I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree then as I’m afraid there’s no empirical data on the effectiveness of the OLPC program yet. My hope is that this is the tool that helps lift these children out of poverty permanently. I really truly believe it offers these children a unique opportunity that no other program I’ve heard of does.

I remember Microsoft, or perhaps Bill Gates in particular, recommending mobile devices as well. I can’t envision exactly how that would work, but I would be excited to see “competing” programs to OLPC start up. It can only mean more resources for the recipients of these ventures!

Concerning the tsunami trip I see great value in experiencing other cultures first hand. I hope that that first-hand experience would lead to an understanding of a culture that would change everyone involved for a lifetime.

In the specific instance of the trip you’re referring to, I really cannot say if the trip was “worth it” or not. I assume many such trips are not, but I must admit I have no way of backing up that assumption or quantifying the value of experiencing other cultures first-hand.

I guess I’ll be blunt and say it. Its all a waste of time. The question one has to ask is this been done to GENUINELY solve the problem or is it been done to feel good about oneself and feel like I am doing something cool.

There is really no use for a laptop when you do not have the basic needs for an effective educational system. But then again how can one really expect when there isn’t an understanding of what it is like to truly live in the 3rd world.

Imagine this, its like offering someone whose lost their job and their house is about to be foreclosed a timeshare to resort in Hilton Head, NC. My guess is that you’ll say its not the same thing. But it is, they are both great gifts that have nothing do not address the issue.

Besides there a lot cheaper technologies that could be applied effectively. Mobile devices have taken off in the rest of world and provide good bang for the buck. However, they are not sexy and not the kind of thing you can talk about at Starbucks on campuses and feel really really smart.

Here’s my advice. Its good and great to be helpful. But if one really wants to be helpful then one should realize that the people closest to the problem have better/effective ideas on what can and should be done. Then you can provide them the help they really need.

And not travel half way around the world to tsunami stricken areas to give them toiletries when the $20k that was spent on the trip could have been put to better use, a la GC. But then again I guess it was about the photo opp and the tourist opp.

At $200, the laptop is probably the most economical educational resource as it replaces books, calculators, pens, pencils, reams of paper, etc. Hopefully the price will drop further and the economics will become more apparent.

There may not even be sufficient educational resources available in the native languages of all children.

As far as non-educational needs such as food, shelter, and healthcare, I would hope those would be addressed in areas the XOs are being deployed. OLPC is an education focused NGO. Other NGOs are attempting to meet non-educational needs. If you feel other efforts are more important than OLPC, I’m sure no one would argue with you donating to them!

I would hope not kids in the 3rd world, where they do not even have basic classrooms.

Best laid plans of mice and men … ahh But then again what is it really worth if people sit in their ivory towers and plan solutions for the halflings without ever finding out what the real problems are.

The question to ask is what would I REALLY NEED if I was in that situation.

Thoughts?

Cheers mate!

I’m a native English speaker, but my parents moved to France when I was four years old, and I grew up going to French school. So I grew up bilingual — I spoke English at home, and French in school. I was four, so I not only picked up French easily, I also picked up a French accent. (When speaking French — my accent speaking English is the same American accent that my parents have).

It wouldn’t be as easy for kids to pick up English from *just* written resources without hearing it spoken. Immersion helps, a lot. But it’s still easier to pick up a language as a kid than as an adult — I’m an example of that fact.