1. The Common Good, Technology, and Education: The One Laptop Per Child Initiative Jan W. Buzydlowski, Ph.D. Department of Information Science and Technology Cabrini College

2. Overview Common Good Technology Education The XO Machine The Present The Future 2

3. The Common Good The sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily –Vatican Council II, Gaudium et spes, n. 26; cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1906 Can it exist in technology? 3

4. Common Good in Technology The Internet –PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS, ETHICS IN INTERNET Software –Open-Source Open Office Hardware –How? 4

5. Technology and Education Where and how is it used now? –In affluent districts –In less-so districts –In impoverished countries Digital Divide One-on-One Computing 5

6. Models of Education Constructionism –Self-discovery through doing –Advent of the PC Seymour Papert –Mindstorms, 1980 –A Thing to Think With –MIT LOGO (Turtle Graphics) 6

7. Common Good, Technology and Education The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Initiative –The XO Computer A.K.A. the $100 computer Started at MIT –Dr. Negroponte –Provide a machine (a thing to think with) to every child in the developing world 7

8. The Five Principles of XO Child Ownership:Child Ownership –I wear my XO like my pair of shoes. Low Ages:Low Ages –I have good XO shoes for a long walk. Saturation:Saturation –A healthy education is a vaccination, it reaches everybody and protects from ignorance and intolerance. Connection:Connection –When we talk together we stay together. Free and Open Source:Free and Open Source –Give me a free and open environment and I will learn and teach with joy. 8 From http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Home

9. Child Ownership/Low Ages Designed for ages 6 – 12 –Robust and friendly –Ownership Basic right Comes with responsibilities Portable learning and teaching environment –For use in school and home –Develop a portfolio of work 9

10. Saturation It can be a whole country, a region, a municipality or a village, where every child will own a laptop. –The community will share and no one will be without Thus the $100 price tag –Allow for full coverage –Has been a hurdle to deployment 10

11. Connection A MESH network –Connection to the Internet Access to a World (wide web) of information –Connection to other students near by Collaboration is built-in A Green Machine –Low power Yo-yo or solar generator 11

12. Free and Open Source All software developed must be available for all Some software allows for the development of software –Programming is as important as writing Currently now developed under UNIX –We are working on that 12

13. The XO Computer (Inside) Sub 500 MHz AMD processor 256 MB Ram 1 GB Flash –No hard drive Microphone Camera/video 802.11b/g and 802.11s 13

14. The XO Computer (Outside) Green and white rubberize case –Water and dust resistant –Tumble resistant 7.5 inch screen –Backlit or not (Readable in sunlight) –180 pivotable e-reader Touch mouse Three USB ports Microphone/speaker jacks Programmable buttons 14

15. The XO Computer (OS) Fedora Linux –Sugar Interface Built on a journal paradigm –Not hierarchical Views –Home –Group –Neighborhood –Activity »http://laptop.org/en/laptop/start/homeview. shtmlhttp://laptop.org/en/laptop/start/homeview. shtml 15

16. The XO Computer (SW) For exploring –Browse (Firefox) –Reader –News Read (RSS) 16

17. The XO Computer (SW) For expressing –Tam Tam –E Toys (Squeak) –Word Processor –Record Voice, picture, video –Draw –Pippy 17

18. The XO Computer (SW) Other –Calc –Social Calc –Whatever the world comes up with Reader/Speaker 18

19. Lets See It in Action http://www.ivr-usability.com/olpc/olpc.html 19

20. Current Status After many pilot programs, it is being implemented in: –Uruguay –Birmingham 20

21. Cons Criticized for being a toy Criticized for being an agent of capitalism 21

22. The Future ClassMate is competition –http://www.classmatepc.com/ Project Inkwell is the benchmark –http://www.projectinkwell.com Things to think with… –http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech/tech197.shtmlhttp://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech/tech197.shtml 22

23. The Future "Laptops are the pencils for the digital age" –David Cavallo 23

24. References Ethics in Internet –http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/pccs/documents/rc_pc_pccs_doc_20020228_ethics- internet_en.html#ABOUT%20THE%20INTERNEThttp://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/pccs/documents/rc_pc_pccs_doc_20020228_ethics- internet_en.html#ABOUT%20THE%20INTERNET Alternate OLPC News –http://www.olpcnews.com/http://www.olpcnews.com/ Deployment Guide –http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Deployment_Guidehttp://wiki.laptop.org/go/Deployment_Guide –AlabamaAlabama http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS4348733866.html?sp=0&kc=EWKNLLIN031108STR5 –UruguayUruguay http://radian.org/notebook/first-deployment Theft –http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Bitfrost#P_THEFT:_anti-theft_protectionhttp://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Bitfrost#P_THEFT:_anti-theft_protection 24