3 kids in the XO club working wiith the sturdy portable computer
The Orcas community is again helping the Orcas Island School District (OISD), this time with an international program called “One Laptop per Child.”
The “poster child” for this campaign is the XO computer, a simple, sturdy “portable as a lunch pail” computer that can even operate, in remote locations without electricity, with hand-cranked power.
Joe Symons started the program at Orcas Elementary, giving two of the computers to elementary students, who are given free rein to explore the capabilities of the XO. Local donors supplied the funds for three more XO computers.
Anita Orne is working with Teacher Suzanne McClure’s students, who meet at lunchtime to familiarize themselves with the XO. Raven Sky is the coordinator/director working with McClure to liaison with the national OLPC community.
Elementary/Middle School Principal Tom Gobeske displayed an XO to the OISD board on March 26 and said that the little computer’s abilities are “quite extensive – even capable of trig functions.” Gobeske added that the XO is meant to be “out in the elements, with a screen that is visible even in bright sunlight. The computers cost about $200 each, and many supporters have paricipated in the “give one, get one” program, with the intention of donating one XO to children in developing nations.
(The “give one, get one” program no longer is available.)
OLPC Orcas is a “micro organization” on Orcas Island dedicated to supporting discovery and educational opportunity for children through the acquisition and distribution of XO laptops.
Symons and Orne have created the website, www.olpc–orcas.org, where people can familiarize themselves with the project on both a global and a local level. The site states, “OLPC Orcas is a virtual organization. It has no president, no board, collects no money, is not registered with any government, pays no taxes. OLPC Orcas creates value by pulling together partners to advance opportunities for children.”
Orcas Island Education Foundation (OIEF) partners with OLPC Orcas to give donors tax benefits for making donations toward this initiative “Orcas has young children who experience genetic, family system and/or economic disadvantages. OLPC Orcas strives to level the playing field for these kids, just like OLPC strives to do this for the bottom billions on the planet.”
The Orcas organization seeks help from the community in identifying children who may especially benefit form the XOs, volunteering their time to help insure OLPC is current in its technology, or donating funds to purchase the XOs, usually from Ebay. It is currently hoping to donate another five XO computers to the school and welcomes any contribution (all of which are tax deductivle) toward this goal.
The olpc-orcas.org website has more information and a donation form.
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