Project One Laptop per Child
The One Laptop per Child project aims to provide children with notebooks so that all children in the world can have at least primary school education . The project is supported by the non-profit foundation of the same name "One Laptop per Child" based in Somerville (Massachusetts) , USA.
The project is long-term, with the project defining various sub-goals.
aims
Construction of a learning platform
The first goal was to design a mobile computer suitable for educational purposes for children aged 6 to 16 years. First of all, it was defined which specific requirements exist. From this it could then be derived which hardware design the platform should have. In addition, this learning platform should be accessible to all children. However, 90% of all children worldwide are currently resident in developing and emerging countries. This in turn results in new challenges for the hardware to be constructed, because in these countries, as a rule, there is no access to a comprehensive computer infrastructure.
In addition, it should be noted that the provision of hardware at today's usual prices for laptops makes purchasing a mobile computer impossible. Because of this, to emphasize the price target for this learning platform, the XO laptop has also been called the $ 100 laptop . Although the current price is still 185 US dollars, the 100-dollar threshold is to be reached by the end of 2009. However, this also depends on whether the US dollar remains weak as a currency in the foreign exchange market against other currencies .
Developing intuitive, collaborative software
In addition, current computers were designed for adult use as office equipment. However, a learning platform should be created for the education and training of children. For this reason, the software also had to be geared towards this new goal. For this reason, a new graphical user interface called "Sugar" was created. In this project it is intended to replace the currently common construction of the user interface as a desktop .
Development of data networks in schools
The project aims to increase communication and cooperation between students and teachers, as this form of cooperation is seen as an effective way of acquiring knowledge. For this reason, a communication infrastructure must often be set up in the schools on site.
In this regard, the project takes several approaches. First of all, the constructed student laptops (model name: XO-1) can exchange data with each other and without exchanges up to a distance of two kilometers (walkie-talkie principle). This decentralized communication can always ensure a minimum amount of information exchange.
If necessary, a group of XO laptops form a cooperative network. A data exchange between two student laptops can be arranged via other student laptops. Thanks to this cooperation between the XO laptops, data can be passed on between two students up to 50 kilometers ( messenger principle). The network configures itself automatically, i.e. independently.
The exchange of very large amounts of data, however, requires an additional infrastructure. For this reason, at the request of the participating project schools, servers for the provision of larger amounts of data including WLAN are installed by the OLPC project. For this project, special servers are currently being developed that are adapted to the particular climatic and infrastructural challenges, especially in developing and emerging countries. The servers should serve as a digital library for teaching but also provide central access to the Internet .
Connection to the internet
An offline version of the Internet encyclopedia Wikipedia and other knowledge databases are to be made available on the school servers . In addition, according to the wiki principle, the basis should be laid so that own learning processes can start on site .
Internet access is considered relevant because this network offers the best possible access to current knowledge. No isolated computer systems should be created, the students should be able to obtain additional knowledge from the Internet if necessary.
Building learning communities
Long-term success is guaranteed in particular if communities are formed at each project location with the aim of acquiring knowledge, applying it and turning it into education. Since existing structures in developing and emerging countries are occasionally insufficient, a local environment should be created that is driven by interest and curiosity and enables people to experience things together. Learning is also understood as a cultural process of creativity and dynamism on site. The aim is not to acquire facts without reflection, but to deal with knowledge and then adapt it to one's own cultural context.
Permanent further development of the provided software
Since the project is based on knowledge building in the long term, the underlying software must also be available in the long term. Since the acquisition of education is also a dynamic and cultural process, the underlying software must also be able to adapt accordingly.
For this reason, the student laptops and the servers are operated exclusively with free software . According to the principles of free software, it can be adapted, changed and improved at will. The source code must be made available to all users on request, so that a monopoly of the computer infrastructure is prevented in the long term and no project partner becomes dependent on information technology (so-called lock-in effect ).
Since the underlying software can be read by everyone involved, permanent further development is typically made possible. This should not only increase the interest of the user, but also contribute to the deeper information technology competence of the computer user in the long term .
For this reason, interested people are also invited by the OLPC Foundation to take part in the "One Laptop per Child" project and, if necessary, to supplement and improve the existing free software with new ideas.