Educators First to Test Negroponte's $100 Laptop Prototype

Negroponte will also Deliver Keynote at Premier Ed Tech Conference

Educators from the U.S. and abroad will be among the first to test-drive prototype models of Nicholas Negroponte's much-discussed $100 laptop (http://laptop.org) during the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) July 5 through 7, in San Diego. NECC is presented by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).

"ISTE's NECC will be the first public forum at which we not only show a working prototype of the $100 Laptop, but also provide hands-on access to developer machines," Negroponte said. "Furthermore, selected conference attendees will be invited to participate in our developer program."

Information about the developer program can be found at http://wiki.laptop.org/index.php/Developers_Program.

Thanks to Negroponte's One Laptop Per Child Initiative (OLPC), journalists and NECC attendees can try out the $100 laptop's casings and motherboard. OLPC staff will be available to answer questions.

Negroponte, co-founder and chairman emeritus of MIT's Media Lab, is one of the most influential thinkers and doers of our time. He is also NECC's keynote speaker, and will be discussing the latest about the $100 laptop project. The goal of OLPC is to revolutionize education by putting a compact, durable, no frills, but Internet-ready computer into the hands of millions of children worldwide. Negroponte is a founder of Wired magazine and author of the bestselling book "Being Digital."

NECC draws 15,000+ teachers, teacher educators, technology coordinators, library media specialists, administrators, policy makers, and exhibitors from around the globe. The exhibit hall includes more than 500 of the industry's most influential companies and service providers -- many of whom announce new products at the conference.

In addition, NECC offers dynamic speakers, practical demonstrations, panel discussions, workshops, Internet poster sessions, research papers, a Global Gallery, and a fun and inspiring Student Showcase. NECC is the largest and most comprehensive event of its kind in the world.

NECC is presented by ISTE (http://www.iste.org) in cooperation with the California Computer-Using Educators with additional support from the San Diego County Office for Education. An overview of the entire program and schedule is at http://www.iste.org/necc/schedule/.

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