tntgoodwin Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 http://dvice.com/archives/2012/10/ethiopian-kids.php?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews I found this fascinating. What are your thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 My thoughts are that this makes me feel less guilty about sometimes just handing my kid the iPad and hoping he mostly plays with the educational apps, LOL. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommie_Jen Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I think it means my Ethiopian born son is smarter than the US born kids! (Ok, totally joking. For real.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 It means that children teach themselves by experimenting. In the story, the kids just started playing and learned how to do all kinds of things. People think that children are so much more adept at learning technology than adults, but I don't really think that is true. I think that children are more willing to experiment because they don't have to pay for or replace the technology if it gets broken or messed up! If I knew I could do whatever I wanted with my computer or phone without any consequences, I would be willing to try all kinds of different things just to see what happens. Kids do this naturally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticmom Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Cool program. I think that part of the success is due to the fact that there is no one to tell them the "right" way to do things so they have to experiment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Sometimes I want to take everything away from the kids, and give them tablets loaded with a foreign language and math. :coolgleamA: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 One bright individual figured out how to hack Android and then showed the rest of them what to do. That doesn't mean the typical Ethiopian (or American) would eventually manage to do the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 One bright individual figured out how to hack Android and then showed the rest of them what to do. That doesn't mean the typical Ethiopian (or American) would eventually manage to do the same. Sure, but it wasn't the main point of the article or or the experiment, was it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 The thing is, OLPC clearly thought about it a lot and wrote software that sounds very complex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 I think this is inspirational. In a world where so many millions of kids stand no chance of getting formal education, technology can make a difference. Maybe all you need is one smart kid in a village to figure things out and help others. It's no substitute for good old fashioned education, but it's a neat start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tntgoodwin Posted November 22, 2012 Author Share Posted November 22, 2012 I like to think of the possibilities... If they try a similar experiment elsewhere with similar results, it may be worth trying to get these tablets into the hands of children in underdeveloped countries all around the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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