How does giving school children, students and the disadvantaged access to computers help them?

Answer 1

We live in the computer age. Most businesses, the government, offices, are run with computers. Almost every person I know has a computer. Underpriviledged students should have the same tools, and oportunites, to learn with as that of any other students with higher means, meaning money. Some schools in some areas, have mostly poor students who dont have the resourses like computers, for example, to find an understanding and a place in the growing world. Having computers, especially to a child is exciting and fun. I know, I have a 9 year old, and he can do almost as much as I can on it. Underprivilidged children are often bored at school, they don't generally have mentors who influence them to succeed in learning. Me, for example, I had to quit school to take care of my grandmother, she was ill, and mom had to work, we couldnt afford a caretaker. Other kids have gang influences in their neighborhoods, etc. As you know, the net is loaded with information about near everything! When I want or need to know something, even a phone number, I go straight to my computer. Kids learn faster using computers especially, because while learning, they have a visual, a picture, and not just a teacher with a piece of chalk, telling them how to do math, or reading a required book. A lot of the learning done on computers at schools, are games, math games, all kinds, and makes learning fun, and exciting for kids of all ages! As an adult, since having my pc, about 5 years now, I have never studied so much in my whole life. My son does it, too, and loves it. We should all want a computer for all the children at school, and perhaps stop a cycle of underpriviledged children, growing up, and having more underpriviledge children, and staying with the growing times.

Answer 2

I collect, manage the sources, for old computers, then, I install the FREE Operating Systems with 1900 to 5500 FREE games and programs, in private schools, and in the homes of children whose parents cherish their beer fund, NOT their kid's or society's, future!

I try to pay for the internet for them, or, if close to my network, leech off of mine. I pick up used Macs of all vintages as they are STILL very fast, and have tons of great educational programs!

Older PCs, I give http://pclinuxos.com and they run upto 50X faster than they could in Microsoft, without any licensing issues, and the games,DVDs (thank you Jon Johannsen!!! DVD KID!), and CD movies...

Just was a small part of putting up 48 Compaq 1.5Ghz systems, networked to a quad server (THAT cost about $60,000, 5 years ago!), with two IPCOP boxes, http://ipcop.org in a school here.

The Linux Users Group http://leap-cf.org provided over 60 man hours of labor, but, Disney provided all the hardware, except some club members provided wifi routers, DVD drives, wiring, ends, and other small materials. Thank you to DisneyWorld, Orlando, Florida!!!

We cloned all the 20GB hard drives after the first one was created and loaded, and then had 6 machines cloning on the second run. That took almost 15 minutes per drive. Easy as pie in Linux! We did Fedora Core 5, but I prefer http://pclinuxos.com
(based upon Mandriva).
Next weekend, we start working on the Computer Lab classroom for a school of 400, about an hour drive South of DisneyWorld.

I live about an hour North of DisneyWorld. DisneyWorld provided technical assistance, a truck and drive to deliver the goods. The waiting list for any 501(C)3 is about 6 to 10 months, there are about 100 to 200 groups in queue at any one time, for corporate aid, and all requests must be submitted on letterhead with a copy of the Federal Cert.

This is NOT the ONLY corporaqtion that disposes of their equipment this way, mandating that one of their System Managers be involved to assure the drives are wiped out, and re-formatted to protect company data.

America will trash over 300 MILLION computers in 2006. More in 2007. Are they going to the dump, to leach 8 pounds of toxins per unit, monitor, or CPU, into the drinking water?

Or, will Corporate and private owners be responsible and donate them to Linux Users Groups for use in schools, and other charitable users?

Answer 3

I builds a skill set in learning how to read and how to type, gives them access to finding jobs and opportunities, and helps them stay in touch with others, which is good psychologically. For kids, playing computer games is a great way to learn, whether it is for spelling, for reading or just for hand eye co-ordination. It's about bettering yourself.

Answer 4

yes