Reviews of OLPC

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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.

External links

References and footnotes

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