Digital Divide II: One Laptop per Child Update

(Click here for more photos of kids enjoying their new OLPC laptops.)

On May 11th, I wrote about the digital divide and mentioned a nonprofit organization called One Laptop per Child. Today, I learned that OLPC has decided to provide tablets instead of laptops in order to reduce costs while customizing the technology to the needs that arise from each country's environment. Some people believe that OLPC's goals are unrealistic and not as important as other problems these kids may deal with. You decide. Click here to see the tablet prototype.

My Heroes

Kristin Richmond and Kirsten Tobey are leading a revolution that is long overdue. We teach kids about the food pyramid, and then we serve them a lunch loaded with fat and salt and lacking in fresh fruits & vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. It just doesn’t make sense, but these two ladies are doing something about it!
Check out: Revolution Foods

National Education Technology Plan 2010 (NETP)

The Department of Education has proposed the National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) to transform what education is today, so that we can attain Obama’s two major goals for education:
• To raise the proportion of college graduates from where it now stands [39%] so that 60% of our population holds a 2-year or 4-year degree.
• To close the achievement gap so that all students – regardless of race, income, or neighborhood – graduate from high school ready to succeed in college and careers.
The NETP is in the drafting stage and is open to comments. I encourage you to read the draft and voice your questions and concerns.
Click here to download the the National Ed Tech Plan PDF. Comments to the draft may also be posted on this site.

Stephen Lien’s comment on ED.gov spoke to me—“Technology is only as smart as the programmer who designs it, and it's only as effective as the teacher who wields it. If a piece of technology is effective at improving instruction and enhancing the classroom setting, it's not the technology we should thank, but rather those that know how to use it.”

Digital Divide I

While the Internet has some negative affects, it has changed our world. Obviously. We use the Internet to find and apply for jobs, to join social and career networks, and to quickly and easily learn about the unknown. Not to mention, the Internet has free video tutorials for just about every subject known to humans.
If I didn’t have access and benefit from digital technology, then I probably wouldn’t have:
1. My job
2. My bike
3. My roommates
4. Constant communication with my family and closest friends
5. A strong relationship with my beloved Ghanaian host family
Access to the Internet makes it very easy for me to organize my money, take care of basic home repairs, and find the best prices along with a bazillion other things. Living without access to the Internet and most digital technologies means living without the unlimited opportunities that are currently being offered to the digital-haves.

The Digital Divide worries me, so I’d will regularly highlight some groups that are doing something about it.
I heard about his group from my pal, Mr. T (Don Tapscott): one laptop per child

OverDrive

OverDrive.com is great, and I have only accessed one part of it. I use it to rent audiobooks from my local library that I listen to while I'm working or working out. When I listen to audiobooks, I usually listen to professional development or self-improvement books that motivate me, open my mind, and don't require me to listen to every single word. In addition to audiobooks, OverDrive offers eBooks, music, and movies.  You can get started, see what it can offer you, and download it--All of this for FREE as long as you have a library card. Just check it out, and see if it's for you!

If you're interested in using OverDrive for your personal use, go to OverDrive.com and look on the left side of the page. There is a place for you to enter you zip code. Click on your library and get started. You will need to download the OverDrive Media Console, which you can find here (for FREE): http://www.overdrive.com/software/omc/

Here are more instructions if you need or want it, but I think the Web site does a good job of telling you what to do: http://www.mvlc.org/Overdrive/howtouseoverdrive.pdf

I recently discovered a portion to OverDrive that is for K-12 students to use at school or in the classroom. Would this be helpful in your school, or do you already use it? I'm curious--please let me know!