Journl 8, October 18th

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8309583.stm

Recently Uruguay has become the first country to provide a computer for every child attending public elementary school. The new program has incorporated over 362,000 students and some 18,000 teachers in just the past two years. Plan Ceibal (Education Connect) has brought successfully been able to bring computers and the internet to many families for the very first time. To implement the program Uruguay has turned to the One Laptop Per Child project organized by Nicholas Negroponte. The original goal of the project was to create a modern laptop that could be produced for only $100. The final cost was a bit more at $216 for each laptop but that price includes extra features and services such as maintenance costs, equipment repairs, training for the teachers and internet connection. Even at the increased cost the Uruguay program represents less than 5% of the country's education budget. To attempt to implement the computers teachers have already been trained and encouraged to use the computers in the classroom. The laptops use an open source version of Linux that has been criticized because it is not one of the mainstream operating systems. However the introduction of any kind of computer system is seen as an improvement and is seen as an excellent start for more programs to use technology. Now that the children have the computers Uruguay must now maintain the program and be an example for other countries in similar situations.

The One Laptop Per Child project is an excellent effort to spread the benefits of technology all over the world. With a laptop in hand children are capable of accessing a world's worth of information to aid them in their studies. Also with use of the internet even the most rural areas of undeveloped countries can stay connected to the rest of the world to help even the plain. This is an example of what benefits technology is capable of and how important it is to take advantage of it wherever possible.

Reference:
http://laptop.org/en/vision/mission/index.shtml