As part of my interest and research focus on the influence of technology on Indigenous culture and the issues that surround it and online sources that criticize the program from an Indigenous culture standpoint, I thought I would take this post to provide further information on OLPC. Founded in 2010, OLPC Canada (One Laptop Per Child Program) is a non-profit organization that works with corporate sponsors, service groups, individuals donors and Indigenous leadership to enhance education for Indigenous students by providing access to technology that is rich in educational and cultural content.
The official OLPC website can be found here: http://one.laptop.org/ and you can find the founder of the program, Nicholas Negroponte talk about the program when it first began back in 2006 here on Ted Talks OLPC
Additionally, there are a few Youtube links that describe the OLPC initiative, they can be found here:
And
As the videos describe, the idea behind the OLPC program is both ambitious and noble: to educate the world. But, can such a program be successful? Is the program just another way that Western ideals are being imposed on Indigenous cultures? Throughout the course of this semester, I hope to answer these questions.