[OLPC-SF] Microsoft Is Joining Low-Cost Laptop Project - New York Times

[Sameer Verma]

jim wrote:
> thank you, ed. 
>
>    it might help that someone remind mr 
> negroponte that the medium is the massage. 
> in other words, part of one's education 
> comes from the values of the channel that 
> deliver the educational content. 
>   

I think mixing the medium and the message is myopic. Does reading a
paper-based book intrigue people to learn about making paper and learn
about book-binding? Does watching TV intrigue people about how TVs
work?  Net neutrality fights this very idea, stating that the medium
should not interfere with the message. Yes, the medium in this case can
also be a part of the message for computing-related topics, but what
about topics that aren't even remotely related to computers...such as
purification of water? Yes, perhaps Pippy can help one think
analytically, but beyond that, how does that help with learning about
water purification?

I am playing devil's advocate, but I'd like to hear more from people
about mixing the message with the medium.

PS: Jim, I hope the usage of "massage" in your post was a typo.
Otherwise I am way off track and off topic ;-)

Sameer

-- 
Dr. Sameer Verma, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Information Systems
San Francisco State University
San Francisco CA 94132 USA
http://verma.sfsu.edu/
http://opensource.sfsu.edu/