For Real XO Laptop Impact, We Need Infrastructure

“I was in the Peace Corps in Cape Verde as an ICT volunteer from
2006 to 2008, and while I was there, the One Laptop Per Child
project came on my radar and I became pretty enamored of the
prospect of bringing some XOs to the country, or at least raising
awareness of the idea within the government.

“However, after considering all the obstacles with some fellow
volunteers and local educators, including a Ministry of Education
delegate, I kept running into the same issue: So we get the
laptops, and then what? We discussed the potential of OLPC
endlessly, but eventually came to the conclusion that the program
was a mess, especially after the departure of some of their best
minds and the insistence that the hardware is the only thing to
supply. But if OLPC itself won’t supply the rest of the framework,
somebody must.

“Ignoring all other issues – Is OLPC worth it cost-wise? What
about the XO’s hardware? Does it encourage constructivism in the
classroom? What countries are appropriate for this? – I’ll focus on
what I know.”

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