Comments on: Thinking about the sub-$100 laptop

By: One laptop per child part 2 « Superniels OriginalThoughts

One laptop per child part 2 « Superniels OriginalThoughts — Tue, 15 May 2007 10:36:29 +0000

[...] Ethan Zuckermans thoughts [...]

By: nanci cipriano

nanci cipriano — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 01:44:18 +0000

up above is my email contac, i assume the title you used laptop $100.00 is not exact
price? searching 4 laptop easy enough 4 a child to teens, 2 learn slowly, do homework on the
weekends while visiting family
your demo is this the one? plug into phone circut, or wall outlet
u have other colors? the price please?

By: Stephanie Rieger

Stephanie Rieger — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 22:23:20 +0000

Janet makes a great point about content. The laptop will include USB ports, wi-fi and ad-hoc P2P connectivity so sharing content with classmates, collegues and friends can be achieved in a few different ways but where will all this content come from?

Kids have lots to say but wouldn’t the computer be so much more useful–especially in areas of low internet connectivity–if it came pre-loaded with (legally and easily) reuseable content building blocks. Gutenberg, wikipedia, Creative Commons and others provide legally reuseable content (online) but why not make it easier for all students by providing quality, low-cose (ideally free) resources for education right on the computer. This would make any open-source media tools (Squeak etc.) that finds it’s way onto the computer that much more useful.

Let’s make it easy for the governments or municipalities who buy these to further justify the purchase by not having to hack together content deals to provide a bare minimum of content resources; thereby indirectly increasing the cost of the device.

And i’m pretty sure teachers will thank you too! Dealing with new devices will be enough of a challenge.

By: rexy

rexy — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 10:54:03 +0000

please do

By: rich pandolfi

rich pandolfi — Sun, 20 Nov 2005 01:36:09 +0000

Why not consider the display technology developed in Finland I think it was called OLPD. It was developed for automotive applications and did not need power in the quiesent state. ( when the car was off it still showed the guages. I developed a high resolution heads up display for the Media labs before I retired . I belive the it was for Thad (cannot remember his last name) In any event the project goal is achievable but it will take about 5 to 10 million for an group to tool such. I would add solar for recharging a higher capacity battery of about 2000ma/hrs.Why not add a single chip GSM data capabilty .(just announced)

By: WorldChanging: Another World Is Here

WorldChanging: Another World Is Here — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 19:39:48 +0000

One Laptop Per Child – a Preview of the Hundred Dollar Laptop

I took a day off from this year’s Pop!Tech conference to hang out with some friends in Portland. But before driving from Camden to Portland,…

By: …My heart’s in Accra » One Laptop Per Child - a preview, and a request for help

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 18:58:20 +0000

[...] First, the name. I’d been calling the project the sub-hundred dollar laptop… the acronym of which is the unfortunate “SHiL”. Negroponte’s now calling the project OLPC – One Laptop Per Child. It does a better job of defining the project, I think – not taking the bottom out of the consumer laptop market, but providing a learning tool for students around the world. [...]

By: …My heart’s in Accra » Negroponte and the $100 Laptop

…My heart’s in Accra » Negroponte and the $100 Laptop — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 22:42:48 +0000

[...] Nicholas Negroponte is speaking about the $100 laptop, and the long path that’s led to his interest in the topic. Ultimately, Nicholas believes that in all the problems we’re considering at a conference like Pop!Tech, education is part of the equation. If you can change education, it’s a key to peace, prosperity and widespread social change. [...]

By: Janet

Janet — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 16:36:32 +0000

Just to note — the laptop, whatever it costs, is only as useful to a schoolchild as what’s on it and/or what they can access with it. Given the paucity of connectivity in much of Africa which inhibits downloading significant information, and copyright on most textbooks (electronic or not) which governments would also likely need to pay for, I’m wondering whether Negroponte is looking at this more as an information access device or an information creation device. And if creation, then how does the child share their work? It seems to me like the Media Lab needs to be working very closely with community wireless networking groups to ensure that content creation is at least shared within an educational community (if not with the wider world), and with access to information groups, to ensure that legal, translated and relevant content is actually available in electronic format.

Ethan says that the real challenge is making the computers cheap enough to be included in school fees. That is a challenge, but for real uptake, I think the challenge is making the computers (and their content) relevant for the environment they’re meant to be used in. This may not be a challenge for the Media Lab directly, but I’m hoping it’s part of their approach.