Research Analysis #2: Bridging the digital divide with One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)

The ‘digital divide’ was a term coined during the mid-90s describing the space between those with effectual access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and those with little or no access. It encompasses both the imbalance in physical access as well as possession of the skills needed to successfully engage with the technology (“Digital Divide”, n.d.). Through my investigations on the digital divide, I decided to examine the provision of ICT to students in need as a means of reducing the digital divide in education.

Data in 2002 showed that less than a third of low-income families had internet access at home and three-quarters of students from low-income families did not use the internet at home. This provided a dire contrast to figures showing that almost half of the corresponding Australia wide population used the net in their homes (McLaren & Zappalà, 2002). One would assume that these figures would have improved in recent years, however the digital divide is still significant. A recent study in Australia shows that digital literacy levels are significantly lower among students in regional areas when compared to their urban peers (Patty, 2010). Clearly, financial and geographical factors are major determinants in digital literacy and children in remotely located, low-income families, often have restricted access to ICT.

Helping to reduce this inequality, Sandars (2009) referred to the development of numerous aspects of e-learning on an international scale, noting the establishment of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) campaign. OLPC aims “to create educational opportunities for the world's poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning” (OLPC, 2010).

OLPC develop and manufacture a specially designed laptop called the ‘XO’. The Member for Solomon (N.T.) delivered a speech in Parliament last year elucidating on the XO laptop’s hardiness and usability; designed to withstand harsh conditions, improve digital literacy, and provide a fun tool for achieving educational outcomes (Parliament of Australia, 2009). The XO laptop provides access to thousands of pages of educational content as well as 150 educational mini-games and interactive adaptations of curriculum material to provide feedback for students (Ashling, 2010).

Ashling (2010) reports that over 2,000 laptops are being delivered to Haiti by OLPC in the near future. Almost 800 laptops have been recently distributed to children in Afghanistan bringing the worldwide total to over 1.4 million laptops distributed by OLPC (Ashling, 2010). The government of Rwanda are currently planning to provide XO laptops to every child in the country aged between 9 and 12 years inclusive (“Upgrading the children”, 2009). In Australia, Channel Ten’s 7pm Project recently broadcast a story on the delivery of 1500 laptops in remote Northern Territory and the impact these computers are having on the communities involved (Ten Television Network, 2010). OLPC is not the only agency working to provide ICT to disadvantaged students. For example, the Waveplace Foundation buys laptops, supplies local distribution and provides training and teaching materials for Caribbean children (Ashling, 2010).

Though OLPC is providing a valuable and much needed service to the world’s disadvantaged children, philanthropy on its own will not improve the education level of students. Though no studies on the efficacy of the XO laptops as educational tools have been published, it is important to stay keenly aware of how the students are using the computers and which programs and applications are providing results. It is imperative that any ICT delivered to students has a positive effect on educational outcomes. In an Australian context, programs such as OLPC will need to ensure that local languages are incorporated into the computer based learning in order to engage students, and help sustain this vital part of indigenous culture.

In regard to the viability of OLPC provided laptops, the present version of the OLPC machine is considered too expensive and too slow by many potential investors. The charity has not sold the volume of laptops it had projected, with some governments stalling on proposed deals with OLPC (“Upgrading the children”, 2009). Kraemer, Kenneth, Dedrick, & Sharma (2009) make reference to the fact that OLPC have shipped far fewer laptops than originally planned. Criticisms of programs such as OLPC have also included the attitude that building schools and libraries are more important tasks than providing computers (Pelham, Crabtree, & Nyiri, 2009).

If the OLPC program and other similar incentives are to succeed, money must be provided to continually maintain and update the laptops distributed (Economist, 2009). In an age where technology is moving faster than most developed communities can keep up with, it will be a constant challenge to provide ICT to children in need that is functional and up to date. In addition, organisations such as OLPC will need to take greater measures to understand and adapt to the unique socio-economic and cultural contexts of the countries in which they operate (Kraemer et al., 2009). If the issues above are considered and acted upon, programs like OLPC have the potential to provide an invaluable service to disadvantaged students and go a long way to reducing the digital divide among the world’s children.



References:

Ashling, J. (2010). Laptops Bridge Gap in Structured Learning. Information Today; May2010, Vol. 27, Issue 5, p22-23.

Digital Divide (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved July 3, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_divide

Kraemer, K., Dedrick, J., Sharma, P. (2009). One Laptop Per Child: Vision vs. Reality. Communications of the ACM; Jun2009, Vol. 52, Issue 6, p66-73.

McLaren, J., Zappalà, G. (2002, November 4). The 'Digital Divide' Among Financially Disadvantaged Families in Australia. First Monday, Volume 7, Number 11. Retrieved July 5, 2010, from http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1003/924

One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) (n.d.) Vision: Mission Statement. Retrieved July 14, 2010, from http://laptop.org/en/vision/index.shtml

Parliament of Australia (2009, November 19).OLPC Australia in Parliament [Video file]. Retrieved July 10, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI_Y4fQ8psQ&feature=player_embedded

Patty, A. (2010, April 23). City-rural divide hits computer literacy. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/cityrural-divide-hits-computer-literacy-20100422-tg28.html

Pelham, B., Crabtree, S., & Nyiri, Z. (2009). Technology and Education. Harvard International Review; Summer2009, Vol. 31, Issue 2, p74-76.

Sandars, J. (2009). The e-learning site. Education for Primary Care; Jul2009, Vol. 20, Issue 4, p324-325.

Ten Television Network (2010, May 25). OLPC on The 7PM Project - TEN Digital - Tue 25 May 2010 [Video file]. Retrieved July 8, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68p4kmKilyI&feature=player_embedded

Upgrading the children (2009, May 12). Economist; Vol. 393, Issue 8660, p60-60.