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True enough - but if you're trying to imply that that means the OLPC is a *bad* idea, that would be an example of a post hoc fallacy.



There are advantages to laptops in a school environment. For one, they could be used to help reduce text book purchasing costs - I would guess that electronic versions of text books are less expensive than printed copies (and shipping costs - especially to remote areas - should be much easier to afford with electronic textbooks). Electronic text books also can be updated much quicker - important for scientific subjects, where an out-of-date textbook can result in students being taught things that aren't correct. And there shouldn't be the same sort of physical shortage problems with electronic textbooks.

Another important factor with laptops is that the personal possession aspect leads students to have a sense of ownership of/attachment to the device. That seems to result in the machines being used much more, whereas many computer labs often sit unused a large amount of the time (at least, from my past experience working for a computer access centre located in a middle school).

I would like to further suggest that laptops in third world countries is a *qualitatively* different situation than in the first world, where most families have at least one computer at home, and the availability of text books in the classroom is basically a given.

In the US, a laptop could easily just be another thing to carry arround, and potentially abuse. And perhaps a distraction, as well.

But in the third world, the laptop and associated, reduced cost etexts may be the only textbooks available. And the device may be the students' *only* window on the wider world, via the Internet.

I tend to discount the usefulness of laptops at schools here in the U.S. But I see great potential for the XO in the third world.

Edited 2007-07-15 17:51