Frederik Questier's Library tagged OLPC →  View Popular, Search in Google

Lesson to be learned: Start small, study your market. There is no way you can understand the country where you try to bring your new educational ideas if your only contact is with the government. Pilot programs work

Lesson to be learned: Within the same country, needs are different, and what works in some place may not work for others.

The overall student impression is interesting - they still see them as fun machines, not as work devices - and this is a good thing in that they are working and learning without even realising it.

What is really different is that OLPC has been, from its beginning, about scale. The 1m initial order number trumpeted in the early days wasn't only meant to facilitate economies of scale to drive prices down (although of course it was that too), but also meant to stand in contradiction to the way educational technology initiatives have evolved in most places, where small incremental changes slowly accreted over time. Things are frankly different at scale -- different not only in degree, but in kind.

Focus on activities, not applications  – “Write” a letter vs. “use” Microsoft Word

they "use their OLPCs every day. They are doing so many things with them. They love them." We personally believe these wonderful machines have the power to transform lives for the better and not just children's lives.

Have there been improved levels of reading comprehension?
Reading comprehension of children in primary levels has been improved by approximately 50%.  

 Does increased use of computing (and Sugar) improve student achievement?
Student achievement is measured by many variables; we have seen improved reading comprehension, text analysis, and mathematical analysis.

  

Have you seen improved logical thinking?
We have seen improved the logical mathematical thinking, but we need more work on this subject (more activities are need in this area).

  

Have students improved their ability to analyze the texts they read?
They have increased by almost 60% in all primary levels.

  

Are students more creative?
The texts produced by children and teachers demonstrate more creativity; also there is improvement in writing and spelling.

  

Are the students gaining skills and problem-solving skills?
The students are using skills gained to help their parents (farmers or ranchers) to improve their activities.