so-asus-everex_24.html
$100 Laptop - HP and Dell Style - $500 April 11, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in OLPC.add a comment
HP and Dell are also getting in on the lower cost laptops initially aimed at the developing world and education markets. I think this trend is really catching on and hope it continues.
HP low cost laptop preview from eSchool News:
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/?i=53439
Dell low cost laptop preview from TechSpot:
http://www.techspot.com/news/29659-Dell-to-join-lowcost-ultraportable-notebook-race.html
$100 Laptop - Software Only - Jooce Style March 30, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, OLPC, Opinion, Tools.1 comment so far
Business Week has an interesting article about Jooce. It is a virtual desktop that allows a single access point to be used by many individuals. They make their money through advertising, but it removes the need for each user to have their own hardware or network connection. There are other solutions in this space, some of which I have bookmarked in del.icio.us and tagged as webOS. http://del.icio.us/mwoolums/webOS. I hadn’t thought of web OS solutions in this context, and am not sure how this solves much for classroom use, because you still need equipment, whether it is a lab with one computer for each child, or a mini-lab where students work in small groups or as part of a rotation. Still, in places where there may only be a few access points or limited disk space, virtual (online) desktops make sense.
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/mar2008/gb20080325_844094.htm
YATL or Yet Another Tiny Laptop March 20, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Hardware, OLPC.add a comment
These things are cropping up all over. CNET’s News Blog is reporting about a new tiny laptop from Elitegroup that includes a built-in webcam. No word on pricing yet, but I think the more options in the mini-mobile computing, the better.
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9899364-7.html
$100 Laptop - $50 Teachermate March 13, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Hardware, OLPC.1 comment so far
Innovations for learning has a new ‘laptop’ called the Teachermate. It is intended for the kindergarten through 2nd grade set. I don’t know much of what it can do, but there is a CNET News article about it. According to the article, it will show up in Chicago Public Schools first, with New York, Detroit, New Orleans, San Antonio, Phoenix, and Denver set to get the little ‘laptops’. I’d like to know where in Denver these will be appearing, since I work for the Denver Public Schools, and this is the first I’ve heard of it. If you know anything more about the Teachermate, let us all know about them.
http://www.innovationsforlearning.org/Teachermate.html
OLPC 2.0 January 10, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Hardware, OLPC.add a comment
Okay, here we go again. This time, the starting point is $75. We’ll see how far this can go, but the New York Times is reporting that a spin-out group from OLPC is proposing a $75 laptop. Specs and details in the link below. Pretty soon they’ll be giving these things away!
OLPC from Everex, or Maybe Packard Bell January 8, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Hardware, OLPC.add a comment
CES, the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, is often a good predictor of future trends in technology. Take for example this $399 laptop from Everex. At least according to this CrunchGear article it will be manufactured by Everex when it hits the market in the US. While it isn’e a touch screen, and the battery life leaves something to be desired, the processor is faster than others in this price range, there is a full gigabyte of memory, and it inlcudes a 30 GB hard drive.
http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/01/08/look-out-eee-a-399-tiny-laptop-from-everex-is-afoot/
What Will 2008 Bring? January 1, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Net Neutrality, OLPC, Opinion.2 comments
I read an interesting article from the Sydney Morning Herald about 10 technology things that will change your future. Some were expected, like the OLPC project. Twitter received a mention as well as social lending. One I didn’t expect was Chumby. What is Chumby? It looks like a pillow with a computer screen. The article says:
The Chumby is a wireless internet device about the size of a rugby ball. It has no keyboard or mouse but instead uses software called widgets to display pretty much anything you want it to - all the time… And the really interesting thing is that it is designed to be hacked - everything from the software code to the specifications for the case are freely available. No one, including the manufacturers, knows what owners will make Chumbys do once they are released. http://www.chumby.com
What do I think the new year will bring? The trend to smaller, more portable, networked devices will continue, mostly from the cell phone industry, although one hears rumors of new portable devices. I also think that open source will continue to invade the business world. I also think that Net Neutrality will be both more important, and more imperiled. Oh, and of course, something will come along that I didn’t expect, I probably won’t understand, and I’ll dismiss it as an unimportant passing fad, just like I did with Twitter in 2007.
OLPC Sued for Patent Infringement November 28, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, OLPC.add a comment
CNET.com’s The Open Road is reporting that the One Laptop Per Child project is being sued for patent infringement. One more bump in the complicated road to provide access to everyone everywhere.
http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13505_1-9824699-16.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5
$100 Laptop - Amazon Kindle November 19, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in OLPC.add a comment
Okay, I admit that this one is even more of a stretch. Amazon introduced a new device called Kindle. It is sort of a mini laptop/e-book reader/online device. I’m not sure how much of a market there is for this, but for only $399 you qualify for free shipping!
By the way, TinyURL.com is a great tool for reducing a very long URL to a short equivalent.
$100 laptop delayed - $400 GOGO edition October 24, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in OLPC.add a comment
Reuters is reporting that the One Child per Laptop was delayed due to a couple of last minute bugs. The delay means that people in the US who are buying a ‘give one get one’ edition for $400 will probably not see theirs during the Christmas giving season. The reason? The OLPC foundation would rather provide the laptops to children in Peru and Uruguay first so that they will have them in time for their summer break.http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idLTAN2334869520071024?rpc=44
Tiny Devices October 12, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in OLPC.2 comments
Kathy Schrock has posted a nice collection of some of the ya$ls mentioned here and elsewhere. She talks about why you might want a 1-to-1 learning environment, and also gives some thought to the supporting technology you might want to get the most out of the opportunity. Her post is well worth the read.
http://kathyschrock.net/blog/2007/10/tiny-devices-and-1-to-1.html
Eee PC - $100 laptop starting from $199 October 11, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in OLPC.1 comment so far
Reuters is reporting that Asustek Computer received an order for 1 million low cost computers called Eee PCs. I’m making an assumption that more computers is increasing the number of people connected to each other, and I think that’s a good thing.
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUKTP30697020071011?rpc=44
$100 Laptop Apple Style October 2, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in OLPC.add a comment
Okay, technically this one might not really be a laptop, but the Apple iPod touch deserves consideration in this space. Kathy Schrock recently posted several times about her experience with one of the new iPod touches and recounts her experience on her blog, the KaffeeKlatch. The first post is linked below, but look for additional posts in her archive. Pricing currently starts at $299.
http://kathyschrock.net/blog/2007/09/ipod-touch-is-great.html
