Laptop Program Holds Promise For Guam's Kids

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Written by David Macaluso, Guam News Factor Reporter

Tuesday, 26 January 2010 18:38

GUAM: It's being called a progressive simple learning tool that will change the way we educate our children.

Bruce Best, University Of Guam's Acting Associate Director of Telecommunication and Distance Education Operation says, "This unit doesn't contain Microsoft Windows or an OS system from Mac, but it's loaded with software designed for collaborative learning."

It's a Linux open source software package with activities. The software can be reloaded if the system crashes. You can reload the software using a flash drive."

He also adds, "This unit is a progressive way to change education to have children collaborate and be less teacher centric."

Best points at a group of icons that form a circle on the monitor. He describes features of the laptop, "This is your main screen, what it has is an outer ring with what we call activities. Each one of these form the wikipedia all the way to different games for the kids, learning and interactive games. It has a camera here so you can see yourself, make short movies and photographs and pass them around."

The One Laptop Per Child unit is rugged, weather proof, low in cost and doesn't use a lot of power to operate.

The device is wireless and has built-in antennas. It can run on solar power and uses only 3 to 8 watts of energy. A normal laptop consumes up to 100 watts. Each unit is designed to last about 5 years, typically from 4th or 5th grade all the way until high school. A second unit is be designed for high school students.

According to Best, he would like to get these units on Guam to run experimental projects. Each unit costs $200 and includes all the software. Best says it would be ideal if a large school system had 4,000 to 5,000 students interacting with each other.

Story Credit: Written, videotaped and edited by David F. Macaluso.

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