September 28, 2009 at 1:32 pm
· Filed under OLPC, Sugar, Support-Gang, XO by sverma
As the mystery around the XO-1.5 unfurls, take part in something historic! Approximately 30 XO-1.5 B2 units are now available at OLPC in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Given that our supply is limited, we want our allocation to be fair and meritocratic. Here are some key points to remember for this round:
- Hardware and software developers will get priority over educators.
- Educators will get in on the next round – the hardware and software need to work first!
- Certain projects may possibly be vetoed if they are violent or unsuitable in nature.
- Worldwide shipping and customs/import fees are included in this participation.
Don’t know where to start? Use the following as general starting points for your ideas:
Need something more specific? Here’s a list of suggestions based on notes from Daniel Drake:
- Voice chat (maybe even VoIP? Imagine the XO doubling up as a phone!)
- Project Karma, the superb endeavor led by the OLE Nepal team.
- Physics activity – Can the make-believe “Physics” world interface with the real world? Think sensors!
- Media editing activity – Going beyond simply “Record“ing on the XO.
- Programming activities – Building upon Pippy, Develop and maybe even an activity for LOGO.
- Sustenance activities – Build/improve upon Simcity, FoodForce II, or be inspired by The Incredible Machine!
- Ebooks – take a look at the latest Read activity and its support for annotations and formats, and build upon it.
- Touchpad activity – How do I use the touchpad? A simple but much needed activity.
- Low level stuff – the new video driver, for instance.
Create, Collaborate, Contribute
The Contributors Program is a thriving program that has seeded a whole set of unique and interesting projects around the world. Dare to contribute a Project ranging across educational, technological, and/or outreach initiatives… Want to know more about Contributors Program? Read our FAQ at http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Contributors#FAQ
Further XO-1.5 test units will likely not be available until December (around release time of the XO-1.5) so find your muse, get your ideas together, and send them in! Interested folks need to email contributors@laptop.org explaining how their software/development or other projects impacts children. Take a look at this form http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Contributors_program/Project_proposal_form and submit your proposal!
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September 16, 2009 at 8:23 pm
· Filed under OLPC by sj
One Laptop per Child made its public debut on Capitol Hill today with its “Fighting Insurgencies with Laptops” event.
Attendees and speakers, including the ambassadors from Afghanistan and Pakistan to the U.S., painted a picture of an eclectic mix of people from starkly different backgrounds and professions who came together to talk about One Laptop per Child as something that could be a clear manifestation of U.S. smart power. As Senator McCain said, there is nothing better suited to connect and educate this generation of children than OLPC. This refrain was echoed by both the Pakistani and Afghanistan Ambassadors.
Senator McCain speaking about OLPC
This year, we are expanding our vision by asking Congress to make a concerted push into Afghanistan and the tribal areas of western Pakistan, where isolation and a lack of government reach have spawned some brutal violent extremism.
The OLPC proposal: fight a “soft war” in these areas by giving children access to real education and to the world’s body of knowledge, and by connecting these remote areas to the rest of the planet via computer and satellite. One child. One laptop. One world.
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September 13, 2009 at 11:13 am
· Filed under OLPC by apompa
OLPC is making great strides into Sri Lanka, as reported recently in the Sri Lanka Daily News. The small island country, just off the southeast tip of India, is looking to turn a corner after years of internal strife, exacerbated by the devastation of the Tsunami in 2004. It is with great pride and anticipation that OLPC is able to join the Education Ministry and University of Colombo in their goals to provide the nation’s younger generation with skills in Information Technology and the English language.
These complimentary aims, reported by the paper as a motivation for the program that will bring 1,250 new laptops to students in thirteen separate schools, have been widely cited as twin engines propelling innovation and progress in Bangalore, not far across the Palk Straight.
In addition to the operating system in English, the computers are enabled to operate in either Sinhala or Tamil languages. Please check in (or, better yet, leave word) for progress updates coming out of Sri Lanka. We’re very excited about this new venture and can’t wait to hear back.
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September 11, 2009 at 7:17 pm
· Filed under OLPC by sj
Senator John McCain and Nicholas will be speaking at an event next Tuesday on Capitol Hill about Fighting Insurgencies with Laptops : providing infrastructure for countries with ongoing civil disorder with grassroots education systems.
This will be followed by a panel discussion with Pakistan’s US Ambassador Husain Haqqani, Afghanistan’s US ambassador Said Jawad, and Depty Asst Secretary of Defense Dr James Shear, and Chief AP Pentagon Correspondent Anne Gearen, moderated by Foreign Policy Magazine editor Susan Glasser.
revolutionary education
Where: DSOB G11, Constitution and 1st
When: 3pm – 5pm
Who: Open to the public
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September 4, 2009 at 7:53 am
· Filed under Deployments, Laptops, OLPC, Support-Gang, XO by apompa
The OLPC hardware sneak peak event of the year is heading toward DC!
Samuel Klein from OLPC will be presenting the newer, faster, stronger X0-1.5 laptop. There are some great new additions to our education-enhancing machine, and plenty to get excited about.*
As most of you know, One Laptop per Child has been working tirelessly to spread education/information access across the globe – mostly in the remotest locations – while simultaneously ramping up quality, pushing down costs, and searching for ever-improving environments for the XO’s hardware and software. Come by, sit back, and enjoy a well-guided tour through fascinating complexities and dramatic possibilities that are developing both on the home-front and in the fields.**
OLPC Learning Club DC and HacDC are also expected to announce their joint launch of an XO Lending Library and share details on the local activities that keep OLPC and Sugar Labs going strong.
We hope you will join us and engage in the conversation, helping to push the frontier of education, information accessibility, and collaboration into the revolutionary years ahead.
Where: HacDC, on 1525 Newton Street NW, Washington, in the church sanctuary
When: Tuesday, September 8th, 7:30pm
* See for instance the XO-1.5 hardware specs .
** Looking to get ahold of a brand-new XO-1.5? Developers, teachers and contributors are encouraged to complement the new XO with new learning content, as always
Update: This will be taking place during our Community Book Sprint (September 6-11) capturing stories of real-world classroom issues. Get in touch to help out over the coming week!
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