These little green guys and gals are so cool!OK, so I can be a little bit of a tech geek sometimes. I don't often get the latest and greatest technology tools and toys...usually because I can't afford them. But when I learned that I could buy an XO laptop from One Laptop Per Child and send one abroad I couldn't resist.
This weekend, Kathy and Scott hosted an XO laptop party. Scott, being the technology enthusiast that he is, has done a significant amount of research on the laptop and actually has been following OLPC since his time working at the MIT Media Lab. He helped me figure out how to change my laptop's name (I was boring at first and gave it my name. When Jenny named hers Carmen, I realized that I really need to figure out how to strengthen my creativity!) I have since named my laptop Lola :)
We had a great time learning how to use the little green laptops -- we even had 5 people collaboratively writing a poem together! We also shared photos in real-time, created our own mesh network, created music, and some folks even bought things on eBay.
The laptops are definitely geared toward children. I'm still getting used to having to peck on the small keyboard. And I'd love to see them in action either here in the U.S. or abroad.
I'm also curious to see what type of professional development and training is either offered or developed as a result of their instruction into the global market. Having facilitated educational technology training in rural South Africa with teachers who had never used a computer before, I cannot underscore the importance of providing some level of training and support to teachers so that they can begin to realize the power and potential
of the technology as a teaching and learning tool. To my knowledge, OLPC does not offer face-to-face training on the laptops or their use in education. However, I'm thoroughly impressed with the OLPC wiki which has a wealth of resources and best practices. Considering I only received a leaflet of information when the laptop shipped, they are definitely taking paperless to heart! More to come on the OLPC XO laptop. I ordered another one so that I can have two to learn how they can best interact and collaborate. As of yet I haven't heard from anyone who is interested in donating their laptops to the BPS but feel free to contact me after you've played around with them!
posted by Melissa Dodd @ 8:38 PM
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