Speaker(s): Frits Hoff
What makes this laptop so special? How will his successor XO2 look like? Which open source software is running on this laptop? Which open content is available? How will this open concept be deployed in our education by the foundation OpenWijs.nl? What are the first results of the projects starting up? The OLPC project, One Laptop Per Child, has started a revolution in the world of laptops and education. A high-tech laptop called XO (16 hours battery life, readable in full sunlight etc) for a very low price, specially designed for education and developed in collaboration with thousands of volunteers worldwide. In 2005 ridiculed by the established order it soon became a threat to them. So in 2007 and 2008 many clones came on the market that offer less for more money. Large companies like Microsoft and Intel tried to undermine the success of OLPC. Yet the OLPC succeeded to convince more countries with only 20 men in the service and many volunteers. Even in Western countries these laptops are now deployed on a large scale: New York (50,000), Florence (25,000) etc. Since May 2008 the foundation OpenWijs.nl is starting projects with the XO in the Netherlands and other countries. What are the first results? What makes this laptop so special? How will his successor XO2 look like? Which open source software is running on this laptop? Which open content is available? How will this open concept be deployed in our education by the foundation OpenWijs.nl? These kind of questions are answered in this presentation. Afterwards, there is opportunity for discussion and testing the laptop. Frits Hoff is an educational technologist (specialised in mobile learning) and chair of the foundation OpenWijs.nl. He has more than 30 years experience in education and ICT and worked for among others the Open University of the Netherlands and the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities.