D. Leonard
University of Tennessee – Knoxville School of Information Sciences
INSC 542
What are the Pros and Cons of helping those in need?
This blog features my thoughts on charity projects, a topic inspired by What Happened to the ‘$100 Laptop’? This article is part of the collection: The EdSurge Podcast.
It appears that whenever one desires to assist others, particularly those who are underprivileged, it is often considered a commendable idea. This blog post delves into the advantages and disadvantages of embarking on such altrustic endeavors.
Charity has always been very important for the most part in human interactions. People want to help those in need. The key reasons (charity link, 2024) are moral duty, ego, social dynamics, FOMO, relatability, trust, impact, goal setters or martyrdom effect to name a few. The desire to give and help others is not always a perfect scenario as in the article What Happened to the ‘$100 Laptop’? (Young, 2019). Much can go wrong while trying to do right! Back in 2005, a group of MIT professors embarked on a project to build a $100 laptop and distribute it to children in schools worldwide. Let’s look at some of the takeaways.
In 2005 laptops were well over $1000 each so to suggest that a group could produce them at $100 each and distribute them to children in schools worldwide was a bold endeavor. In trying to make technology more affordable by offering laptops at a fraction of the cost would have a positive impact on education. Another positive aspect to this project is the global reach. The laptops were intended for children in developing countries which would bridge the digital divide and enhance educational opportunities by reaching these underserved regions. The project also raised awareness of the needs to many children that normally would not have an opportunity to interact with technology in their education. This did open the opportunity for similar efforts.
Originally, the project aimed to produce laptops at a $100 cost, but it ultimately increased to $130 per unit and disappointed some stakeholders. Consequently, about 3 million devices were manufactured, and named XO computers. Several challenges became apparent once the laptops were shipped out and the children began using them. Even with that number of laptops distributed there was no way to measure the educational impact. It was questioned whether the laptops actually provided an education or just provided access to technology. In her book, The Charisma Machine, Morgan Ames questioned projects like this because she feels like they focus on a single project instead of giving attention to broader educational needs and systemic improvements. The project’s short-term goals posed challenges to its long-term sustainability in advancing education for those globally.
In summary, the group of MIT professors had great intentions to build and give away $100 laptops to children worldwide. They formed a nonprofit, One Laptop per Child (OLPC) and created 3 million devices called XO computers. The final cost for each was $130. They had commendable goals, and it would have been a better idea if it had been practical to reach more children with better laptops with a longer lasting result. But because there were other issues with the laptops with limitations, it raised important questions about technology’s role in education. For more information and to find out what happened to the laptops, please read the book “The Charisma Machine: The Life, Death, and Legacy of One Laptop per Child” by Morgan Ames.
References
Ames, M.G. (2019, November). The Charisma Machine, The Life, Death, and Legacy of One Laptop per Child. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/657951/the-charisma-machine-by-morgan-g-ames/
Charity Link. (2024, February 7). Re: The Reasons People Give to Charity. https://www.charitylink.net/blog/reasons-people-give-to-charity
Young, J.R (2019, November). What Happened to the ‘$100 Laptop’? https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-11-05-what-happened-to-the-100-laptop