[iDC] One Laptop Per Child - MIT/Negroponte Initiative

Mon Dec 31 06:12:34 UTC 2007

Couldn't disagree more and I'll relate two stories that hopefully will best
illustrate my point.

1) My grandmother was born in the late 1800's in rural South Dakota with no
technology. In the late 1960's (she was in her 70's) we were having a
conversation about technology and all the advances she'd seen: the
automobile, airplane (and jets), all the way to landing on the moon. When I
asked her what the most profound technological development in her lifetime
(and most lifechanging) she replied, "the telephone."

I was surprised (I thought the automobile would be it) and asked her why.
She told me about the fear they had of this new device and how disembodied
voices would be coming through a handset. Her father's biggest fear was that
people would stop congregating in the town square, going to church functions
and being together at each other's houses since they could instead connect
with the telephone.

What ended up happening was the benefit of the telephone -- and how it
connected their tiny rural village to the rest of the country -- empowered
them, created new opportunities, saved time (they used to have to walk miles
to town and now could call), and became a lifeline (twice they called for
lifesaving emergency situations).

What's interesting to me is how my grandmother told me how she and her
sisters embraced the telephone and they saw it as a "feminine technology"
since women used it far more than men (there were party lines and they often
arranged evening times where up to 20 young women would get on the phone and
talk together). No question that women are more adept at interpersonal
communications than men -- regardless of culture -- and thus the framing of
any questions about technology and gender must be made separate from the
technology itself.

2) My daughter could care less about technology. What she does care about is
what it does for her (benefits instead of features). Most men I know (me
included) are really enamored of features and enjoy goofing around with the
technology as much as we do achieving a return on the technology itself
which is why so many men are builders, tinkerers and geeks.

She went to work at an Apple store a year ago and has significantly
broadened her perspective on the benefits of technology. She's even begun
describing herself as "I'm becoming a geek Dad". It's because she's
*experiencing* the technology and thus intuitively embracing the features
that drive the benefits she loves. Sam, she would smile at your designation
of the OLPC as being MALE since she honestly views all technology as neuter.

Her expertise is guiding people at the Apple store in a consultative way and
she finds that women gravitate to her. She's even begun talking about the
"need for face time with computers" (that's my old line) as a way to be able
to learn about them experientially.

THAT is the whole point of OLPC. Kids need face time and exploration
experience with technology in order to discover what benefits they might
achieve.  The Internet is the telephone network of this century and the OLPC
is a type of telephone. In the same way that many countries don't have the
manufacturing, infrastructure or technical acumen to create and deliver
telephones within their country, it's unlikely they could build a chip
fabrication plant or even an assembly line to take parts from around the
world and create their own. Negroponte and MIT have had decades of
experience all brought to bear on this little device and if you don't want
it, don't buy it, don't setup a mesh internetwork, and don't let your kids
connect up to that global network connecting human consciousness in ways
never before possible.

Fatima, do you really, for example, see computers and the internet as a drug
pushed on you by America? You're obviously using both if you're
communicating with email so you see some value. If you further believe OLPC
is some sort of American conspiracy to push technology and decadence on
so-called third world countries, pay a visit to Japan, Taiwan, China,
Germany, Finland and many other countries considerably more advanced with
some of their technology and more adept at 'pushing' it into all corners of
the world than the United States.

Lastly Fatima you said, "*And soon our kids will have even broader access to
decadent Internet social networks*".  So the kids you know (or your own
children) make the decisions in your country about using the internet,
buying video games and so on? It's not the social networks that are the
problem. The parents I know who fear the internet and its impact on their
children are the same people who have not taken the time to learn about it,
to try it themselves, and to understand how to manage it. Parents are the
major influencer on children and must supervise, guide and mold their
children. My wife and I are rigorous about what my 13 year old son can do
online, how much time he can spend and what he can view and I don't blame
anyone but us if he is exposed to something he shouldn't see.

I submit that any country that sticks its head in the sand and ignores their
citizens need to access the global network is guaranteeing they will never "
*become truly independent economically, technologicaally, culturally*" as
you describe. It's a global village and we're all connected whether we like
it or not and I have a strong sense of delight in learning about other
cultures, gaining insight and perspectives from people globally (many of
whom I've met through my blog or social networks and talked to on Skype,
etc.), and realize that almost all of my understanding was first gained
through the internet BEFORE travel to another country.

--
Steve Borsch

On Dec 30, 2007 10:36 PM, Sam Ladner <samladner at gmail.com> wrote:

> I can't help but think that OLPC is also pushing MALE American culture
> onto kids. The research on the gendered effects of technology do show that
> women tend often to be relegated to the class of "non expert" when
> technology is introduced, while men become "experts."
>
> I'm not a gee-whiz technophile (tho, it could be argued, a technophile).
> What I see in these technological artifacts is a culture and value-system
> that is not questioned in the West, much less it being questioned in a new
> context.
>
> Technology is not inherently dehumanizing or oppressive. But it is
> subordinate to the political. I fear Fatima is right -- that all sorts of
> unintended consequences will arise from questions left unasked.
>
>
>
> On Dec 30, 2007 11:17 AM, Fatima Lasay <digiteer at ispx.com.ph> wrote:
>
> > Negroponte and co. are pushing dangerous drugs in 'third world
> > countries.'
> >
> > Microsoft Windows XP for the '$100 laptop' already nears testing phase
> > and
> > will be pushed to kids in our countries
> > (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/71789/Microsoft-Windows-XP-for-the-100-laptop-nears-testing-phase
> > ).
> >
> > And soon our kids will have even broader access to decadent Internet
> > social
> > networks as online video games are integrated in social networking tools
> >
> > (
> > http://www.gmanews.tv/story/69824/Online-video-games-meet-social-networking-tools
> > )
> >
> > Negroponte and co. are making it harder for us our struggle and efforts
> > to
> > become truly independent economically, technologicaally, culturally from
> > the horrendous culture of Amerika.
> >
> >
> > Regards,
> > Fatima
> >
> >
> >
> >
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