One Laptop Per Child
April 21, 2008 – 8:00 am
Life, Liberty, and your very own laptop…your basic human rights. At least thats what the folks at OLPC believe. In case you didn’t already figure it out, OLPC stands for One Laptop Per Child and their goal is to make their name a reality. The group has created a laptop called the XO that is specifically desinged for 6-12 year old students in developing countries. The PC is packed with special features like a durable frame with rounded rubber corners, no hard drive (so crashes can be avoided), fully open-source software, multiple viewing positions, and a solar or crank powered battery for areas where electricity is not readily available. In addition every laptop is linked to all the other OLPC machines around the globe so children can interact with each other through email, videoconferencing, and a variety of other formats. Not to mention the price is only $100.
Even more important than the ins and outs of the technology is the educational opportunities the machines provide for the children. Raising these students up with an understanding of computers and a connectivity to the rest of the world is key to helping raise developing nations out of poverty.
Many of the leaders of these nations have jumped on board with this idea of building for the future by purchasing millions of XO’s for their students and signing on for OLPC’s training and integration programs. The first priority of OLPC is to fulfill their commitments to these countries, but at the same time they are working to carry out grass-roots movements with individuals who would like to donate PC’s or provide training for students in nations that have not signed on to the program. Click here to find out more about how you can get involved.
-JH
Posted in TECHNOLOGY | | 
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