From laptops to Legacy
19 October 2009
No stranger to this newsletter, and yet one that seems to have gone quiet for quite a few months now, is the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) scheme.
As a very quick recap, OLPC was a scheme devised by Nicholas Negroponte that involved being able to make a laptop, albeit a fairly low spec one, for under $100 and then be able to provide it to all of the children in the poorest countries in the world.
As all of these laptops (called the XO) are internet enabled, every child would therefore have access to a fundamental learning resource.
It is a great scheme but one that has not been without problems. Firstly, there was not the buy-in from many governments that was hoped for, initial orders were in the tens of thousands rather than millions, and also the goal of delivering a $100 laptop proved harder than expected, even with extensive margin from suppliers. The current price is around $260 for a laptop, although this includes all internet installation and training costs.
The good news is that the scheme is still building momentum. Uruguay has become the first country to provide every primary school child with his or her own XO – pupils in a school in Montevideo becoming recipients of the last of the 362,000 computers delivered to children across the country. Presumably these computers will flow through the secondary school system as the children get older, providing a massive boost to the new generation of children. Apparently, prior to the scheme, 70% of households that now have a computer had no computer access before, so it is clearly going to have an affect not just on education, but on society as a whole. I wonder how long it will take for parents to start realising that Uruguayan children are spending as much time social networking as they are doing homework! I jest of course, OLPC is a fantastic project and an opportunity for millions of children and their families throughout the developing world. I believe the team in Uruguay responsible for implementing the project are offering their consulting services to other governments interested in the scheme. Momentum may be building.
A second topic I would like to bring to you attention this week is the e-Legacy awards – a topic that actually ties in quite nicely with OLPC. These Awards are run by a magazine from the same stable as EMTWorldWide, Electronic Product Design (EPD). The Awards recognise how certain products, projects and companies will make a lasting and positive impact on industry and society as a whole. So rather than splitting categories by product types, these Awards include such categories as environmental design, medical and education. And for all that EPD is a UK-based magazine, many of the finalists are of global interest with products or projects that have no geographical boundaries. And the reason for bringing it to your attention now? A couple of months ago a judging panel whittled the entrants down to six finalists in each category and the winner will be decided by public vote. There is now only a week or so left before the voting process closes, so if you have opinions about the legacy today’s electronics industry is leaving behind, then visit EPD's e-Legacy awards page to see the finalists and place your votes. Winners will be announced at the Awards ceremony in London on 4 November and I will bring you the results straight after.
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