An XO and a Piece of Pie

One Laptop Per Child has just unveiled the latest edition to its XO family. The XO 3.0 tablet is the organization’s latest feat: a fully functional tablet created to withstand extreme weather conditions, use reduced energy and be easy on the wallet.

Most impressively, the XO 3.0 is able be fully powered by solar energy or hand-cranks, meaning that the new tablet will provide access and opportunity to isolated communities, independent of the power grid.

The organization, which has granted over 2.4 million children around the world access to technology in over 42 countries in 25 different languages, calls the X0 3.0 a “technological breakthrough” due to its “significant decrease in power consumption,” according to Chief Technology Officer, Edward McNierney.

Talk of the new XO 3.0 inspired me to check out other cost-friendly tablets making waves in the realm of education.

Raspberry Pi will hit the market later this month. The credit-card sized computer can plug into a TV or a computer and is available for just $25 – $35. The Raspberry Pi can be used for word-processing and gaming, and can also play high-definition video.

Founder Eben Upton hopes that the device can eventually be used all over the world to encourage students to engage in computer programming. Read his full story here.

So tell us. What are your thoughts on integrating tablet technology into schools throughout the emerging markets? Is it the necessary next step or should we be focusing on other 21^st century skills first? Comments accepted freely.

Keep Calm and Learn On,

Nora

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Image Available Under CC Licensure by SigNote Cloud