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'60 Minutes': OLPC's suprising uses Video

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'60 Minutes': OLPC's suprising uses
Created: 11/14/2008
Video description: From the "60 Minutes" archive: Lesley Stahl talks with Nicholas Negroponte on how the One Laptop per Child program and the idea of "ownership" has empowered children around the world. (Originally aired May 20, 2007)

'60 Minutes': OLPC's suprising uses Video Transcript

>> You talked about how and the kids in Cambodia would bring their computer home. It became a light source. Did they use their computers for anything that surprised you beside that?

>> Well, I was surprised the first night apparently they used it to check out the Brazilian football team. And I think that was pretty good. And now they all wear, like Ronaldo t-shirts, so, its -- somebody will say, well that's not serious. Well it is serious. It is exploring and it is the beginning of self, sort of learning, sort of reaching out and it's like reading books. Actually these kids don't have books and now they suddenly have access to Google or more or less every book that's online and it's just such a huge, huge difference. Just books alone justify this project.

>> Why did you insist they take it home?

>> The child owning it is really important. In Cambodia kids polish the laptops. They slept beside their laptops. They didn't break this -- in other words, it's very different. If it's government property and it's in a lab, there's no ownership. I use it, you know and then I move on, I come back, there'd be another one. This is suddenly mine and it's treated so differently. ^M00:01:20