農村的教育問題, 不單是資源和教育人材的缺乏, 還要面對 digital divide 所帶來的不公.
在北京讀書的時候, 每年都會有幾個大學生自殺, 很多都是農村來的; 他們在農村和地方是最優秀的學生, 但到了北京, 尤其是清華, 從入學選課, 到交工課, 到日常生活互動, 資訊流通, 所有的事情都是透過電腦和網路完成的, 不懂電腦的, 頓然變成一個文盲. 沒有錢買電腦的, 則與世隔絕.
蘋果電腦展開了一個100美金一台電腦的計畫, 務求所有貧窮小孩都能擁有自己的電腦. 這台電腦的設計已經出來, 它會透過大型的聯合國和非政府組織發展計畫, 送到小孩手中. 要落實這計畫, 還需要一系列的配套, 如農村無線互聯網絡的發展,網上 開放圖書館資源和開放教學的資源等.
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轉載自 world's changing
Kofi Annan and Nicholas Negroponte were scheduled to unveil the prototype design of the "$100 Laptop" (also known as the One Laptop Per Child project) today at the World Summit on the Information Society meeting in Tunis. (WorldChanging has previously discussed this project here -- Ethan gets a preview, here -- I get an update, and here -- my original post on the subject.) I haven't seen any reports yet from the scene, but while we wait, here are some updated links:
The One Laptop Per Child website at MIT has new pictures up of the latest version of the design. The crank
(which currently does not actually work) has a definitely "toy" look to
it, which is intentional (see below), and the unit itself is actually fairly small. The ability to flip the system into "e-book" and "laptop theater" mode is striking, however -- it's something most laptops costing ten or twenty times as much can't do.
The Christian Science Monitor and the Washington Post have introductory articles out today, recapping the history and goals of the project. Each provides a useful new tidbit -- the CSM
reports that Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has proposed a $54
million program to equip 500,000 state school students with the
laptops, while the Post notes that the color and design of the laptops is meant to deter adult thieves by making the devices easily identifiable.
That may not be enough. The features of the $100 laptop are
potentially attractive enough that some folks may just give it a quick
spray paint job to avoid easy detection. The theft temptation is just
one of the potential problems with the idea identified by Lee Felsenstein at the Fonly Institute.
Other potential problems include power generation, the reliability of
mesh networking, and the necessary support infrastructure. Felsenstein
should know -- not only was he one of the leaders of the Homebrew
Computer Club back in the 1970s and 1980s (and Laureate of the Tech
Museum of Innovation), he was instrumental to the creation of the Remote Village IT project begun in 2002.
It's important to note that Felsenstein's arguments may not hold
water: the power requirements may be lower than he supposes, for
example, and solving the issue of persistence of mesh networks may
require supplemental hubs, but is certainly not impossible. For me, his
most powerful caution is calling out the attractiveness of the device
for non-student use -- simply relying on bright colors to deter theft
(or sales by family members) is not likely to be sufficient.
The larger question remains as to whether this is the right tool for
the job at hand. I have no doubt that the technology/price point is
achievable, eventually. And certainly, for at least some of the
students, a device like this will enhance learning and access to
information. But whether this is a better solution than other
solutions -- both technological and otherwise -- is a still-unanswered
question. Books are less-costly and far less likely to be stolen, and
community computers (akin to "Village Phones") would provide access
with less risk of theft or misappropriation. They aren't even good
models for the technologies that the students in the global south are
likely to be using as adults: systems based on mobile phone-type
architectures are already far more common, and can carry out many key
economic tasks.
Still, I'm not as convinced that the program will inevitably fail as
is Felsenstein. There is a form of immersion in information that's
possible with a larger screen that simply cannot be replicated with a
mobile phone-type device. The distribution and theft issue is likely
solvable, if difficult. But neither am I as convinced as Negroponte
that this is the best course of action.
I'm willing to see it tested, though -- and would be happy to be surprised.