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You've probably seen things on the Internet that have astounded you. From world breaking news, innovations and even silly videos. Having a computer has in many ways has"fed your brain" by offering you resources you otherwise wouldn't have had at your fingertips. But for many of us, finding those resources is still possible, even without the World Wide Web. With One Laptop per Child, this nonprofit organization is helping disadvantaged children improve their education by giving them laptops with software installed, designed to help them learn. One Laptop per Child makes it clear that "this is not a laptop program," their program is an educational one. Their website points to a 2002 study by an MIT professor, Nicholas Negroponte who used laptops with children and their families in a remote Cambodian village. From this study, the website states, "a seed was planted" to envision a world where every child in the world had access to a computer - and what potential could be unlocked if this could be achieved? From these thoughts was the very start of the One Laptop per Child nonprofit and also the XO laptop they've created. The nonprofit explains that in many of the world's most challenged counties, less than $20 in resources is available to help educate a child. When you compare that to $7,500 per child in the United States, you can begin to realize a tremendous difference. What is most exciting about the laptop program in these developing countries is that by improving a child's education, One Laptop per Child is helping to improve the resources for that country. The laptop program is growing and growing and today, more than 2 million children and their teachers in 42 countries are using the XO laptop to learn. The XO is a very appealing laptop. It is approximately the size of a textbook and weighs less than child's lunchbox. It can be used as a laptop, for reading e-books and also playing games - so it has several different setups. Best of all, it was designed perfectly for kids, with rounded edges, a kid friendly handle that isn't too big and a keyboard that is sealed with rubber membrane. The XO laptop is made to be durable and is perfect for classroom and home use. The laptop is estimated to have a product lifetime of about four years. The laptops undergo factory testing and even testing by children. Many of us take connecting to the Internet or using a home computer for granted, just part of our everyday work or home life. But for many children in other parts of the world, this is a brand new experience as they discover new worlds that never existed before they had a laptop of their own. Just imagine how this will impact their future education and career path as these children learn about science, history, language, the arts, technology and so much more. We can smile hearing that with Professor Nicholas Negroponte's experience with Cambodian families in that remote village, their first English word was "Google." There is much to discover, explore and enjoy with One Laptop per Child. Lawrence Reaves writes for Galortah, a software company that provides a project management software tool for copmanies to help prepare and manage projects. For more information about this software please click here.
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