[geeks] OLPCs for sale...

[Geoffrey S. Mendelson]

On Fri, Nov 16, 2007 at 08:15:11AM +0000, Mark wrote:
> OLPC is a Placebo from big corporate business to make it look like  
> they are 'here to help'. 

That's for sure. In the U.S. computers are seen as helping. In many
places they are seen as an expensive distraction. My sons who both
are mildly autistic have them at school, but they are PART of
the curriculum, not something they use all the time.

> It won't solve anything, better teaching and  
> better parenting solves problems with children, not giving them a  
> laptop. 

Both are expensive. Better parenting seems to be a lost art in most
families, even ours. My oldest son had access to a home
computer from when he was about 6, and computer of his own from
about age 10. My middle son got one younger than that and for
his 10th birthday we chipped in and he got realtively fast 
computer with a (then) high end graphics card.
He also has an old Mac laptop, but since it does not play
the games he plays on his high end PC, he no longer
uses it.

My youngest son uses my wife's computer, but that is starting to
be a conflict. In 6 months he graduated from simple Java games
to high end graphics games. He plays Lego Bioncle Heros by
himself and Star Wars Republic Commando in networked mode
with his brother. 

BTW, he was recently diagnosed as dyslexic.

I'm sorry that I could not interest either of them in the
Flight Simulator type programs, my middle son loves combat
games, but would not play Combat Flight Simulator 1 or 3,
even with the "fan" created Korean War option. :-(



> It might *help* in some cases (I, for instance, am dyslexic  
> and used a computer at school a lot to help with essay writing, even  
> in exams), but it' is not the global solution. 

You are right about that. However I question if an OLPC would be used
for that. With it's overly complicated screen, crank generator and
WiFi, I think it would be to distracting to be a help in most classrooms.

When I get back into the hardware design business I hope to produce
an "inforamation appliance" with modern technology. A device priced 
around $100 retail, that can be used for reading ebooks, watching
instructional videos, listing to MP3's and doing word processing
and spreadsheets. 

In many places it will have to be limited in power and resolution so
that it can not play videos. I also have ideas on collaborative
programs that don't need the Internet (and therefore no WiFi),
which is also banned/restricted. 


> For instance, who here  
> would know where to find something on the internet if they had never  
> used it before and knew nothing about it?

The problem with that is some kids can't wait to be distracted.
My wife (a school librarian) had the high school seniors (she
is in a k-12 school) work for her for a few days entering
catalog cards into their database. 

Most of the kids did barely what they were told. Some kids
looked up the books on Amazon and the U.S. Library of Congress
for cataloging information, and some of the kids kept testing the
"p*rn filter".



> You need a teacher as well as a tool. A person needs a certain  
> grounding and understanding of anything before they can use it or  
> learn from it.I mean, what use is a book to someone who cannot read?


That's for sure. 

I think the biggest problem with the OLPC is that it is being "sold" to
people who can't use it. They need both skills and application software
that are in awfully short supply. While one would hope that the people
who buy two, get one, use theirs to develop software and educational
material, in the end it will IMHO be bought as a curiosity and end up on
the shelf next to their Apple II and film cameras.


Geoff.
-- 
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel gsm at mendelson.com  N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838 
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