[IAEP] The Verge article on OLPC/Sugar

[Devin Ulibarri]

Hi,

Perhaps an article could be published to counter this article?

Devin

On Tue, 2018-04-17 at 13:34 -0400, Leah Shadle wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on this article. OLPC
> certainly does NOT agree with the assertion that it is dead!! By many
> measures, OLPC has been- and continues to be- an incredible success,
> thanks to its dedicated volunteers and supporters around the world.
> 
> We at OLPC are certainly grateful for your continued support for
> OLPC, for Sugar Labs, and for edutech programs around the world.
> 
> Walter, we are particularly grateful for your continued commitment to
> getting children the very best educational tools. 
> 
> Certainly there are numerous successful "OLPC" stories around the
> world. I wanted to reach out to you all to let you know OLPC is
> available as a resource to you. Below please find my contact
> information. We are working to connect programs around the world and
> improve communication about the positive impact OLPC has on learning.
> Please feel free to share your success stories with me directly (leah
> @laptop.org) as well as your thoughts/needs/concerns/suggestions.
> OLPC is dedicated to improving learning for children around the
> world, and all of your efforts are very much appreciated.
> 
> With gratitude,
> 
> Leah
> 
> Leah Shadle
> OLPC, Inc.
> 200 South Biscayne Blvd.
> Suite 3550
> Miami, FL 33131 USA
> Phone: +1 (305) 371-3755
> Fax: +1 (305) 374-1374
> www.laptop.org
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: IAEP [mailto:iaep-bounces at lists.sugarlabs.org] On Behalf Of
> Devin Ulibarri
> Sent: Monday, April 16, 2018 9:55 PM
> To: Walter Bender; Caryl Bigenho
> Cc: iaep; Dave Crossland
> Subject: Re: [IAEP] The Verge article on OLPC/Sugar
> 
> I skimmed through the article (https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/16/172
> 33
> 946/olpcs-100-laptop-education-where-is-it-now).
> 
> The title and pull-out quotes seem purposely intended to create shock
> value and click bait.
> 
> I have seen schools with kids using these laptops (Thailand, for
> example). The kids seemed to be having a good time and learning,
> which is the central point.
> 
> I once ignorantly said that "all kids today have a computer" (in
> 2016/2017) to be corrected by Cynthia Solomon. Now I realize that
> kids in our own neighboring communities in the US do not even have
> their own computers. So that being said, I think the idea of a "one
> laptop per child" is a goal to continue doing--not to conclude a
> failure for lack of hardware features. It's like saying that we
> should stop trying to end world hunger b/c some would not have a toy
> and a Happy Meal (or fill in other food item here).
> 
> ..at any rate, the author succeeded in having me click on and skim
> through their bait.
> 
> On Mon, 2018-04-16 at 21:57 +0000, Walter Bender wrote:
> > 
> > FWIW, there was never an offer from Apple to offer a free (gratis) 
> > version of iOS for OLPC use and it is not obvious that it was 
> > technically feasible on the microprocessor we were using at the
> > time.
> > And certainly a free (libre) version was never even up for
> > discussion. 
> > We did have an in-depth discussion with MS at the highest level
> > about 
> > jointly creating a new OS (not a Windows port) but that discussion 
> > stalled out when free (libre) software was raised as a requirement.
> > 
> > It is also worth speculating as to the number of XO-1s still in
> > the 
> > hands of children in 2018 vs the number of iPhone-1s. The article
> > did 
> > not touch upon the efforts we made to keep these machines out of 
> > landfills and when they did reach end of life, to make their 
> > environmental impact minimal: e.g., the first laptop to use an LED 
> > back light instead of fluorescent, etc.
> > 
> > @Caryl: we ended up moving away from human-powered to solar-powered 
> > as 
> > it was less expensive, more robust, and less physically taxing on
> > the 
> > kids. The XO-4 ran (runs) very nicely on a small panel.
> > 
> > But ultimately, it is about what the kids do with the machine,
> > which 
> > is why I remain passionate about Sugar.
> > 
> > regards.
> > 
> > -walter
> > 
> > On Mon, Apr 16, 2018 at 5:28 PM Caryl Bigenho <cbigenho at hotmail.com
> > >
> > wrote:
> > > 
> > > Thanks to Dave for sharing this fun, interesting article! I
> > > already 
> > > knew most of what was in it and could probably add some things,
> > > but 
> > > it was a very thorough overview of the history of our favorite 
> > > little "green machine."
> > > 
> > > It might be fun to debate what could have been done differently
> > > to 
> > > make it more successful... but I think it already was very 
> > > successful and, if it hadn't been for the world financial crisis 
> > > that hit in late 2007-early 2008, we might be seeing millions of
> > > the 
> > > XOs all over the world.
> > > 
> > > Just a few asides... I still believe the XO-4, with touch screen,
> > > to 
> > > be the best possible solution for a child's computer. And, with
> > > the 
> > > more efficient XO-4, the hand crank finally became viable.
> > > 
> > > Long ago many of us were looking for easy ways to adapt the hand 
> > > crank concept to generate power for the XO. Who else remembers
> > > the 
> > > "cow power" experiment? Bicycles were also suggested as
> > > chargers, 
> > > where a student could charge their computer while riding to and
> > > from 
> > > school.
> > > 
> > > I had wanted to try to modify a treadle sewing machine so the 
> > > machine could be folded down and covered with a desktop and a
> > > user 
> > > could gently move their foot up and down as they sat and did
> > > their 
> > > homework on their XO. Alas... even in rural Montana where I went
> > > to 
> > > a lot of farm and ranch sales, I couldn't find a working treadle 
> > > sewing machine. Most owners had turned theirs into saddle racks!
> > > 
> > > Anyone else want to add some interesting anecdotes or ideas from
> > > the 
> > > not so distant past of the XO? Remember... it is still very much 
> > > alive and well in many places around the world!
> > > 
> > > Caryl
> > > From: IAEP <iaep-bounces at lists.sugarlabs.org> on behalf of Dave 
> > > Crossland <dave at lab6.com>
> > > Sent: Monday, April 16, 2018 10:17:05 AM
> > > To: iaep
> > > Subject: [IAEP] The Verge article on OLPC/Sugar
> > >  
> > > www.theverge.com/2018/4/16/17233946/olpcs-100-laptop-education-wh
> > > er
> > > e-is-it-now
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) 
> > > IAEP at lists.sugarlabs.org http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
> > --
> > Walter Bender
> > Sugar Labs
> > http://www.sugarlabs.org
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) 
> > IAEP at lists.sugarlabs.org http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
> _______________________________________________
> IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!)
> IAEP at lists.sugarlabs.org http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
>