The $100 Dollar Laptop, a perfect example of stupidity?

Question

The $100 dollar laptop, a project set up by the OLPC (one laptop per child) organization. The idea of it is for it to be used by children in developing countries, and eventually reach a goal of 1 laptop per child. But is this idea actually of any use?
Remember, being poor in a developing country is not like being poor in America/Europe, So the price tag of $100 dollars is simply way too much. Most people don't have access to anything, water, electricity and most of all, schools. So, how will they know how a laptop even works? and also, remember all the services needed for the laptop to work, this includes electricity and an internet connection. You could argue that these are possible by using solar panels etc..etc ..but how much will that cost in total? it would be a far wiser choice for the money to be spent somewhere else. for example : government funded schools, food (!), government services, transport etc etc.

An laptop will never replace a book and a pencil.

What do you think?

Answer 1

The best way to help a poor, diseased ridden country, is to help them aquire clean water. Until that is done, nothing you do will help.

Answer 2

The laptops will be used as an education tool, instead of shipping mass amounts of paper & pencils into those countries. After all, you can learn about anything on the internet. And someday they will phase out pencils & paper. They've already began to.

However, you are correct in the fact that other things, such as cleaning the water and growing enough food in the population for Africa is more important than educated them, in the short and long terms.Education is important, but if there is not enough food for everyone, then sad to say, some of these children will not live long enough to need the education.

Although I don't believe that any nation's federal money is being pumped into this program. The OLPC organization is most likely funding this probably through donations and larger donations from Billionaire electronic moguls who might be able to slap their companies brand name into the system.

Answer 3

I think you are wrong about the laptop not being able to replace a book and a pencil. Having access to a laptop and the internet will immediately increase the access these children have to information - not just factual information, but there are many online literature catalogs. With a click of a button, thousands of students will simultaneously have access to Charles Dickens, Shakespeare, Plato, and others. Of course infrastructure is important, but with access to information, the ability to build and create a viable infrastructure is not far behind. This is only the group of one organization, they set their own mission. There are many others whose focus is schools, food/farming and other government services. If you have a different priority, contribute to that organization instead and if the organization doesn't exist, start one instead of criticizing the good works of others.

Answer 4

I am not touching the question but have a comment about some answers. Everyone is saying that a computer hooked to the internet is the greatest learning tool ever created but I would argue that. Written Language is by far more important and, the internet is full of crap sources, BS, hatred, ignorance and other stupid junk so you still have educate them how to decipher a good resource from a bad one!

Answer 5

Laptops have already replaced a book and a pencil, and a computer attached to the Internet is the most powerful learning tool ever created, period. The computer will be powered by a hand crank. Not all areas have enough sunlight to power solar panels, or can use them all the time, such as during monsoon rains. A computer connected to the internet could show people in poor areas how to build irrigation systems, how to build water treatement plants, how to learn foreign languages, mathematics, medicine, astronomy, etc. You remind me of the investment bankers that rejected Steve Jobs idea of a personal home computer saying nobody would ever want one. I'll bet some of them even laughed at him. I'll bet they aren't laughing at him now. Its a brilliant idea, even if you can't see it. And no book and pencil in the world can have video or streaming audio. Books have their place: as instruction manuals for computers. Your thinking is out of date.

Answer 6

Thats crazy. A hundred dollars would be a few months wages in a third world country, they can't afford to spend it on a laptop. These people can't even afford to send their kids to school. Use the money to set up schooling for the poor, it would be much more useful.

Answer 7

I don't think they understand what you are saying, or overestimating the power of computers and the internet. It's like giving someone a car without excess to gas. DUH. If the infrastructure isn't there what good is it. If that is a long term goal, good. But the immediate goal should self-sufficiency, clean water, basic education, and medical treatment.

Ever hear of Maslow's Hierarchy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs

Most of these people are not even in the physiology stage.

Here's a better use of money.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_8_60/ai_n13721346

Answer 8

Blame our club of the ecu and giving up a good type of our sovereignty. Its going to get plenty worse than this, as various of absurdities of handing a significant chew of Legislative ability over to Brussels will change into extra obtrusive, no longer to point the dilution that's already occurring to our lifestyle.

Answer 9

Laptops? Those people are too poor to even afford laps.