Buy a kid a laptop and change the world

I’m really intrigued by the One Laptop Per Child project. For $200 you can buy a laptop (the amazing and cute little “XO” computer) that will be sent to a child in a poor country. “It’s an education project, not a laptop project,” says the project’s visionary leader, Nicholas Negroponte.

Imagine a kid with little hope of a decent education (and there are almost two-billion kids like that, with one in three not even finishing fifth grade) having access to Google and Wikipedia and being able to read books online and connect with other kids in his community or throughout the world. A child on a farm in Africa would have as much access to online information as an Ivy Leaguer or a Foundation Fellow. But the big deal is how a computer will transform a kid’s ability to learn and interest in learning:

“A computer uniquely fosters learning learning by allowing children to “think about thinking”, in ways that are otherwise impossible. Using the XO as both their window on the world, as well as a highly programmable tool for exploring it, children in emerging nations will be opened to both illimitable knowledge and to their own creative and problem-solving potential.”

And the laptop they’ve come up with is very cool. It can even be handpowered, by crank or pull-cord, for those kids will little or no access to electricity.

We rich Americans should consider putting a donation of at least one of these very cool “XO” laptops on our Christmas (or Hanukkah) lists.

The meaning of life…

I found this fun, almost South Park-esque animation of an Alan Watts speech that does a nice job of explaining the meaning of it all. I have this speech on an old cassette tape and have listened to it often. Watts could communicate the most complex philosophical thoughts in the most engaging and light-hearted manner.

Life is not a means to an end. There is no destination other than right here and right now. Watts’ music metaphor is compelling. There was a quote on the Orientation folder about this: “It’s good to have an end to journey toward, but it’s the journey that matters in the end.” Ursula LeGuin

Student success tips

I came across this interesting post with lots of helpful tips on success for students on Lifehack.org, a cool blog you should add to your Google Reader. Most of these tips you already know and do, but your first-years might find it helpful.

Steve Jobs’ Stanford Commencement Speech

Steve Jobs, the Apple CEO (Adam and I are obsessed with him), gave this speech at Stanford’s commencement a couple of years ago. Jobs didn’t even make it through one year of college himself (and he explains that in the speech), but you will appreciate his wisdom.

The Buddha’s advice

Evon requested a copy of the quote from the Buddha that I shared at our meeting yesterday. Here it is:

“If it is not truthful and not helpful, don’t say it.

If it is helpful but not truthful, don’t say it.

If it is truthful but not helpful, don’t say it.

If it is truthful and helpful, wait till the right time.”

Break the ice

For those of you interested in using icebreakers in your meetings, here are some resources:

About.com’s list of icebreakers

more icebreakers

Remember names

Check out these article for strategies to remember names:

Remembering Names Through NLP

Games Can Help With Remembering Names

Read good books!

 

David McCullough is one of the nation’s great writers of history and biography. And his voice is prominent, too. You’ve probably heard him narrate a documentary or other film. He was the narrator of Ken Burns’ amazing Civil War series, and he was the narrator of the film Seabiscuit.

Read his commencement address at UConn, and you will be challenged to pick up great books and start reading. I dare you to read at least two books this summer. You will be surprised at how much down time you will actually have. To quote from McCullough’s speech:

“To carry a book with you wherever you go is old advice and good advice. John Adams urged his son John Quincy to carry a volume of poetry, ‘You’ll never be alone,’ he said, ‘with a poet in your pocket.’”

Be a great presenter

“The only reason to give a speech is to change the world”

John F. Kennedy.

I have a particular interest in presentation skills and presentation design. Okay, call it a bit of an “obsession.” I prefer “passion.” But how many presentations have you sat through, including classes, that truly had an impact on you…that changed your life in some way? I can’t think of many myself. This summer you will be giving presentations every day, sometimes multiple times a day. While they mostly will not be formal, prepared speeches, you will be challenged daily to be an effective and enthusiastic communicator in front of audiences as large as 700 people and as small as a dozen people.

My presentation guru is a guy named Garr Reynolds. He used to work for Apple computer. He lives in Japan now where he’s an instructor and expert in “presentation design.” Check out his presentation tips and bookmark his blog.

Chris Thompson’s dirty dozen

Chris Thompson is a wise man. Learn from him.

ML: What tips do you have for a successful first meeting with your group?

CT: The first meeting goes by very quickly, so try to get as much out of it as you can. All I did was a brief icebreaker, and went straight into telling them about what was going to take place over the course of the day. Then, I tried to leave some time for questions before they went over to listen to speakers.

ML: What tips do you have for a successful evening meeting with your group?

CT: The evening meeting was very hit or miss for me. There’s not a whole lot of awkward silence time in the morning meeting because there just isn’t time. Hopefully they are interested and asking questions, but this was not always the case for me. Try to have something to talk about at all times and really let them know that you are there to talk about what they want to talk about, not your own interests. If it’s not going so well you can always get started on your group cheer a little early.

ML: How did you encourage discussion in your meetings?

CT: By taking questions from them and turning them into questions for them. See what they did in high school and what they might want to do in college. Everyone has their thing, but you’re not going to get across to everyone so just do the best you can to let them know about their options. The best thing you can do is show them you actually care about what they’re interested in.

ML: Did you use icebreakers, and, if so what did you use?

CT: I’m not really into the whole icebreaker thing. Ask my teammates and Adam Gobin to help you with that.

ML: Any tricks for remembering names?

CT: Not really. Looking back, I think the best thing to do is to be honest and tell them you will try really hard to remember their names and faces, but you will not remember them in the fall. If they assume you don’t know their name and you do somehow remember it they’ll think you’re really swell.

ML: What surprised you about leading small groups?

CT: It’s not rocket science, but it can be tough. The truth is that most kids really do respect what you have to say and value your opinion. They may not ever tell you that, but it’s true. Just keep the conversation flowing and talk to your teammates to see if they have some great trick you never even thought about.

ML: What would you do differently in your group if you got to do it over again this summer?

CT: I’m not sure. Maybe have the kids write down questions in the morning and talk about them in the evening. Try some different things and you’ll discover what works best for you. Don’t try to be like somebody else; do whatever helps you best connect to the kids in your group.