MIT 3rd World Laptop (fwd)

_Wired_, other magazines & news sites have referred to a prospective $100
laptop, developed by MIT that might be used in the 3rd world. Especially
for students.

Most articles do not state the purposes of the computer. I assume that
writing skills & internet access for information & e-mail would be the
main functions, although there are educational justifications for
spreadsheets & databases also.

During the 90's, I placed enough Tandy WP2's in a kindergaten to allow one
processor between 2 students. Writing & recording skills (& attempts),
seemed to improve. I also published a monograph on database use in
elementary classrooms, based on work in several elementary schools. Our
internet research at that time indicated that there was little information
in depth in any elementary subject that could be found with a search
programme.

What I have seen of daily elementary classroom use, normally is limited to
keyboarding skills, & project publication.

So although computers have good potential for classroom use, my anecdotal
experience is that they are not used to expand or deepen the eduacational
experience.

BTW

If an inexpensive computer with wide potential were needed, there has been
one available for over 2 decades: the Commodore 64 that I amusing to type
& post this message.
John Elliott