OLPC experiment is showing "encouraging" results
Turns out Ethiopian children can teach themselves -- all they need is tablets dropped off in a village. "Earlier this year, OLPC workers dropped off closed boxes containing the tablets, taped shut, with no instruction. “I thought the kids would play with the boxes. Within four minutes, one kid not only opened the box, found the on-off switch … powered it up. Within five days, they were using 47 apps per child, per day. Within two weeks, they were singing ABC songs in the village, and within five months, they had hacked Android,” Negroponte said." Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/news/506466/given-tablets-but-no-teachers-et...
Last year, Negroponte promised to "literally take tablets and drop them out of helicopters." I for one am glad he reworked this plan and opted instead to drive the tablets up to each village. We wouldn't want any Ethiopian children killed by tablets raining down from the sky... Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2395763,00.asp#fbid=yj2DHk4jyPG On Mon, Oct 29, 2012 at 5:01 PM, Yaw Anokwa <yanokwa@nafundi.com> wrote:
Turns out Ethiopian children can teach themselves -- all they need is tablets dropped off in a village.
"Earlier this year, OLPC workers dropped off closed boxes containing the tablets, taped shut, with no instruction. “I thought the kids would play with the boxes. Within four minutes, one kid not only opened the box, found the on-off switch … powered it up. Within five days, they were using 47 apps per child, per day. Within two weeks, they were singing ABC songs in the village, and within five months, they had hacked Android,” Negroponte said."
Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/news/506466/given-tablets-but-no-teachers-et...
I don't know if this made it to the article, but Negroponte also said that the Ethiopian OLPC machines recorded everything users did and this is all open data, available for others to analyze. (He also said that this all has IRB approval.) --Abie -----Original Message----- From: change-bounces@change.washington.edu [mailto:change-bounces@change.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Yaw Anokwa Sent: Monday, October 29, 2012 5:30 PM To: Change Group Subject: Re: [change] OLPC experiment is showing "encouraging" results Last year, Negroponte promised to "literally take tablets and drop them out of helicopters." I for one am glad he reworked this plan and opted instead to drive the tablets up to each village. We wouldn't want any Ethiopian children killed by tablets raining down from the sky... Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2395763,00.asp#fbid=yj2DHk4jyPG On Mon, Oct 29, 2012 at 5:01 PM, Yaw Anokwa <yanokwa@nafundi.com> wrote:
Turns out Ethiopian children can teach themselves -- all they need is tablets dropped off in a village.
"Earlier this year, OLPC workers dropped off closed boxes containing the tablets, taped shut, with no instruction. "I thought the kids would play with the boxes. Within four minutes, one kid not only opened the box, found the on-off switch ... powered it up. Within five days, they were using 47 apps per child, per day. Within two weeks, they were singing ABC songs in the village, and within five months, they had hacked Android," Negroponte said."
Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/news/506466/given-tablets-but-no-teach ers-ethiopian-children-teach-themselves
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When we first heard this quote from Negroponte, Jonathan Donner commented to me, "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." For those of you too young to remember the American sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, there is a famous thanksgiving episode in which they decided to have a massive thanksgiving turkey give-away. As we're approaching thanksgiving, seems appropriate to share: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf3mgmEdfwg (30 second version here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST01bZJPuE0) -ed -----Original Message----- From: change-bounces@change.washington.edu [mailto:change-bounces@change.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Yaw Anokwa Sent: 30 October 2012 06:00 To: Change Group Subject: Re: [change] OLPC experiment is showing "encouraging" results Last year, Negroponte promised to "literally take tablets and drop them out of helicopters." I for one am glad he reworked this plan and opted instead to drive the tablets up to each village. We wouldn't want any Ethiopian children killed by tablets raining down from the sky... Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2395763,00.asp#fbid=yj2DHk4jyPG On Mon, Oct 29, 2012 at 5:01 PM, Yaw Anokwa <yanokwa@nafundi.com> wrote:
Turns out Ethiopian children can teach themselves -- all they need is tablets dropped off in a village.
"Earlier this year, OLPC workers dropped off closed boxes containing the tablets, taped shut, with no instruction. "I thought the kids would play with the boxes. Within four minutes, one kid not only opened the box, found the on-off switch ... powered it up. Within five days, they were using 47 apps per child, per day. Within two weeks, they were singing ABC songs in the village, and within five months, they had hacked Android," Negroponte said."
Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/news/506466/given-tablets-but-no-teach ers-ethiopian-children-teach-themselves
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participants (3)
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Abraham D. Flaxman
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Ed Cutrell
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Yaw Anokwa