Reviews of OLPC

OLPC has helped country leaders plan and commit to national education projects involving 1-to-1 use of laptops in schools since 2006. In January 2005, OLPC announced an intent to design a laptop for children and make learning with child-owned laptops the norm, and by January 2007 the first "XO" laptop trials<ref>For the purposes of this review, distributions and deployments mean schools or larger educational groups in which all children in certain grades and all of their teachers have their own laptop. </ref> were underway with primary school children and teachers, in Brasil, Nigeria, and Peru. As of December 2009, OLPC has shipped 1.2 million XO laptops to 31 countries.

Countries planning large-scale national deployments of XOs for primary schools ("country partners") began making public commitments to olpc in 2007.<ref>Initially Peru, Nigeria, Argentina, Libya, Thailand and Uruguay.</ref> Feedback was gathered about changes to the laptop<ref> Including at a detailed country meeting in 2007</ref>, and the earliest deployments of the mass-production version of XO laptops (XO-1) began in Peru and Uruguay in late 2007.<ref>There were a few significant revisions in the XO-1 design over the following year: strengthening the keyboard membrane to improve its thickness and lifespan, and improving the robustness and responsiveness of the touchpad.</ref>

National plans for project-based learning, adjusted national teaching standards, community and family engagement through XOs, and digital publishing of activities and school materials, have developed furthest in Peru and Uruguay. Both of those countries have steadily expanded their programs in size and scope since 2007.

Research papers and reports

Evaluation of OLPC programs globally: a literature review (NL)

Nugroho & Leonsdale

The Australian Council for Educational Research conducted its own review several times a year, including summary observation. They provide a good overview of both formal and informal evaluations of OLPC programs in 12 countries. They include timelines, methodologies, and outcomes (or expected outcomes). While their meta-evaluation shows positive global trends in evaluation of OLPC programs, they note that most programs have begun only recently. Different evaluations covered vary in scope, methodology, and stakeholders.

The authors encourage the need to address evaluation in the early stages of program design and planning to build understanding of design, implementation, and results.

OLPC Haiti pre-pilot evaluation report (IDB)

The Education Division of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) conduted an assessment following their partial funding of the current program in Haiti. The report provides an analysis of usage trends and outcomes for grades 1-5 after studying 50 students, assessed by interviews and observations.

Gains were observed particularly in literacy (reading and writing) and student preparedness for the future (research about / envisioning their future work options). Teachers, technical staff, and administrators were also interviewed. Data analysis and interview guides are included in the document.

Ethiopia Implementation Report, Sep-Dec 2007 (EduV)

Eduvision is a small educational non-profit that has proposed its pedagogical aids as useful classroom options for Ethiopia's deployment. They sponsored this report, which discusses the educational setting and modes of teaching in Ethiopia, presenting them as necessary cultural guidelines for successful adoption. The study recommends Eduvision's methods and tools as an incremental step toward creative thinking and independent inquiry for students in Ethiopia's system.

The study involved 12 teachers trained to teach XO basics to classes of 2d, 7th, and 8th graders. After distribution and use for 2 months, students were given batteries of activity tests, task completion tests, and questionnaires. Structured interviews were then held with students and teachers. Positive changes observed and tracked included

1. productive changes in teaching styles (of teachers)
2. increaesd student collaboration and dialogue
3. support of eachother's learning process and objectives

Student motivation improved, and introducing gaming was cited as a way to promote attention to the curriculum.

Ghana: The One Laptop per Child Project and Its Applicability to Ghana (BOA)

Buchele & Owusu-Aning

This paper presents an assessment of OLPC in Ghana with an equitable approach to criticism. Buchele was in charge of part of teacher training for Ghana's first OLPC efforts. 'Applicability' is explored in terms of human development (particularly literacy), access to education, and specific ICT goals currently set forth by the Ghanaian Education Ministry.

The assessment refers to Ghana as a country most suited for OLPC collaboration. Challenges for implementation and funding are discussed.

Early OLPC experiences in an Uruguayan School (Hourcade)

This report on the first Uruguayan XO pilot, with 150 students in a rural school, provides a good observational overview of XO activities in the classroom.

Uruguay as a country has now reached saturation of primary schools with XOs, and has a couple of independent long-range assessments underway; this study is an interesting historical footnote to those. Technical problems with beta machines including problems with the XO interface were cited as hindrances to learning and collaboration. The study observed positive impact with students as content creators, growing interest in reading and writing, and growth of reseach via the Web.

OLPC regional case studies: Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America (Hooker)

This is a broad review of four OLPC projects in Ethiopia, Nepal, Ireland and Uruguay, including strategies for implementation and educational context. Some basic analysis and key findings are summarized.

Topical studies

Using OLPC technology as a Computer: Computer Science Case Study (Buchele)

This paper gives a technial overview of the XO as a computer that can be used as a learning catalyst in computer science classes. Well suited to help students understand topics from design of computer architectures to communication networks, to the development of educational software. Points to use by community beyond the primary school education system.

OLPC for Health Clinics (Fontelo+)

OLPC for Health Clinics in Developing Countries (Fontelo, et. al. in AMIA symposium)

Extending the Benefits of OLPC for Health (Fontelo, BMJ '09)

An assessment of the usefulness of XOs in health clinics. XOs were used to provide access to health records (OpenEMR and CHITS) including medical imaging information and access to research docs (via PubMed). Possibilities for use in health educaiton and child ownership of health information are addressed.

Stakeholder and Implementing Partner status presentations

The Starfish on the Beach: OLPC for the poorest and most remote, and how? (Becerra)

Oscar Becerra of Peru's Ministry of Education overviews OLPC distribution in Peru with their inspiration for the project, an overview of public ed, and plans for integration over time. The presentaiton presents the pilot project in Arahuay with strong positive results in literacy. Integration concerns are discussed.

Plan Ceibal: One Laptop per Child and Teacher (Brechner, LATU)

Miguel Brechner, of Uruguay's LATU, provides an overview of Uruguay's deployment with distribution numbers, demographic info, timelines, and anecdotal learning stories from the first full year of the project.

Plan Ceibal Technical Area (Haim)

Fiorella Haim presents the technical details of networking implementation, school installation, and XO tracking in Plan Ceibal. With a tremendous attention to detail, Ceibal adapted software for strategic mapping of connectivity, use, and software updates in schools.

= The End of Techno-Critique: The Naked Truth about 1:1 Laptop Initiatives (WB)

The End of Techno-Critique: The Naked Truth about 1:1 Laptop Initiatives and Educational Change (Mark Weston and Alan Bain)

JTLA Vol 9, No 6.

This is a review of ten years of enthusiastic rhetoric about 1:1 laptop initiatives, and criticisms of same from educational observers and critics (particularly those who advocate other models of educational change instead). The authors review over 100 papers, assessments, and smaller overviews, primarily of US educational efforts. They claim that for generations, most efforts to induce short-term measurable change in learning and teaching outcomes have failed by those limited metrics, and that 1:1 computing has attracted more than its share of criticism by being a recent high-profile and large-budget effort.

Some specific conclusions are drawn about the benefits of "cognitive tools" in saturation, and what sorts of schools and communities can best benefit from them. This seems like novel speculation and research -- citations are given mainly as a way of indicating what not to do. The authors recommend trying such efforts with self-organizing schools that engages students as well as teachers in designing the use of new tools, with active feedback loops that help all teachers and students conribute to a single pool of ideas and practices. And they conclude that many 1:1 programs make "idiosyncratic and sporadic" use of technology, advising "systemic and ubiquitous" use in a community instead.

External links

• Portal Ceibal (Uruguay)
• Peru Educa (Peru)
• Paraguay Educa (Paraguay)
• Mochila Digital (Mexico)

References and footnotes

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