Classroom tools

[subbukk]

On Wednesday 16 January 2008 11:09:49 pm Jameson "Chema" Quinn wrote:
> > BTW, I am confused by this discussion thread. I thought OLPC was about
> > bringing learning environments into the reach of the neglected children -
> > those who don't have access to well-equipped school rooms or educated
> > guides.
> > Does XO really make sense in environments that already have well-equipped
> > classrooms and teachers?
>
> Any country in the world has dedicated, caring teachers. And in any country
> in the world, teachers - whether dedicated or not - are an important
> constituency in education decisions. If OLPC aims solely at
> where-there-is-no-teacher, it's aiming at precisely nowhere. (I live and
> teach in Guatemala, roughly middle-of-the-pack for the third world, if
> that's worth anything.)
It is not about teachers or economic classifications. XO is described as "a 
potent learning tool created expressly for children in developing countries, 
living in some of the most remote environments". Even in developed countries, 
I can see how XO will be welcomed by home-schoolers or schools in remote 
rural communities. But the classrooms being discussed here already have 
access to electric grids and computers with larger screens and hard disks. 
Would XO hit a sweet spot in such environments? I am not so sure.

Subbu