In a recently conversation with an MIT Museum audience, Walter Bender (President, Software and Content Development, One Laptop per Child and formerly Executive Director, MIT Media Laboratory) described the philosophy behind the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project and the progress to date.
The brainchild of Nicholas Negroponte and several colleagues at the MIT Media Laboratory, and based on the the “constructionist” theories of learning pioneered by Seymour Papert and Alan Kay, the project aims to put low-cost ($100 or so) laptops into the hands of a billion plus children in the developing world. The mission is not merely to supply computer technology, but to build a social network around learning using the methodologies, ethics, and tools of the open source movement. This is the most radical and profound computer initiative ever undertaken, and one that could have far reaching implications. Rather than read what the press, pundits, and industry analysts have to say about it, this video provides an opportunity to learn about the project from someone very close to what’s really going on.
View the Video (from MIT World, Real Media Streaming, 1 hour, 10 minutes)