###In addition to doing research for English literature, they learned technology skills such as managing files, using and creating custom tool bars, and advanced word processing.###

A few things on computer skills:

(1) Just so long as students are learning skills, not cookbook stuff, that’s great. Far too often “computer” lessons become “how to use Product X” lessons with no general principles being taught at all.

(2) As a collegiate instructor, I am always floored at the shocking level of ignorance among students. I always try to require something involving custom graphing because, duh, this is a really important skill and something you only get good at through practice (much like writing, which they’re not asked to do much these days either). Far too often, people just use canned routines and program defaults without thinking about what they want their graphs to say. I once had a student say to me, “I really don’t know much about this technology stuff.” I asked her how old she was. The answer was “21″. My reply was, “Seriously, do you think that computers and computer skills are going to become LESS important in the next fifty or so years of your working life? Now’s the time to learn.” I’m pretty sure she was there for an MRS degree and I got a classic gaze avoidance back.

http://news.squeak.org/2007/12/05/demand-olpc/

For some discussion of the software side of things.

Having experienced what a chunk of plastic and metal wired wirelessly to the world economy can do to a person, I am watching how the OLPC unfold closely.

The situation paints a striking semblance to giving the child a key, but not knowing which door it unlocks. When the sunsets, he is still left wandering on the street, holding the key. In hunger.

The critical component here is the timely education for the laptop recipient on the powerful potential, when Technology meets Leverage in a Low Cost, Massive Exposure environment. The Internet.

When that happens, Knowledge becomes Wealth.

With that, I am thankful for the abundance in life that internet marketing have given me. All made possible because of this internet thingy.

Well done OLPC!

It’s time to crawl out of the rock and feel the sunshine.

I would like to thank you for the wonderful post, particularly the quotes from the interview with an OLPC rep. It’s definitely a reminder of how we can overlook some issue stateside for the same issue across the Atlantic (or Pacific, depending on direction and inclination)

###But MPA, as an academic aren’t you supposed to be contributing to the alphabet soup? I think you now have an intellectual duty to create some new concept###

Alphabet soup sucks. There’s just no two ways about it. There is way, way too much of it and I won’t be a part of it if I can at all help it.