One Laptop Per Child | My Christmas present
This year, I'm finally getting something very cool for Christmas. When asked, I usually say, "surprise me." Or I say something like, "I have everything I need." This year, anticipating my typical response, my husband has chosen me the perfect gift for me and our son.
One Laptop Per Child is a company which has designed a durable, rugged laptop for children. The keyboard is smaller. Things can get spilled on it. It can be dropped. It can connect to the internet. AND....
they are giving them away to children in developing countries! For kids in remote developing countries, it doesn't even need electricity. It can be charged by a hand crank! The best thing, however, is that kids can control their own computer environment by learning to program it to do what they want it to do. Best of all - they are cheap!
http://www.laptopgiving.org/en/index.php
How it works. Buying a laptop for your child funds the cost of giving a free laptop to a child in a developing country. This is going to be our big Christmas gift. (Even though he may not get it by Christmas.) So, this is my Christmas present. I'm sharing this tremendous gift I've been given. I'm sharing the privilege of being able to commit to providing a personalized, inventive, stimulating education with a child in a developing country. I love the idea that I can give my son an important learning tool and that this action benefits another child far away.
Recently, I read a powerful case study about their efforts in Peru & Nigeria. The pictures are touching! The stories are even more amazing!
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Galadima
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Peru/Arahuay
Geeks all over the world are scrambling to write programs for this thing so that it can be fun. This weekend, in my hometown, Carnegie Mellon University was having a fun, educational programming challenge for One Laptop Per Child.
There are only 11 days left to order. (Not that it really matters, but, about 1/2 of the purchase price is also tax deductible.) So, it's something to consider.
One Laptop Per Child is a company which has designed a durable, rugged laptop for children. The keyboard is smaller. Things can get spilled on it. It can be dropped. It can connect to the internet. AND....
they are giving them away to children in developing countries! For kids in remote developing countries, it doesn't even need electricity. It can be charged by a hand crank! The best thing, however, is that kids can control their own computer environment by learning to program it to do what they want it to do. Best of all - they are cheap!
http://www.laptopgiving.org/en/index.php
How it works. Buying a laptop for your child funds the cost of giving a free laptop to a child in a developing country. This is going to be our big Christmas gift. (Even though he may not get it by Christmas.) So, this is my Christmas present. I'm sharing this tremendous gift I've been given. I'm sharing the privilege of being able to commit to providing a personalized, inventive, stimulating education with a child in a developing country. I love the idea that I can give my son an important learning tool and that this action benefits another child far away.
Recently, I read a powerful case study about their efforts in Peru & Nigeria. The pictures are touching! The stories are even more amazing!
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Galadima
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Peru/Arahuay
Geeks all over the world are scrambling to write programs for this thing so that it can be fun. This weekend, in my hometown, Carnegie Mellon University was having a fun, educational programming challenge for One Laptop Per Child.
There are only 11 days left to order. (Not that it really matters, but, about 1/2 of the purchase price is also tax deductible.) So, it's something to consider.
Comments