{"product_id":"the-charisma-machine-morgan-g-ames-9780262537445","title":"The Charisma Machine: The Life, Death, and Legacy of One Laptop Per Child","description":"\u003cb\u003eA fascinating examination of technological utopianism and its complicated consequences.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Charisma Machine\u003c\/i\u003e, Morgan Ames chronicles the life and legacy of the One Laptop per Child project and explains why--despite its failures--the same utopian visions that inspired OLPC still motivate other projects trying to use technology to \"disrupt\" education and development. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnnounced in 2005 by MIT Media Lab cofounder Nicholas Negroponte, One Laptop per Child promised to transform the lives of children across the Global South with a small, sturdy, and cheap laptop computer, powered by a hand crank. In reality, the project fell short in many ways--starting with the hand crank, which never materialized. Yet the project remained charismatic to many who were captivated by its claims of access to educational opportunities previously out of reach. Behind its promises, OLPC, like many technology projects that make similarly grand claims, had a fundamentally flawed vision of who the computer was made for and what role technology should play in learning.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on fifty years of history and a seven-month study of a model OLPC project in Paraguay, Ames reveals that the laptops were not only frustrating to use, easy to break, and hard to repair, they were designed for \"technically precocious \u003ci\u003eboys\u003c\/i\u003e\"--idealized younger versions of the developers themselves--rather than the children who were actually using them. \u003ci\u003eThe Charisma Machine\u003c\/i\u003e offers a cautionary tale about the allure of technology hype and the problems that result when utopian dreams drive technology development.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Morgan G. Ames\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0262537443\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780262537445\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e MIT Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/19\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 328\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.15lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.80h x 6.00w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/01\/2020","brand":"Morgan G. Ames","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43992907809023,"sku":"9780262537445","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_6e678a79-e775-41b3-9329-a4c64f872e63.jpg?v=1683321471","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-charisma-machine-morgan-g-ames-9780262537445","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}