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February 08, 2008
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The XO Computer
by Phillip Ohnemus
CBS 42 News
2008-02-06 20:00:00.0
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Much has been said about Birmingham being the first city in the United States to partner with One Laptop Per Child.
But after speaking with the computers System Developer Walter Bender it's clear that Birmingham School Children are getting a powerful tool limited only by their imaginations.
When walking into the main office of One Laptop Per Child located on the MIT campus in Cambridge Massachusetts you're greeted by cards and pictures of children holding up these tiny machines in third world nations.
But to assume the computers are designed specifically for the uneducated and technologically ignorant is not only an insult to the XO but also the years of research and design that have made one laptop per child possible.
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Bender says there’s collective thought that’s constantly going into bettering the machines. "The decisions we made were not arbitrary or picked out of the air. They really were grounded in how do children use technology for learning?”
In fact the initial concept dates back before the computer revolution. Bender says MIT began studying how children assimilate information through technology back in 1961. More than 40 years later the XO laptop was born.
But you probably already know how these little computers can be used for core subjects. So we went a little deeper. And Bender says the real treat to the machine in how it innovates learning. The XO design allows children to develop skills that will allow them to compete in the 21st century job market. And it all starts with an activity called “e-toys.” "E-Toys is a small talk environment that allows them (children) to build very rich multimedia programming so they can manipulate video's and manipulate objects, really quite sophisticated things."
For instance, say your child has an interest in music. There are programs that will allow them to experiment with different instruments and arrangement. As the child grows and matures they'll actually be able to compose collective works on additional software.
But to really compete in the 21st century children will need to know more than how to run an application. They'll need to understand how to build one.
Bender says the XO Laptop is designed with open source software which will allow those skills to develop. "Every single child in Birmingham now will have the opportunity to become a professional software developer if they want to. That doors just been opened for them."
In fact, the day we sat down with the laptop a new application was just being introduced. It's called “Turtle Art” Arjuan Sarwal developed the program that turns science into art. It works by connecting a heat sensor to the laptop which in turn allows a child to write programming language that will make geometric art based on the temperature.
Sarwal explains how such software is relevant, "You can put this sensor lets say on the top of your roof and see how the temperature varies or something like that." The hotter the sensor the larger and faster the shapes are bade, and the colder the smaller and slower the shapes are made.
It's this flexibility and innovation that has Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford excited about introducing these computers into city classrooms. And it’s also winning over city council members who were hesitant to fund the program.
Carol Duncan believes that the technology will give Birmingham students a leg up on those in surrounding states. "This will put a positive spin on our community. This will teach our children and show them a broader world that is out there. This will give us advances in learning and technology."
Bender says from the bottom up the XO is designed to engage children in learning how to learn. “Learning how to engage but also how to unwind, reach in and down as deep as they want, and we built that in from so many different perspectives we're going to find one that resonates with every child."
The first 1,000 XO computers will be distributed in Birmingham on March 10th, then an additional 14,000 computers will be handed out on April 15th.
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