[OLPC-Philippines] OLPC Pilot Enquiry

[Ryan Letada]

Hi Meg!

Ryan here from OLPC Philippines. Its great what you are doing for your
ex-boss. Hopefully, we can work together to turn your boss’s dream into
reality.

In regards to your question, here are some quick replies:

1.     Unfortunately, the Give 1 Get 1 program is over. Due to terrible
sales via Amazon, they opted to end the program. You can still make a direct
donation, however, you will not receive a laptop. For now, laptops are sold
on a wholesale basis with a minimum bulk purchase of 100 XO laptops. We are
in the process of getting financial breakdown/estimates of running pilot
programs. We are also discussing cost-efficient ways of acquiring our first
set of laptops, so please give us some time to put all of this together.


2.     What is your view on the green laptop, does it work like a 'proper'
computer.  Can a child be comfortable to shift from the green laptop to a
'real' laptop?



I can answer this from an educational perspective. However, if you are more
interested in the technical/technology perspective, I guess Jerome can chime
in on this.



I assume you are referring to windows/Mac PCs as the proper and real
computer/laptops. Although there is a difference in operating system (OS)
between XO laptop (Sugar) and most computers (windows OS), studies show that
children transition between the OS easily. However, the question really lies
on what the computers are really used for?



Many computer (windows) based initiatives tend to focus on providing
vocational training in Excel, Microsoft Word, and Powerpoint to prepare
individuals for the job market. However, most learning activities created to
compliment the XO laptop focuses on transforming students into 21st century
learners – meaning students who are leaders, critical thinkers, digitally
literate, Web 2.0 savvy, team oriented, etc. These are traits that are
needed in an increasingly competitive job market, and digital and globalised
world (Sorry for sounding like an Academic!).



Lastly, learning activities are very interdisciplinary – so math, science,
and reading can be a heavy focus depending on curriculum design.  We
recently added an education specialist to our core team, whose objectives
will be to help form our educational approach and philosophy. We will update
everyone about this soon.



I hope I was able to answer your questions.  If you are in need of further
explanation, we can definitely address your questions via email, skype or
phone. I am sure you will need help preparing your presentation in
September, I hope we can help you in this as well.

Sige, ingat!

Ryan


On Thu, May 28, 2009 at 8:15 PM, Milagros simpson <milagros8 at bigpond.com>wrote:

>   Hello OLPC Philippines,
>
> I am a retired bank employee in Sydney Australia, I am of Filipino origin.
>
>  I have heard about OLPC on television and I immediately thought that OLPC
> could make my ex-boss's dreams come true.
>
> The town mayor of Lubang Mindoro is my former boss in the National Computer
> Center (NCC) in Camp Aguinaldo , Quezon City, Col. Juan Sanchez.
> Being a technology person, Col Sanchez is embarking on an IT Program for
> the school children of Lubang, and he had asked helped from us former
> employees.
>
> Some former NCC employees from Canada, US and the Philippines are coming
> over to Sydney for a reunion in September 2009.  I would like to present in
> the reunion the OLPC scheme, as one of our community service program in the
> Philippines.
> .
> I have gone through the OLPC site and I have seen the webpage for donation,
> but  I would like the donation to be treated as a project, not a casual
> donation.
> This could be one of your pilots, if not the pilot pilot.
> Could you please clarify for me what the give a laptop scheme is (donate 1
> , get 1).  This is a bit confusing.  Do we pay $199 for one laptop, then we
> get one free?
> I saw one page where it said $399 for a pair.
> What is your view on the green laptop, does it work like a 'proper'
> computer.  Can a child be comfortable to shift from the green laptop to a
> 'real' laptop?
>
>
> Looking forward to your early reply.
>
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Meg
>
> Mobile: 0412 180 927
> Home Phone: 02 4998 1142
>
> _______________________________________________
> OLPC-Philippines mailing list
> OLPC-Philippines at lists.laptop.org
> http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/olpc-philippines
>
>
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