One Laptop per Child
One Laptop per Child (OLPC) is an organization that produces extremely low-cost, Linux-based laptops designed for use in the developing world. It is a controversial program, criticized for paternalism, tech-solutionism, and flawed design choices (Robertson, 2018), but the laptops have interesting potential within and beyond their intended uses.
Contents
Use cases
Build a class mesh network
OLPC machines have built-in wifi that enables them to network with each other even when an Internet connection isn't present. striegl & Emerson (2019) propose strategies for creative networking with this technology.
How to use it
Replacement for
- Chromebooks, which incline students toward lock-in on Google services
Bibliography
- Robertson, Adi. "OLPC’s $100 laptop was going to change the world — then it all went wrong." 'The Verge'. April 16, 2018.
- striegl, . & Emerson, L., "Anarchive as technique in the Media Archaeology Lab: building a one Laptop Per Child mesh network." 'International Journal Digit Humanities' (2019).