One Laptop Per Child (OLPC): Helping to Close the Digital Divide

      

      One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is one of the most revolutionary mobile learning programs in recent history for the advancement of education in the developing world. Based on the premise that a laptop is at its core an educational resource, OLPC sees its mission of bringing XO laptops to some of the world's most impoverished countries as a movement to advance education and opportunity - not just technology.

      The power of OLPC lies in its XO laptop’s design, which makes it more compatible than the average laptop for its intended users in the developing world. It is rugged (like many of the locations where it’s used), water-proof, solar-powered, and has a special screen that allows users to read from it in direct sunlight. With its embedded wireless technology and peer-to-peer connectivity features, it helps address the digital divide across some of the world’s most remote areas. In terms of software, it combines a wide range of educational features that serve as learning tools for students who would traditionally lack access to things like a camera, calculator, or a web browser. Because of this, the main beneficiaries of the OLPC program are children in the developing world (living in remote/ impoverished/ disconnected areas) and the communities in which the laptops are distributed.

      Yet, despite its functionality, the OLPC program is not without its challenges, most of which center on lack of technical support for the XO machines (once delivered). Ultimately, the sustainability of the OLPC program will be dependent on whether its main set-backs are effectively addressed; otherwise, OLPC will not be sustainable in the long term. Specifically, some of its main barriers to sustainability include: cost of the XO machines (which presently is still greater than the intended $100), and the lack of effective customer/user support services (software and hardware) necessary to keep the laptops working. These challenges can be overcome with increased support from the private sector, minor modifications to the design of the XO, and increased technical training for individuals in the communities where the laptops are being delivered.

Mobile Education in the Developing World

      In exploring how mobile technologies are being used in developing regions, it is evident that their use is being channeled in a number of areas ranging from business and commerce to healthcare. And although each of these areas plays a significant role in a country's development, none has the potential to impact national development like education. It is the one area that, if invested in properly and given adequate tools and resources to serve the population, can single-handedly help transform all the others. It is through education that individuals and communities are empowered and find a way out of cycles of poverty. It is because of this that education is so crucial in developing regions.

      At the same time, there is a serious deficit of technological resources available for education in developing countries, largely as a result of lack of funds and infrastructure.  This makes access to quality education a challenge in major urban areas, and essentially a non-existent option in rural communities. It is because of this that mobile learning is such a powerful concept and mobile devices a gateway into the future for countless children across the world. As we have seen with the One Laptop Per Child Project, in areas in the developing world where they may not be a quality school or children may not be able to reach school due to war and violence, if there is a mobile device (a cellphone, a laptop), there is the possibility of accessing education. In the words of Queen Rania (of Jordan)...

"Education through mobile devices can be a transformative force for good. In the face of disease, it can mean a clean bill of health; in an economic downturn, it can mean a skilled workforce ready to earn again; in a warzone, it can be the language of diplomacy and dialogue." - Queen Rania Al Abdullah (GSMA Development Fund Report, Nov. 2010)