NEEDS INSTRUCTION: Two million laptops. 36 countries. Results? Not promising, according to the latest report, "Technology and Child Development: Evidence from One Laptop per Child Program" from the Inter-American Development Bank. (Get the full report here.) The study used data collected over a 15-month period from 319 public schools in underdeveloped communities in Peru. Results are pretty damning: no evidence of increased math or language skills, or impacts on reading habits, instructional quality, and school enrollment (despite the suggestion that computers increase motivation). Internet use was limited because schools rarely had access, so students were stuck with pre-loaded software. Remember, it wasn't too long ago when OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte planned to drop these tablets out of helicopters to villages without providing any training for locals. Good thing he dropped the idea instead.
