There is way too much stupidity in the Business Week article than I have the time or patience to dispute.

The simple fact that Business Week works so hard to undermine OLPC is ample evidence of its success.

A few dozen folks at OLPC have been able to accomplish things that not a single multi-billion dollar advertiser in Business Week has accomplished (hardware, software, new OS, coherent learning theory).

The fact that Intel has been compelled to become computer makers working around the clock to pick off countries OLPC has convinced of the wisdom of 1:1 is evidence of Negroponte’s success.

By the way, colleagues of mine on the OLPC Learning Team are in Haiti as we speak placing computers in the hands of children.

Almost all political leaders, like educational leaders, have achieved their positions at least in part because they are part of an elite minority who thrived under the instructionist model of education. If anything, this may be even more so in “less developed” parts of the world.

I’m a passionate proponent of universal access and universal design for learning. Technology that is available today has the potential to break down all kinds of barriers that have hitherto prevented success for too many learners–economic, physical, cognitive, etc. It is vital to get this technology to those who need it most.

–Paul