The Village Green » OLPC

Netbooks: Performance Review

Matthew Woolums — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:11:01 +0000

Nice article from CNET Webare testing out many popular free web applications on netbooks. Turns out they perform quite well with just one exception:

So is it worth buying one now, or waiting? As with any computer purchase, it depends on your needs. If you’re OK not viewing HD videos, it does everything else, and does it well.

So unless you need 3D imaging or high definition video, a netbook might be a reasonable choice, especially if it isn’t your only computer. For students? A dedicated lab for higher end work would be in order, but for most work in the classroom, where it should be about the learning and not about the technology, netbooks would work just fine.

How well do Netbooks work with Web apps? | Webware – CNET

Netbook Roundup

Matthew Woolums — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:22:46 +0000

In case you are interested in the whole netbook class of laptops, either for personal use or as student laptops, here is a review of 19 netbooks that run for $350 or less. How would you use one? As primary computer, or as a travel laptop, or something else?

Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/egansnow/271941148/

19 netbooks for $350 or less

OVPC – I Hope Not

Matthew Woolums — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:50:44 +0000

One Velociraptor per Child is a darkly humorous parody of OLPC, which I’ve written about many times. At least I hope it is a parody. My thanks to Bryan Alexander for this link.

http://velociraptorz.org/

One Internet Device Per Child

Matthew Woolums — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:03:01 +0000

TechCrunch is proposing a simple web tablet device that looks like the screen portion of a Mac Book Air but with a coloring style that reminds me of the original iMac. It might make a good addition to the backpack I mentioned in my last post. $200 is the target price for this edition of hardware that we wished existed but doesn’t. If it does get built, I wonder how much it might cost, and whether or not there will be a kit that can be purchased to build my own. The article suggests that Firefox act as the OS, but I’m not sure we need to kill off the desktop just yet. Maybe we should make the OS more like a backpack instead of a desktop though.

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/07/21/we-want-a-dead-simple-web-tablet-help-us-build-it/

OLPC XO Part 2

Matthew Woolums — Tue, 20 May 2008 17:56:58 +0000

PC World has pictures of the proposed 2nd generation XO, the laptop part of the One Laptop Per Child project. It looks really cool. Instead of a keyboard, it has a software-based touch screen. It reminds be of the Nintendo DS. The unit can be flipped to the side to hold like a book. Best of all, the target price is only $75. Don’t get your credit cards out quite yet though. The XO-2 isn’t expected to be available until 2010.

http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/006986.html

OLPC – Total Confusion

Matthew Woolums — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:23:25 +0000

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

Matthew Woolums — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:12:58 +0000

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

Matthew Woolums — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 02:03:03 +0000

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

Matthew Woolums — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 13:46:57 +0000

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

Matthew Woolums — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:54:13 +0000

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

Matthew Woolums — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:37:13 +0000

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

Matthew Woolums — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 14:27:09 +0000

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!

http://www.nytimes.com/idg/IDG_002570DE00740E18002573CB006D79D0.html?ex=1357621200&en=ea4d1940ccc8ced4&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss