C2DPg2

**Our Focus:**
Elementary Schools in Ghana. These schools do not have sophisticated information technologies and therefore cannot effectively educate their students.

**Part 1** (One Laptop per Child)
One Laptop per Child (OLPC) is a non-profit organization dedicated on supplying notebooks and sub-notebooks to children and schools in developing regions without information technology. It focuses on countries mainly in Africa and South Asia.
 * What is the organization?**

What OLPC exactly does is that it mass produces cheap yet fully functional laptops and donates it to schools that lack modern day technology all over the world.
 * What exactly are they doing to try and combat or change your issue?**

One thing I like about OLPC is its ability to mass produce fully functional laptops for children with inadequate education. Each OLPC laptop features a web cam, a keyboard, touch pad, and a 2.4 GHz core. It only costs 199$ to donate a laptop to a child.
 * What are some of the things you like about their program?**

One thing I am wondering is whether anyone is able to buy a OLPC laptop on their own. The official website for OLPC only give information on how to donate a laptop, not how to buy it. I also wonder how the company manages to make one laptop cost only 199$ to donate.
 * What are some questions you have about it?**

One way my group can help is set up numerous donations to buy laptops for children all over the world.
 * How could you become involved with this organization or model your action plan after it?**

**Part 2 (2nd Organization)**
50x15 is an organization with a goal; to enable affordable, accessible internet connectivity for at least 50% of the world by 2015 - that's 30% more than the current population of internet users globally.
 * What is the organization?**

Like OCPL, 50x15 aims to provide computer access to 50% of the world's population by 2015. Some solutions include XO laptops, (originally created by OLPC), Personal Internet Communicators which allows families in developing countries such as India internet access.
 * What exactly are they doing to try and combat or change your issue?

What are some of the things you like about their program?** I like how they have a seemingly lofty goal. The organization seems to be optimistic and confident in their ability to make a difference in the world. Higher expectations can lead to harder work, which results in an increased chance of achieving their goal.

I want to know how 50x15 plan to enable internet access in remote areas in the countrysides.
 * What are some questions you have about it?**

Our group also plans to distribute (sub)notebooks to developing countries; we will raise money to buy these computers.
 * How could you become involved with this organization or model your action plan after it?**

Have you attended a school which lacked the use of technology? If you are reading this, chances are you haven't. Both teachers and students alike often look to the internet for answers. Unfortunately, most of the world doesn't have access to resources like the internet. Developing nations such as parts of Africa and Kenya have schools void of any information technologies or even rudimentary textbooks. Change needs to be in order for children in these third-world countries to have brighter futures from their education, and for children and adults alike to become digital citizens to interact with the world. Outside of and including donating or raising money, our group is willing to do whatever else we can find to end this problem and close the divide.
 * Part 3**
 * Type a persuasive opening paragraph on your wiki about your topic. Make sure your group is filling out your resource log with the sources you have used so far.**

**Case Study 2**
The specific topic my group decided to focus on is Digital Divide.
 * 1. What is the specific topic your group decided to focus on?**

We chose to focus on the organization One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) because we felt that this organization could really make a difference on the fact that only 1 out of 130 people in Africa has access to computers. Source: http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol17no3/173tech.htm
 * 2. Which organization did you choose to focus on and why?**

The main way OLPC is trying to combat our issue is by mass producing cheap, affordable laptops for families and schools in Africa or other developing countries. Their laptop is named the XO series, and for only 199 dollars, a person can donate this sub-computer to one individual across the world. The laptop comes with a built-in webcam, a rotating scree, a handle, and a sun-proof liquid crystal screen.
 * 3. What exactly are they doing to try and combat or change your issue?**

The main thing I like about OLPC is their ability to construct and mass produce fully functional laptops for children and families all over the globe. This computer can literally be bought for only 199 dollars, while other laptops with the same feature cost well over 1200 dollars. I find it quite amazing that a company can mass produce such computers for people with inadequate education in undeveloped regions.
 * 4. What are some of the things you like about their program?**

After raising sufficient funds, we plan to follow OLPC's example of mass producing (or at least buying) and shipping notebooks to schools and families around the world for free.
 * 5. How do you plan to become involved with this organization or model your action plan after it?**

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