Laptop Next

Surprisingly, Uruguay can now count itself among the few nations that provide laptops for every primary-school-aged child. On October 13, the XO model laptops were presented to the students by President Tabare Vazquez. The past two years have seen 362,000 students and 18,000 teachers involve themselves in this scheme. “Plan Ceibal” (meaning Education Connect) project has helped so many families connect to the fascinating world of computers and the endlessly entertaining internet for the first time in their lives.

Uruguay hopes to bring a laptop to every child, a scheme called “One Laptop Per Child” which is an organization installed and pioneered by Nicholas Negroponte. Originally, he hoped to simply provide laptops at a reduced price, (only one-hundred dollars) but found them to be too expensive. The program has cost the state two-hundred-sixty dollars per child, with maintenance costs, repairs, internet connection, and training for teachers. Still, the is less than five percent of the country’s educational budget.

About seventy percent of the XO models were given to students who did not have a home computer. Miquel Brechner, Technological Laboratory of Uruguay’s director, who is in charge of the Plan Ceibal project, was quoted as saying, in so many words, that it’s not just an education program. It’s about bringing the world of technology and knowledge to everyone.

While quite a few teachers were opposed to computers in classrooms at first, most of them have embraced it since. Though some still choose not to have computers in the classroom, most do. Change is difficult, but with proper preparation, it can do great things.

The laptops have been ridiculed mostly due to the fact that they run on a Linux OS, with an interface by the name of Sugar. People have argued that it’s not mainstream enough. Many who support these laptops, however, say that it shouldn’t matter what OS someone learns on. It’s the fact that they’re being taught to use one at all. The annual cost may seem like it would be expensive, but maintenance will only run about thirteen dollars per student.
Future plans include giving laptops to preschools as well as secondary schools. They also want to keep all students currently in the program connected to the net. It’s a new, fast paced world, and they want to keep up. An admirable start!