One Laptop per Child

OLPC is an epic project of fantastic proportions. Their mission statement says it all:

"Mission Statement: 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. When children have access to this type of tool they get engaged in their own education. They learn, share, create, and collaborate. They become connected to each other, to the world and to a brighter future."

OLPC and SF State University

It all started with a simple itch. The researcher in me was curious about the possibilities of free and open source software disseminating to all corners of the globe (although my 4 year old tells me that a circle has no corners or sides. We must listen to children). The tinkerer in me just wanted to get my hands on a cool looking laptop. And thus began a journey. I got a developer unit in July 2007. In November 2007, a bunch of us donated to the project's Give 1 Get 1 effort and got "Christmas" gifts - an XO laptop. In January 2008, a whole bunch of us decided to meet on campus to explore our new gifts. That led to the creation of the OLPC-SF mailing list, and the OLPC-San Francisco Bay Area group.

SF State University Lending Library

 

San Francisco State University is working with the OLPC project by starting a lending library at the main campus. This came about as an offshoot of another project that my students were working on. We submitted a proposal, and it got approved. Here we are, with our own lending library!

The purpose of this lending library is to help increase awareness of OLPC’s goals by letting faculty, staff and students borrow the XO computers. Additionally, while the technological developments have been a strong point at OLPC, education and social exposure to the project are also necessary so that students and researchers can assess and address the issue of education in remote and rural corners of the world. We would also like for some of that collegial discussion to trickle into the US school systems. Universities are aptly geared towards such community outreach.

Manuals

So, you borrowed an XO from our Library Media Services. No? Well, then go ahead and try it! Tell them that you wish to borrow an OLPC XO laptop. Then come back here and read the manuals.

• Get familiarized with the XO laptop. Read the manual online at http://en.flossmanuals.net/xo or download a PDF copy at http://en.flossmanuals.net/XO/FM_XO_13Nov08.pdf
• Next, read up on how Sugar works. Sugar is the wonderful learning environment that runs on the XO. Read the manual online at http://en.flossmanuals.net/sugar or download the PDF at http://en.flossmanuals.net/Sugar/FM_Sugar_28Oct08.pdf

Still have questions? Comments? Want to know more? Have ideas for a new project, or want to help out with an existing effort? Let us know opensource@sfsu.edu