The One Laptop Per Child Program (OLPC) is one that I have researched and discussed at length in my career as both a development studies student and now as an educational technology student. The focus of my final paper will be to look at the OLPC initiative through the lens of the readings and module topics discussed in this course.
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 begun back in 2006 here on Ted Talks: Ted Talks OLPC
Additionally, there are a few Youtube links that describe the OLPC initiative, they can be found here:
Youtube OLPC Video 1
And
Youtube OLPC Video 2
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? This is what my final paper will explore.
The weblogs I post here will relate to the OLPC program, the issues that surround it and online sources that criticize the program from an Indigenous culture standpoint.
Sounds super interesting Lisa! I can’t wait to see the final product!
Hi Lisa, I also wrote about OLPC Canada. The curricular materials developed for use with participating Aboriginal students look promising, but the OLPC has such a legacy of distrust and failure, that it’s hard to imagine that things will go without a hitch. They may pull it off in Canada. The corporate and government backing behind the project is significant. Sounds like a great paper in the works. I’m writing on urban youth in Metro Vancouver and thought the OLPC might be used in some urban settings, but doesn’t look that way just yet.