Ed Tech Talk

“Get 1, Give 1” program develops technology integration

I've tried to keep up with the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) foundation visioned by MIT professor Nicholas Negroponte and the effort to get inexpensive laptop computers in the hands of children in the developing world. Unfortunately, it seems that it has become difficult to get the costs of the computers down to the price point of $100. The program has “ramped up” its efforts by offering the current “Get 1, Give 1” program in which the general public can buy one of the laptops for $399 and another laptop goes to a student in a developing country free of charge. This program runs for two weeks in November and promises delivery of the U.S.-bound units to customers by the holiday season in December.

The inexpensive units boast their own operating system, Web camera and sound processing as well as a hand crank that keeps the unit's battery charged and operating. I watched with interest the “Give 1, Get 1: Closing the Digital Divide” ABC News story on Sept. 28 as well as reading an article about the program in the recent THE Journal. Being a educational technology evangelist, I’m always excited to envision a world where the technology playing field is becoming more flat, but even I worry that important issues related to technology — copyright of material, cyberbullying, online predators and other issues — tend to be overlooked in the world of “just get the technology in their hands.”

Maybe this is an opportunity to “Give 1, Get 1” to our underpriviledged local schools who have trouble with nonfunctioning or, worse yet, no technology at all in their classrooms. Maybe this is an opportunity to assist our youth centers in getting technology in the hands of local children in need. Maybe this is a great opportunity to get this technology in the hands of our seniors spread throughout senior centers in our areas. I'm just not quite sure where it all fits in other than … the laptops will make some great holiday gifts!