The One Laptop Per Child Project and the problems of technology-led educational development.

This chapter critically examines the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) and XO-1 or "Children's Machine" project currently being led by the founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab, Nicholas Negroponte. The OLPC is a nonprofit organization that oversees the production of low-cost laptop computers that will be distributed to children in the developing world on a vast scale. The OLPC project's overt, stated mission is to "empower the children of developing countries to learn by providing one connected laptop to every school-age child" (One Laptop Per Child, 2008d). This aim will be achieved through the production and sale of a specially designed laptop computer suitable for children in developing countries. The current model of the computer is known as the XO-1, and it incorporates a number of key features that make it, as the designers argue, a "potent learning tool designed and built especially for children in developing countries, living in some of the most remote environments" (One Laptop Per Child, 2008a). These features include; built-in wireless that allow mesh networking between computers, a dual-mode screen that can be read outdoors, low-power usage, and a tough casing. While these certainly differentiate the laptop from many commercial models, what really separates the XO-1 and the OLPC project as a whole is the intention to make the laptop available to the governments of developing countries at a very low price (initially $100, though this increased slightly). In this chapter it will be argued that while the project is a distinct attempt to provide education for children in the developing world and is commendable for many reasons, the OLPC project raises a number of serious concerns. The chapter will be comprised of three sections. First, the chapter will provide a brief account of the history of the OLPC project. This will reference the ideas that led to the development of the project, the introduction of the project at the World Economic Summit in Davos in January 2005, its launch at the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis in November 2005, and some of the recent developments. Second, the chapter will examine a number of critical issues in deploying technology on such a large scale. In doing so three key issues will be addressed. One, that the project is an example of technological determinism—a much-criticized model of technology dissemination in which the introduction of a particular technology is understood to lead directly and unarguably to discrete and discernable social benefits. Two, that the project seeks to impose the technology with little appreciation of local needs or conditions—moreover, some of the discourse surrounding the project verges on the "colonial" in tone. Three, that the program is concerned solely with providing the hardware and software of the computers while responsibility for the content, training, and support is to be the responsibility of the authorities of the countries in which the technology is used. Finally, the chapter will conclude by arguing that while commendable, the OLPC program should be rigorously evaluated, more attuned to local conditions, and far more wary and mindful of the needs and requirements of children. Media technology, if deployed and used indiscriminately without adequate attention being paid to the "soft" issues of critical understanding, can result in consequences far beyond those initially envisaged. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved). (chapter)