Parker
The idea behind the laptop project is actually a good one, but one that must be implemented responsibly if we expect to reap any benefits from it. The US is desperately trying to implement it because most kids who do not have access are lagging behind in information technology. I visited some private schools in the US and 1st-3rd graders each had a laptop or tablet on their desk and that is how the teacher was teaching them. They are learning to video conference with students in Japan, learning to construct art projects, make cards, write books, learn foreign languages, develop cartoon programs, powerpoints, etc. It is an age where kids are really curious and you get their brains running amok.
Some of those kids know more about technology than some highschoolers who are clueless or have no such access. It would be good to get our kids laptops, however the infrastructure needs to be establish/upgraded to sustain such efforts. For example, how will the rural folks be able to recharge those things or access internet. If you give school kids and college students cannot afford laptops, they will just buy them from students cheaply, and then there are those rogue business men who will just buy to go sell them elsewhere, or across the borders.