It’s almost here. I’m very excited about this device. I’ve been intrigued by it since I heard Nick Negroponte speak about the OLPC 18-months ago. As a educator and technology educator I love the spirit and philosophy behind the project and can easily see how the mass of western education and non-educator journalists completely miss the point of this device. The designers are not interested in creating another cheap consumer product. OLPC chief security and chief trouble maker, Ivan Krstic, said that they are interested in changing education and see this device as a tool to that end. He said that they want to bring the curiosity and peer interaction that was so important in a learners education before becoming “institutionalized” back into the formal learning environment. From it’s very foundations this device was designed to do just that. Please check out Krstic talk at Google on the OLPC

I would guess that most of my fellow educators miss the value of technology in the classroom because technology is usually presented as a way to get done things that they are already getting done without technology; it’s another “bother” in an already cluttered world. As an educator in an urban school district I see how my students flock to interactive technology and are completely at home working on their assignments playing music on their contraband iPods or cell phones and how little the traditional “stand and deliver” model works for them. Come next Monday I intend to plunk down my $400 to purchase a XO-1 as part of their “Give one/Get one” project. Given the “economic status” of most of my students and their families, I wish that I could get one of these little green beasties for all of my students. Part of me wonders, given the number of students if have who are on government assistance, whether LBUSD wouldn’t qualify as a candidate for a “low income” consideration to be a part of this program… JBB