Comments on: One laptop for the price of five http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/ by Jeff Jarvis Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:40:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: july http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-408238 july Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:45:23 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-408238 Bon Jovi donated laptops to under privileged children. I forgot where I seen it Bon Jovi donated laptops to under privileged children. I forgot where I seen it

]]> By: Ian Smith http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-390162 Ian Smith Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:07:05 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-390162 That sounds like great advice. I'd recommend that anyone looking for used student books to go to <a href="http://www.liverpoolstudentbooks.co.uk" rel="nofollow">Liverpool Student Books</a>. I've used them before as they are pretty cheap and charge no commission! Hope that helps! That sounds like great advice. I’d recommend that anyone looking for used student books to go to Liverpool Student Books. I’ve used them before as they are pretty cheap and charge no commission!

Hope that helps!

]]> By: BuzzMachine » Blog Archive » Two laptops per child http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-360617 BuzzMachine » Blog Archive » Two laptops per child Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:49:49 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-360617 [...] One Laptop Per Child project has just done what I was hoping they’d do: opened up to us buying two laptops at a time – one for ourselves and one for [...] [...] One Laptop Per Child project has just done what I was hoping they’d do: opened up to us buying two laptops at a time – one for ourselves and one for [...]

]]> By: urenniakxx http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-355554 urenniakxx Tue, 31 Jul 2007 21:30:12 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-355554 Hello! Good Site! Thanks you! aielplzhrwtoxv Hello! Good Site! Thanks you! aielplzhrwtoxv

]]> By: BuzzMachine » Blog Archive » Two laptops per child http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-274026 BuzzMachine » Blog Archive » Two laptops per child Wed, 10 Jan 2007 23:00:53 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-274026 [...] In December, I wished that the One Laptop Per Child project would sell the laptops to us at wildly inflated prices to subsidize laptops for children elsewhere. I suggested $500. Now the BBC reports that they are considering selling us two laptops with one going to the developing world — a less wildly inflated price. Count me in. [...] [...] In December, I wished that the One Laptop Per Child project would sell the laptops to us at wildly inflated prices to subsidize laptops for children elsewhere. I suggested $500. Now the BBC reports that they are considering selling us two laptops with one going to the developing world — a less wildly inflated price. Count me in. [...]

]]> By: FuturePastNow http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-221366 FuturePastNow Sat, 02 Dec 2006 22:59:38 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-221366 Jeff, I agree completely. The OLPC project is a great idea; I don't know if it can succeed, but it's a great idea, and that's more than the naysayers have. I'd pay $400 for one of these things. Jeff, I agree completely. The OLPC project is a great idea; I don’t know if it can succeed, but it’s a great idea, and that’s more than the naysayers have.

I’d pay $400 for one of these things.

]]> By: wayan http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-221241 wayan Sat, 02 Dec 2006 20:56:13 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-221241 I hate to ruin this party, but they're not $100 laptops. They are <a href="http://www.olpcnews.com/sales_talk/price/the_real_cost_of_the.html" rel="nofollow">thousand dollar laptops</a> and OLPC projects it needs $150 Billion for start-up costs. That would be 3x the entire Federal Department of Education budget for 2007. I hate to ruin this party, but they’re not $100 laptops. They are thousand dollar laptops and OLPC projects it needs $150 Billion for start-up costs.

That would be 3x the entire Federal Department of Education budget for 2007.

]]> By: Undertoad http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-220743 Undertoad Sat, 02 Dec 2006 13:33:59 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-220743 Yeah Eston, but you won't do that. You won't buy a crippled $100 laptop with a hand-crank for $400 just because $300 of it is going to charity. You'll buy devices with 10% profit margins that improve your productivity. Yeah Eston, but you won’t do that. You won’t buy a crippled $100 laptop with a hand-crank for $400 just because $300 of it is going to charity. You’ll buy devices with 10% profit margins that improve your productivity.

]]> By: Peter http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-220384 Peter Sat, 02 Dec 2006 05:14:58 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-220384 And you might be surprised to see the cost of textbooks these days. Even in elementary schools. I want laptops to be cheap so that schools won't have to keep them under lock and key the way they have to now. And you might be surprised to see the cost of textbooks these days. Even in elementary schools.

I want laptops to be cheap so that schools won’t have to keep them under lock and key the way they have to now.

]]> By: Brit http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-220268 Brit Sat, 02 Dec 2006 02:35:55 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-220268 A laptop can take the place of dozens of textbooks. A laptop can stay current. Textbooks go out of date fast. A laptop can take the place of dozens of textbooks. A laptop can stay current. Textbooks go out of date fast.

]]> By: Eston http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-220107 Eston Fri, 01 Dec 2006 23:28:27 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-220107 I swear that Nicholas Negroponte has brought up this same point at a conference I've seen or article I've read somewhere. I'm not sure what the state of it is now, but it makes a decent amount of sense in subsidising the product. Also, would opening these up to the early adopters be all that bad? The open-source nature of the OLPC system would give developers a springboard for software that they and their cohorts would find useful, not to mention software that would be just about guaranteed to work on the machines given to the students in developing countries. It's really a win-win situation. As for Brooklyn Kitchen: I'm a college student and the majority of the students that I know here perceive college as something <em>exactly for that purpose</em>: the education here is little more than what is necessary to gain something of monetary worth in the job market. Maybe the University has failed them; maybe they are apathetic toward the idea of education as a worldview-altering philosophy and care only about it as a mean to a materialistic end. I don't think that way, but I could muster up probably well over 1,000 students that do. And Undertoad, I think you're really missing the point. I can go support Palm and buy a Treo for $400 or spend $400 and give 3 machines to children that need them more than Palm needs an extra $300 of my money. I swear that Nicholas Negroponte has brought up this same point at a conference I’ve seen or article I’ve read somewhere. I’m not sure what the state of it is now, but it makes a decent amount of sense in subsidising the product.

Also, would opening these up to the early adopters be all that bad? The open-source nature of the OLPC system would give developers a springboard for software that they and their cohorts would find useful, not to mention software that would be just about guaranteed to work on the machines given to the students in developing countries. It’s really a win-win situation.

As for Brooklyn Kitchen: I’m a college student and the majority of the students that I know here perceive college as something exactly for that purpose: the education here is little more than what is necessary to gain something of monetary worth in the job market. Maybe the University has failed them; maybe they are apathetic toward the idea of education as a worldview-altering philosophy and care only about it as a mean to a materialistic end. I don’t think that way, but I could muster up probably well over 1,000 students that do.

And Undertoad, I think you’re really missing the point. I can go support Palm and buy a Treo for $400 or spend $400 and give 3 machines to children that need them more than Palm needs an extra $300 of my money.

]]> By: Undertoad http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-220071 Undertoad Fri, 01 Dec 2006 22:54:36 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-220071 Surely if there was a market for a small but functional computer with a QWERTY keyboard, that could do email, messaging, web, and bluetooth, with a battery that would last weeks without recharging... ...and then add a wireless phone, digital camera that can do still or video, and you've got the Treo 680... $399 unlocked for your carrier, or $199 tied to Cingular. Surely if there was a market for a small but functional computer with a QWERTY keyboard, that could do email, messaging, web, and bluetooth, with a battery that would last weeks without recharging…

…and then add a wireless phone, digital camera that can do still or video, and you’ve got the Treo 680… $399 unlocked for your carrier, or $199 tied to Cingular.

]]> By: Brooklyn Kitchen http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219848 Brooklyn Kitchen Fri, 01 Dec 2006 19:38:19 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219848 Eric- It makes sense that technology know-how helps you enter the job market, but is the point of education to transition solely to transition you to the job market or is there something more that should be conveyed? If you think that college was merely a means to a paycheck, then your college utterly failed you. Do you need a screen to read and understand Moby Dick? Do you need a computer to help you understand history? What about art? The fact that Mr. Jarvis has claified his point helps me understand what he was trying to say, and I agree that you can't teach technology without using a computer. But a blanket statement that says the lack of a computer hinders the learning process sounds rather foolish to me. Eric-

It makes sense that technology know-how helps you enter the job market, but is the point of education to transition solely to transition you to the job market or is there something more that should be conveyed? If you think that college was merely a means to a paycheck, then your college utterly failed you.

Do you need a screen to read and understand Moby Dick? Do you need a computer to help you understand history? What about art?

The fact that Mr. Jarvis has claified his point helps me understand what he was trying to say, and I agree that you can’t teach technology without using a computer. But a blanket statement that says the lack of a computer hinders the learning process sounds rather foolish to me.

]]> By: Stephen http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219811 Stephen Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:37:42 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219811 I agree. I want one too. This likely would spawn a few spinoffs like laptop for the elderly and laptop for the mentally handicapped, etc. Would this work for my grandmother or aunt, both of whom seem mystified by the complexity? There's no easy way to remove or hide this complexity from them. 5 functions would be enough; browser, word processor, music player, email, im. I agree. I want one too. This likely would spawn a few spinoffs like laptop for the elderly and laptop for the mentally handicapped, etc. Would this work for my grandmother or aunt, both of whom seem mystified by the complexity? There’s no easy way to remove or hide this complexity from them. 5 functions would be enough; browser, word processor, music player, email, im.

]]> By: JennyD http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219785 JennyD Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:11:31 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219785 Believe it or not, cutting and pasting is not the same as reading and writing. It's true. And a laptop is just a tool. It depends on what you do with it. I know undergrads at my prestigious university who lug their skinny little macs to class, and open them up, and GASP surf the web rather than take notes. And guess what, they are not looking up source material about the lecture. They are looking at MySpace, and IMing each other, etc. We have class wikis and class web-based discussions, and believe students view these as assignments not some neato techno cool thing that makes learning fun! No one spontaneously bursts into posting on the class website about some amazing insight into some topic we've been talking about in class. Perhaps the rare student wants to do this, but having taught several classes using every internet, techno, bell and whistle the university can offer to facilitate "learning" I cannot say that technology makes the class better or worse in terms of intellectual content, or amount of learning. What makes a difference is whether the class comes prepared, whether they are focused in class on discussions, whether they ask questions, and whether the instructor is listening, working, thinking, demanding, and doing all that good old-fashioned pedagogical wizardry that helps people learn new things. Believe it or not, cutting and pasting is not the same as reading and writing. It’s true.

And a laptop is just a tool. It depends on what you do with it.

I know undergrads at my prestigious university who lug their skinny little macs to class, and open them up, and GASP surf the web rather than take notes. And guess what, they are not looking up source material about the lecture. They are looking at MySpace, and IMing each other, etc.

We have class wikis and class web-based discussions, and believe students view these as assignments not some neato techno cool thing that makes learning fun! No one spontaneously bursts into posting on the class website about some amazing insight into some topic we’ve been talking about in class.

Perhaps the rare student wants to do this, but having taught several classes using every internet, techno, bell and whistle the university can offer to facilitate “learning” I cannot say that technology makes the class better or worse in terms of intellectual content, or amount of learning. What makes a difference is whether the class comes prepared, whether they are focused in class on discussions, whether they ask questions, and whether the instructor is listening, working, thinking, demanding, and doing all that good old-fashioned pedagogical wizardry that helps people learn new things.

]]> By: Janko Roettgers http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219776 Janko Roettgers Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:08:16 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219776 I think there used to be a petition or pledge with the same idea. Sell the OLPC for 300 bucks in western countries and make the earnings pay for more laptops for kids who really need them. A few thousand people signed up, but I guess the whole thing went nowhere. I think there used to be a petition or pledge with the same idea. Sell the OLPC for 300 bucks in western countries and make the earnings pay for more laptops for kids who really need them. A few thousand people signed up, but I guess the whole thing went nowhere.

]]> By: PCs for the poor « Searching, Searching, Searching http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219775 PCs for the poor « Searching, Searching, Searching Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:07:29 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219775 [...] Jeff Jarvis, an outspoken journalist who wishes to see TV and newspapers get with the times, floats an idea in his post:  One laptop for the price of five.   My only complaint about the laptop crusade is that they won’t sell them to us rich people. I think they should — at wildly inflated prices. Sell me a $100 laptop for $500 and thus I’ll buy laptops for four children somewhere in the world. That beats a PBS pledge gift. [...] [...] Jeff Jarvis, an outspoken journalist who wishes to see TV and newspapers get with the times, floats an idea in his post:  One laptop for the price of five.   My only complaint about the laptop crusade is that they won’t sell them to us rich people. I think they should — at wildly inflated prices. Sell me a $100 laptop for $500 and thus I’ll buy laptops for four children somewhere in the world. That beats a PBS pledge gift. [...]

]]> By: Mike G http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219706 Mike G Fri, 01 Dec 2006 17:03:52 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219706 "Your polarization of cutting and pasting data, with reading, writing and thinking, implies that the act is fundamentally different from cutting and pasting physical objects" Exactly. “Your polarization of cutting and pasting data, with reading, writing and thinking, implies that the act is fundamentally different from cutting and pasting physical objects”

Exactly.

]]> By: Mike G http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219704 Mike G Fri, 01 Dec 2006 17:02:48 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219704 Jeff, Admittedly, I'm a Luddite parent of kids who go to a Waldorf school, where we still believe in sitting quietly and listening to stories. But I really believe-- even though I make my living at a computer-- that my young kids (2nd grade and preschool) are getting a lot more out of learning to knit (really!), out of playing on the beach in rain or snow, out of being driven to use their imagination and handle the physical world and interact with each other than they would get, or will get for some years, from a box that's very good at spoonfeeding information and providing reward cues that make you think you've gotten a lot more out of it than you really have. There's a substantial literature on this subject; check it out. The excitement of having a whizbang box in front of every child just might fade next to the excitement of helping every child discover the world they live in and the body of art in all forms that has been created. Jeff,

Admittedly, I’m a Luddite parent of kids who go to a Waldorf school, where we still believe in sitting quietly and listening to stories. But I really believe– even though I make my living at a computer– that my young kids (2nd grade and preschool) are getting a lot more out of learning to knit (really!), out of playing on the beach in rain or snow, out of being driven to use their imagination and handle the physical world and interact with each other than they would get, or will get for some years, from a box that’s very good at spoonfeeding information and providing reward cues that make you think you’ve gotten a lot more out of it than you really have.

There’s a substantial literature on this subject; check it out. The excitement of having a whizbang box in front of every child just might fade next to the excitement of helping every child discover the world they live in and the body of art in all forms that has been created.

]]> By: Eric Hansen http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219702 Eric Hansen Fri, 01 Dec 2006 17:00:03 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219702 This could lead to bus-loads of computer geeks heading to the border to buy inexpensive laptops. Mike, Your polarization of cutting and pasting data, with reading, writing and thinking, implies that the act is fundamentally different from cutting and pasting physical objects. With so much electronic information in the world, instruction on how to access and manipulate data complements reading, writing and thinking. Brooklyn, I've grown up with a computer and am about to enter the job market after college. For thousands of years, we didn't have an information economy dependent on computers. For thousands of years we weren't inundated with screens in most of our daily lives. For thousands of years the lack of technology didn't present a barrier to learning, but technology is another advance in the practice of education just like the previous ones. These "$100 jobs" work very well and can run any piece of software (freely available under open source agreements) that 99.99% of people would find useful. This could lead to bus-loads of computer geeks heading to the border to buy inexpensive laptops.

Mike,
Your polarization of cutting and pasting data, with reading, writing and thinking, implies that the act is fundamentally different from cutting and pasting physical objects. With so much electronic information in the world, instruction on how to access and manipulate data complements reading, writing and thinking.

Brooklyn,
I’ve grown up with a computer and am about to enter the job market after college. For thousands of years, we didn’t have an information economy dependent on computers. For thousands of years we weren’t inundated with screens in most of our daily lives. For thousands of years the lack of technology didn’t present a barrier to learning, but technology is another advance in the practice of education just like the previous ones.

These “$100 jobs” work very well and can run any piece of software (freely available under open source agreements) that 99.99% of people would find useful.

]]> By: Jeff Jarvis http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219563 Jeff Jarvis Fri, 01 Dec 2006 15:18:29 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219563 Mike, Jeesh. How about the idea that having a connection to the world of information might be helpful? Brooklyn, Well it is a barrier when it's technology you're teaching, which is what I do. Mike,
Jeesh. How about the idea that having a connection to the world of information might be helpful?

Brooklyn,
Well it is a barrier when it’s technology you’re teaching, which is what I do.

]]> By: Brooklyn Kitchen http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219521 Brooklyn Kitchen Fri, 01 Dec 2006 14:33:32 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219521 "At CUNY, we got every student a Mac laptop and I can tell you it’s great working without technology barriers to learning." Maybe I'm old fashioned, but the lack of a computer doesn't seem to be a barrier to learning, at least it hasn't been for thousands of years. Also, does anybody know anything about these $100 jobs? Do they work? Can they run useful software? “At CUNY, we got every student a Mac laptop and I can tell you it’s great working without technology barriers to learning.”

Maybe I’m old fashioned, but the lack of a computer doesn’t seem to be a barrier to learning, at least it hasn’t been for thousands of years.

Also, does anybody know anything about these $100 jobs? Do they work? Can they run useful software?

]]> By: Northcoast http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219515 Northcoast Fri, 01 Dec 2006 14:27:37 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219515 "read, write and think" ... we leave that to 3rd world countries now. “read, write and think” … we leave that to 3rd world countries now.

]]> By: Mike G http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219503 Mike G Fri, 01 Dec 2006 14:17:58 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/12/01/one-laptop-for-the-price-of-five/#comment-219503 How about the criticism of it motivated by the idea that teaching kids to cut and paste is not nearly as useful as teaching them to read, write and think? How about the criticism of it motivated by the idea that teaching kids to cut and paste is not nearly as useful as teaching them to read, write and think?

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