Comments on: One Laptop Per Child. But no chalkboard in the schoolhouse. http://lingamish.com/2007/08/one-laptop-per-child-but-no-chalkboard-in-the-schoolhouse/ Won't you be my neighbor? Sat, 13 Mar 2010 04:27:05 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Janet Porter http://lingamish.com/2007/08/one-laptop-per-child-but-no-chalkboard-in-the-schoolhouse/comment-page-1/#comment-1600 Janet Porter Sun, 12 Aug 2007 22:28:49 +0000 http://lingamish.wordpress.com/2007/08/09/one-laptop-per-child-but-no-chalkboard-in-the-schoolhouse/#comment-1600 I always though this was a good idea and very worthy until hearing from those of you who work in these places. Is there a way for the Bill Gates' of the world to hear what you are saying? Our view in this country is so naive and so tainted by our own cultural perspective. Thank you for bringing this much needed perspective and "reality check". I always though this was a good idea and very worthy until hearing from those of you who work in these places. Is there a way for the Bill Gates’ of the world to hear what you are saying? Our view in this country is so naive and so tainted by our own cultural perspective. Thank you for bringing this much needed perspective and “reality check”.

]]> By: Robin Chenoweth http://lingamish.com/2007/08/one-laptop-per-child-but-no-chalkboard-in-the-schoolhouse/comment-page-1/#comment-1599 Robin Chenoweth Fri, 10 Aug 2007 20:11:51 +0000 http://lingamish.wordpress.com/2007/08/09/one-laptop-per-child-but-no-chalkboard-in-the-schoolhouse/#comment-1599 I found your essay on OLPC while looking for information about the mud-wattle construction. Your description of schools in Mozambique almost perfectly matches what I saw recently in Kenya. I've seen schools just like these in Tanzania and Uganda as well. No blackboards. Walls caving in. Snakes and insects nesting within. The wonderful thing is, the kids were still learning inside. They didn't need whiz-bang technology to do it. They need good teachers. They need books. They need pencils. They need food in their stomachs so they can concentrate. I wondered, too, when I heard of OLPC, how long would it take for the laptop to be stolen from homes that are no more secure than the schools? Or for the family to sell it to pay for AIDS or malaria drugs? And what happens when the machines get gummed up with dust that coats everything in sight? For many, many impoverished people, this is a simplistic, though well-intentioned, Western-style band-aid on a huge, open third-world wound. I found your essay on OLPC while looking for information about the mud-wattle construction. Your description of schools in Mozambique almost perfectly matches what I saw recently in Kenya.

I’ve seen schools just like these in Tanzania and Uganda as well. No blackboards. Walls caving in. Snakes and insects nesting within.

The wonderful thing is, the kids were still learning inside. They didn’t need whiz-bang technology to do it. They need good teachers. They need books. They need pencils. They need food in their stomachs so they can concentrate.

I wondered, too, when I heard of OLPC, how long would it take for the laptop to be stolen from homes that are no more secure than the schools? Or for the family to sell it to pay for AIDS or malaria drugs? And what happens when the machines get gummed up with dust that coats everything in sight? For many, many impoverished people, this is a simplistic, though well-intentioned, Western-style band-aid on a huge, open third-world wound.

]]> By: Lingamish http://lingamish.com/2007/08/one-laptop-per-child-but-no-chalkboard-in-the-schoolhouse/comment-page-1/#comment-1597 Lingamish Fri, 10 Aug 2007 04:10:16 +0000 http://lingamish.wordpress.com/2007/08/09/one-laptop-per-child-but-no-chalkboard-in-the-schoolhouse/#comment-1597 Dad, I like your slogans a lot. The power of the original slogan is that it highlights the difference between "give" and "teach." It's the difference between being the recipient of charity and being empowered to improve my own world. Peter, that's an amazing quote. Makes me want to get in a boat. Antonio Machado said, "The one who wants to go to sea must not be afraid of drowning." Dad, I like your slogans a lot. The power of the original slogan is that it highlights the difference between “give” and “teach.” It’s the difference between being the recipient of charity and being empowered to improve my own world.

Peter, that’s an amazing quote. Makes me want to get in a boat. Antonio Machado said, “The one who wants to go to sea must not be afraid of drowning.”

]]> By: Peter Kirk http://lingamish.com/2007/08/one-laptop-per-child-but-no-chalkboard-in-the-schoolhouse/comment-page-1/#comment-1598 Peter Kirk Thu, 09 Aug 2007 22:56:45 +0000 http://lingamish.wordpress.com/2007/08/09/one-laptop-per-child-but-no-chalkboard-in-the-schoolhouse/#comment-1598 <i>If you want to build a ship, don’t summon people to buy wood, prepare tools, distribute jobs, and organise the work, rather teach people the yearning for the wide, boundless ocean – Antoine de Saint-Exupery</i> I stole this quote from a friend's Facebook profile. But perhaps it captures some of the vision behind OLPC. If you want to build a ship, don’t summon people to buy wood, prepare tools, distribute jobs, and organise the work, rather teach people the yearning for the wide, boundless ocean – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

I stole this quote from a friend’s Facebook profile. But perhaps it captures some of the vision behind OLPC.

]]> By: Mt.Jeff http://lingamish.com/2007/08/one-laptop-per-child-but-no-chalkboard-in-the-schoolhouse/comment-page-1/#comment-1594 Mt.Jeff Thu, 09 Aug 2007 17:00:05 +0000 http://lingamish.wordpress.com/2007/08/09/one-laptop-per-child-but-no-chalkboard-in-the-schoolhouse/#comment-1594 Give a man a well and his family can have fresh water every day. Give a man a job and he can provide for his family. Give a man a tool(plow, hammer, sewing machine, grain mill, etc.) and he can earn a living and gain self respect. I agree the OLPC wouldn't do much good in Dinthi, but there are places where it would help kids with their schooling. Maybe the Bill Gates's of the world can provide the computers and the rest of us can help with the simpler tools that would improve life in the villages of the world. Give a man a well and his family can have fresh water every day.
Give a man a job and he can provide for his family.
Give a man a tool(plow, hammer, sewing machine, grain mill, etc.) and he can earn a living and gain self respect.

I agree the OLPC wouldn’t do much good in Dinthi, but there are places where it would help kids with their schooling. Maybe the Bill Gates’s of the world can provide the computers and the rest of us can help with the simpler tools that would improve life in the villages of the world.

]]> By: Lingamish http://lingamish.com/2007/08/one-laptop-per-child-but-no-chalkboard-in-the-schoolhouse/comment-page-1/#comment-1593 Lingamish Thu, 09 Aug 2007 16:30:04 +0000 http://lingamish.wordpress.com/2007/08/09/one-laptop-per-child-but-no-chalkboard-in-the-schoolhouse/#comment-1593 That would be great, Kathy. That would be great, Kathy.

]]> By: Beyond Words http://lingamish.com/2007/08/one-laptop-per-child-but-no-chalkboard-in-the-schoolhouse/comment-page-1/#comment-1595 Beyond Words Thu, 09 Aug 2007 15:30:46 +0000 http://lingamish.wordpress.com/2007/08/09/one-laptop-per-child-but-no-chalkboard-in-the-schoolhouse/#comment-1595 I'm going to ask my Nigerian guests what they think! I’m going to ask my Nigerian guests what they think!

]]> By: Peter Kirk http://lingamish.com/2007/08/one-laptop-per-child-but-no-chalkboard-in-the-schoolhouse/comment-page-1/#comment-1596 Peter Kirk Thu, 09 Aug 2007 12:17:49 +0000 http://lingamish.wordpress.com/2007/08/09/one-laptop-per-child-but-no-chalkboard-in-the-schoolhouse/#comment-1596 Give a child a laptop and he or she can learn and be envisioned about how to run a fish farm to feed the whole village for many lifetimes. Well, in principle. But I recognise that in practice a lot more than this is needed. Give a child a laptop and he or she can learn and be envisioned about how to run a fish farm to feed the whole village for many lifetimes. Well, in principle. But I recognise that in practice a lot more than this is needed.

]]>