Alexandre Enkerli's List: One Laptop Per Child

• Maybe a poor strategy, but it seems to have worked better for Asustek than for OLPC. - Alexandre Enkerli on 2008-05-20

• Despite the snarky comments about "constructionism"/"constructivism" being "mixed up," Ploskonka's piece comes from an interesting perspective. Just noticed Ploskonka lives in Austin, where I was living until recently.
  Just - Alexandre Enkerli on 2008-05-20

• Moodle thread on constructionism motivated by my knee-jerk reactions to what I perceived as dismissive anti-constructionist and anti-constructivist backlash in comments about the OLPC. - Alexandre Enkerli on 2008-05-20

• Behar's enthusiastic presentation of some of the OLPC XO-1's neatest features. The enthusiasm may be communicative but is it as strong as the Reality Distortion Field? - Alexandre Enkerli on 2008-05-20

• Cellphones, leapfrog, and education: the more you think about it with a fresh perspective, the more you imagine possibilities. Why is it that so many people dismiss cellphones as learning tools? - Alexandre Enkerli on 2008-05-20

• collapse of a well-meaning computer scheme

  • Sounds harsh but is actually quite realistic. In fact, the "well-meaning" part depends on individuals' actual intentions, a tricky subject.
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• implosion
• great masters of technological hype

  • Though partly sarcastic, a recognition of Negroponte's talent.
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• endorsed
• constructionism
• expensive gimmick

  • OLPC members keep getting defensive at comments like these but the fact that the Indian government found the device expensive points to a disconnect in the ways the device has been perceived in different parts of the world.
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• no evidence at all that they will actually help

  • Even if evidence is available to OLPC members, it has not been presented publicly. Evidence-based research needs not be incompatible with non-profit efforts.
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• article of faith

  • Addressing the religious fervor with which some technology enthusiasts have been defending their ideas. "These effects are real because we say they are."
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• learn about computers

  • Though it's not always a well-acknowledged point, the OLPC project's goal was, in a way, to transform children abroad into something which could serve in "our" workforce. "Neocolonialism" is one way to put it.
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• don't try to bypass the adult world

  • Probably because of a "childhood is sacred" ideology, the OLPC project effectively sought to widen the generation gap in communities where they have been active. This seems quite detrimental to community-building but may, in fact, help in turning group solidarity into socially mobile individuals. Neo-liberals and neo-conservatives tend to like these types of social changes.
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• end up back in the mainstream computer industry

9 more annotations...

• The tone of the main article seems fairly appropriate, in my mind. Take home message of "let's move on to the more important issues?" - Alexandre Enkerli on 2008-05-20

• Early critique of the OLPC project. Thoughtful, level-headed, prescient. - Alexandre Enkerli on 2008-05-20

• Will we see major changes in the XO-2? - Alexandre Enkerli on 2008-05-20

• Straightforward summary of recent events surrounding former members of the OLPC team. - Alexandre Enkerli on 2008-05-20

• Let's use Sugar to create cool music tools which will help in learning. - Alexandre Enkerli on 2008-05-20

• Did the OLPC project welcome competition, or not? Depends on which OLPC person you talk to. - Alexandre Enkerli on 2008-05-20

• Thinking about the OLPC legacy. - Alexandre Enkerli on 2008-05-20

• Some relatively early statements defending the top-down approach to design. ("You just do it right.") - Alexandre Enkerli on 2008-05-20

• Allegedly a harsh criticism but more of a thoughtful review of design issues with the OLPC. - Alexandre Enkerli on 2008-05-20

• Thoughtful and culturally aware criticism of the the top-down approach used in designing the OLPC XO and its Sugar interface. - Alexandre Enkerli on 2008-05-20

• Discussion of the relationship between the design approach used and the lukewarm adoption of the OLPC XO. - Alexandre Enkerli on 2008-05-20