100+Dollar+Laptop

= = = = =What is it?= =Also known as One-Laptop-Per-Child (OLPC), is a non-profit organization that is an off-shoot of MIT Laboratories. The purpose of the project is to revolutionize how all the children of the world are educated.=

//A Vision://
"It's an education project, not a laptop project." — Nicholas Negroponte

__The hardware__

 * designed for the poorest children in most remote areas of the world
 * light-weight: size of a textbook, lighter than a lunch box
 * safe
 * soft rounded edges
 * integrated handle
 * [[image:specs_battery_thumb.jpg]]
 * rubber membrane keyboard
 * [[image:specs_peripherals_thumb.jpg]]
 * extra wide touch pad for pointing, drawing, and writing
 * fully compliant with the European Union's RoHS Directive -- contains no hazardous materials like toxic heavy metals
 * appealing to children
 * distinctive to prevent gray- or black-market sales
 * "transformer" hinge allows to assume configurations: laptop, e-book, gaming
 * [[image:specs_extConnectors_thumb.jpg]]
 * designed collaboratively by educators and engineers
 * ultra-low cost
 * power-efficient
 * CPU suspends itself to save energy
 * uses 1/10th the power of a "normal" laptop
 * can be powered by human power: crank, pedal, or pull-cord
 * enhanced battery management for an extended recharge-cycle lifetime
 * battery can be charged using an alternative source like an auto battery
 * built-in wireless router creates its own mesh network out of the box
 * [[image:meshdemo.gif]]
 * 7.5", 1200x900 pixel screen with 2 display modes (full color and reflective that is readable in the sun)
 * durable
 * no hard drive
 * [[image:specs_coreElectronics_thumb.jpg]]
 * only two (2) internal cables
 * 2.mm thick plastic walss
 * display cushioned with bumpers
 * USB ports are protected externally by the mesh antenna as well as internally
 * estimated life: 5 years
 * estimated life: 5 years

If you want to look even closer at the specs for the XO [|XO specifications].

__The software__

 * Software is free and opensource
 * Red Hat's Fedora Core 6 version of the Linux operating system
 * Five programming environments
 * 1) [|Python] for user interface and activity model
 * 2) [| Javascript] for browser-based scripting
 * 3) [| Csound], a programmable music and audio environment
 * 4) [|Squeak], a version of Smalltalk embedded into a media-rich authoring environment
 * 5) [|Logo].
 * 6) We are also looking into providing some support for Java and Flash.
 * Applications


 * 1) [|Xulrunner], the run-time environment used by the Firefox browser;
 * 2) [|Evince], a document viewer
 * 3) [|AbiWord], wordprocessor, [|RSS reader,]an email client, chat client, VOIP client
 * 4) a [|journal], a wiki with WYSIWYG editing, a multimedia authoring and playback environment;
 * 5) a music composition toolkit, graphics toolkits, games, a shell and a debugger.
 * 6) Libraries and plugins include [|Xul], [|GTK+], [|Matchbox], [|Sugar], [|Pango], [|ATK], [|Cairo], [|X Window System], [|Avahi], and [|gstreamer].

__The interface__

 * Papert said that "children are knowledge workers" like any adult, they needed a user-interface tailored to their specific type of knowledge work: learning.
 * Pentagram and Red Hat created SUGAR, "a "zoom" interface that graphically captures their [children's] world of fellow learners and teachers as collaborators, emphasizing the connections within the community, among people, and their activities.
 * learning = collaboration
 * focuses children around "activities" rather than applications
 * **The Presence**: focus = collaboration and expression
 * because children are connected via a meshnetwork, they are part of a learning community
 * the presence of others leads to responsibility for the learning of others
 * exchange of ideas stimulates critical thinking.
 * social interaction
 * "all activities should embrace the mesh and place strong focus on facilitating such collaborative processes"
 * **Expression:** implementation = journaling and iteration.
 * laptop is a thing to think with
 * primary activity is creative expression
 * activities create something, a product, an object [not a file]
 * a sound, not a sound file; a story, not a text file
 * **A Demo**
 * **Slide 1[[image:demo_1.jpg]]**
 * **Slide 2[[image:demo_3.jpg]]**
 * **Slide 3[[image:demo_3.jpg]]**
 * **Slide 4[[image:demo_4.jpg]]**
 * **Slide 5[[image:demo_5.jpg]]**
 * **Slide 6[[image:demo_6.jpg]]**
 * **Slide 7[[image:demo_7.jpg]]**
 * **Slide 8[[image:demo_8.jpg]]**

//Things to think about//

 * Where is it?
 * What will it realy cost?
 * What will the impact on the world economy be if the 3rd world begins to produce millions of people to compete for those high paying jobs? What would Russ have to say about that?
 * __The design__

In the News
[|September 28, 2005] [|November 16, 2005] [|November 17, 2005] [|April 4, 2006] [|February 12, 2007]

[|March 1, 2007]

**Resources**
http://laptop.org/laptop http://wiki.laptop.org/go/One_Laptop_per_Child

This project is created as a requirement for completion of IDT688 Networking and Facilities Management, part of the Instructional Design and Technology Masters and Certification programs offered at Philadelphia University, Lancaster-Lebanon IU#13 site, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. = =
 * Disclaimer**