Small, Pacific ocean nation, Nuie, phasing out OLPC, WUaS Broadband Mission, Negroponte, Developments in the Emerging World

Small, Pacific ocean nation, Nuie, phasing out OLPC...

http://blog.laptop.org/2011/11/21/niue-phasing-out-olpc-project-citing-internet-costs/

(http://cdn2.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/news/stories/2008/08/5650/niue-gives-olpc-to-every-student-1.jpg)

... maybe WUaS, with its broadband mission, can help ...

http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/World_University ...

and develop its WUaS Broadband Development (part of WUaS's mission), -

http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/WUaS_Broadband_Development -

(will add article to ...

http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/One_Laptop_per_Child_-_XO_Laptop_-_$100_Laptop_-_MIT) ...

MP:

hmmm. after today's lecture with matt berg, i can understand why. the development world may be drawn to the 'sexy technology' but what primary school kids need the most are classrooms, desks, chalkboards, and enough good teachers... not laptops.

Scott:

... and, at the same time, OLPC, etc., and the wired world, grow (in all 200-ish countries now) ... and will be used for education ... paper, books, literacy and good teachers, yes ... and, then, how, further, with digital technologies, I think, is a key question ... Networks of learning (teachers and students locally) extending ... and circles interweave with circles, of and for learning ... :)

MP:

agreed that technology has an important role to play in education, especially in secondary school where all students should have opportunities to do vocational computer training. but we need to stop doing these supply side interventions rather than waiting for demand from the schools and teachers themselves. Putting the cart before the horse as it were...

Scott:

Check out One Laptop per Child and MIT Professor Nicholas Negroponte's thinking on this (here's a developing, WUaS wiki resource for this, but it doesn't yet have a great encapsulation of the OLPC vision - http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/One_Laptop_per_Child_-_XO_Laptop_-_$100_Laptop_-_MIT) ... The 2 billion poorest kids in the world wouldn't have access to the computing, for better and worse, they are beginning to have, without this vision ... Negroponte thinks that kids learn by playing, and that playing with rugged OLPC's designed for the developing world is an unparalleled opportunity. Check out, too, the Swedish Professor Hans Rosling on development - http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen.html - in the middle of his analysis, high technology correlates with improved lifestyle around the world ... I guess I think that computing and the internet are, or are significant complements to, the pen, paper and books of the future, and that good teachers for this are a key challenge / opportunity, just as literacy, pens, papers are relatively recent introductions around the whole world. I'm very glad your studies are pointing toward the importance of basic literacy and teaching resources!

Scott:

MP, For a next paper - a response to Nicholas Negroponte, per the course you're in? TEDxBrussels - Nicholas Negroponte - 11/23/09 ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q81TmwXe3ZM

... am adding to the above WUaS OLPC site ...

MV:

Whiteboards please, not chalkboards :-)