Our newest CCLS: The XO Station!

April 26, 2011 | Posted in: Class Updates

We’ve been working in cross-curricular learning stations (CCLS) for many months now. We haven’t had quite enough stations set up for all students to work simultaneously, so they’ve been taking turns. Fortunately, we’re REALLY close to opening the last few stations so that everyone can be actively working at learning stations at the same time. Today, we opened the most ambitious station: The XO Station.

The XO laptop is the product of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program. Do you remember reading about the $100 laptop (which actually costs about $180 to make) that was going to be used all over the world in developing countries? This is it. I was able to buy one about four years ago, and last year, a former student’s family was generous enough to donate one to our class. With a set of the XO laptops, we are able to work on amazing things!

You can read more about the XO laptop on the OLPC website, but here’s my short explanation: The XO is designed to be a light, portable, power-efficient laptop. (The XO was released before the surge of “netbooks” on the market. When first released, it was a trendsetter. Now, it sits among a plethora of ultra-portable netbooks. The XO is distinguished by its clever design.) It’s not a powerhouse, but it’s designed smartly. For example, green “latches” on either side of the laptop serve three purposes: to keep the laptop shut when not in use, to hide and protect the usb and audio ports on the laptop, and to work as really, really effective wifi antenna. The designers worked with the idea that this laptop would be used by children who often life and learn outdoors, so it’s very durable, has an excellent battery life, and has a screen that can be converted into monochrome mode to be very readable in sunny settings. The designers also wanted to create their own operating system that would be highly intuitive for children who may have limited access to electricity, let alone experience with using computers. It’s open-source, meaning that anyone can design programs, add-ons, and other apps to improve the functionality of the XO.

Today, the kids learned how to use the XOs and had a chance to get some hands-on experience. As with all CCLS, the students have a list of activities from which they can choose, so there is definite structure and learning happening at the XO station. The kids seemed really excited to use the XOs and will get their first typical station rotation when we next work at CCLS.

If you want to learn more, you can read my OLPC XO Review (April, 2008) or watch the videos I’ve embedded, below.