[OLPC-Chicago] Children's Low Cost Laptop Bill

[Langellier, Larry]

Hi Jason,

That's great news that you will be able to contact Senator Halvorson directly about the bill. Please let us know about any questions she might have and we'll be happy to help research answers.

Great answers to the questions. If we can find any published articles to back up our answers that would be great too. I like your idea of linking a page off of the [OLPC Chicago/IL Children's Low Cost Laptop Fund] page. I had not started any repository for everything yet, so that is as good a place as any.

Thanks!
Larry
________________________________
From: jrock08 at gmail.com [jrock08 at gmail.com] On Behalf Of Jason Rock [jrock at imsa.edu]
Sent: Friday, March 21, 2008 6:59 PM
To: Langellier, Larry; Karen T. Smith; OLPC IMSA List; OLPC chicago mailing list
Subject: Re: [OLPC-Chicago] Children's Low Cost Laptop Bill

I know Senator Halvorson(Senate Majority Leader), and am going to contact her about the bill.  Hopefully she can help it through the senate.

Karen,
I love the idea, the more we prove that the XO is child friendly the better.

Larry,
Is there already a page for stories? If not I've added space for one on [OLPC Chicago/IL Children's Low Cost Laptop Fund].
Also, great question list.  Here are some answers.

What evidence is there that providing every child with a laptop is beneficial?
 *   The world is becoming more tech attached, children need to start learning the tools from a young age.
 *   This would be a great use of personal stories.

What benefit do the children derive from owning/having one?
 *   We all know the power of "mine" something that is yours you take care of better, and learn to use better.
 *   This would also be a great way to use personal stories.

What support (deployment, ongoing, repair) exists for the XO?
 *   Grass root support groups have formed.
 *   IMSA is working on a service model for repair.
 *   IMSA is also working on an after school program using the XO technology.

Why would we want a Linux-based machine instead of a Windows-based one?
 *   The system can be set up specifically for children
 *   Transparent system
 *   Large support base
 *   Easier/More configurability
 *   Better security
 *   More efficient for low cost hardware

How will purchasing laptops help increase student test scores?
 *   Right now there are no tests that relate directly to technology knowledge, so they may not change.
 *   Learning in the form of games is easier(more fun) so students probably will learn the material much better.

I can't answer the other questions.

Jason

On Fri, Mar 21, 2008 at 5:14 PM, Langellier, Larry <Langellier at morainevalley.edu<mailto:Langellier at morainevalley.edu>> wrote:
Hi Karen,

What an excellent idea! We should start compiling all the stories about how we have personally seen children interact with the XO - and ways that interaction is different (and more powerful) than what we have seen in the same children interacting with other educational technologies.

It will be interesting to see the materials you have started to pull together. I agree, the laptop.org<http://laptop.org> wiki would be a nice place to start to collect all kinds of promotional materials.

To continue the discussion, here are some issues/questions I expect to arise in Springfield during debate:

 *
What evidence is there that providing every child with a laptop is beneficial? What benefit do the children derive from owning/having one?
 *
Won't the laptops get broken a lot?
 *
What support (deployment, ongoing, repair) exists for the XO?
 *
Why would we want a Linux-based machine instead of a Windows-based one?
 *
How are the teachers going to learn how to use this new tool?
 *
What infrastructure is required to support every child having a laptop?
 *
In addition to the price of the laptop, what are the other costs?
 *
How will purchasing laptops help increase student test scores?
 *
and many more questions I'm sure...

We can't forget that this is a $100 MILLION decision. We would never expect lawmakers to take that lightly, and they won't. While it may be obvious to us that this is a dramatically beneficial educational revolution, we must remember that there are other interests competing for educational dollars. Those interests will be involved in making their cause look more worthy than OLPC...



Kevin, do you think your uncle would be willing to share the types of questions/issues that he expects will come up in debate on the House floor? Such a list would help us compile good answers and provide those answers to the people in Springfield who are leading this effort.



Let's put on our collective thinking caps. If you were asked to decide whether to spend $100 million dollars on low cost laptops for children, and if you weren't as knowledgeable of OLPC as you are, what questions would you want answered?



Have a great weekend everyone!

Larry