Activities

The XO laptop runs on Linux, a free and open-source operating system. OLPC's commitment to software freedom gives children the opportunity to use their laptops on their own terms. Children and teachers have the freedom to reshape, reinvent, and reapply their software, hardware, and content. There is even a button located on the keyboard that allows children to view the programming behind many applications. The XO laptop's revolutionary interface, Sugar, also promotes collaborative learning.

Browse

Browse is a simple Web application that allows children to access and search the Internet and share bookmarks among their friends. (See the Browse page in the wiki for more information.)

TamTamMini

Simple enough to be used by even the youngest ages, TamTam Mini is a fun, powerful way to perform music and play instruments. (See the TamTam page in the wiki for more information.)

Chat

The Chat activity provides a simple environment for discussion, whether it is between two individuals or an entire classroom. (See the Chat page in the wiki for more information.)

Memorize

Memorize is the classic memory game of finding and matching pairs with a twist: a pair can consist of any multimedia object, such as images, sounds and text. The memory game allows children to play existing games as well as create new ones themselves. (See the Memorize page in the wiki for more information.)

SynthLab

Designed for older children who are ready to venture into more sophisticated sound design, SynthLab is a mini-lab for acoustic- and electronic-circuit construction. (See the TamTam page in the wiki for more information.)

TamTamEdit

TamTam Edit is an intuitive environment for composing music. Children can create, modify, and organize notes on virtual “tracks”, which allow for virtually limitless variations in musical styles. (See the TamTam page in the wiki for more information.)

TamTamJam

TamTam Jam is a fun, powerful way to perform music, play multiple instruments, and collaborate musically with other children. (See the TamTam page in the wiki for more information.)

Record

The Record activity provides a simple way for children to take pictures, view slide shows, and record video and audio—all content that can be shared via the mesh network. (See the Record page in the wiki for more information.)

The Journal

The Journal activity is an automated diary of everything a child does with his or her laptop. The Journal can be used by children to organize work or revisit a past project, and by teachers and parents to assess a child's progress. (See the Journal page in the wiki for more information.)

Measure

Measure is a tool that allows children to explore and learn by connecting and observing physical phenomena and real-world events. With it, children can measure and log data and create graphs. (See the Measure page in the wiki for more information.)

NewsReader

The NewsReader activity provides an interface for viewing news (RSS) feeds. (See the News Reader page in the wiki for more information.)

Draw

The Draw activity provides a canvas for a child or a group of children to express themselves creatively. Children can draw free-form images with a paintbrush and pencil, and use the dedicated toolbar to play and experiment with shapes. Text support, image import functionality, and an interactive placement system give children limitless ways to explore their creativity. (See the Draw page in the wiki for more information.)

Pippy

Pippy is a simple and fun introduction to programming in Python, the dynamic programming language underlying much of the software on the laptop. (See the Pippy page in the wiki for more information.)

Distance

You can measure the distance between two laptops by measuring the length of time it takes for sound to travel between them. Along with the measure and record activities, there are many ways to use the laptop to explore the physical environment. (See the Distance page in the wiki for more information.)

Turtle Art

Turtle Art lets children program a Logo “turtle” to draw colorful and complex artwork. Simple programming elements easily snap together, allowing children to bring their art to life. (See the Turtle Art page in the wiki for more information.)

Write

Write is a basic text editing application featuring straightforward tools and a simple interface. It provides an easy way for children to write a story, craft a poem, or complete an essay, as well as more advanced features like image insertion, table creation, and layout operations. It also features collaborative real-time editing, so a group of children can work together to edit text easily and seamlessly. (See the Write page in the wiki for more information.)

Etoys

Etoys is a media-rich authoring system aimed at helping children learn by doing. They can explore their ideas by creating models, simulations, and games complete with text, graphics, sound, and video. Children can also share desktops with other Etoys users in real time, encouraging immersive mentoring and play. Etoys has a worldwide community of users and developers who are working to create content, curriculum, and examples. (See the Etoys page in the wiki for more information.)

Read an eBook

The laptop has a built-in eBook reader: the display rotates 180 degrees around and folds down on the keyboard, which enables you to hold the laptop like a book to read. The screen folds over the keyboard and the screen rotates, enabling you to read a book while holding the handle. Read your favorite book on the laptop while sitting outdoors in the sunlight. (See the Read page in the wiki for more information.)

Calculate

Calculate provides a generic calculator with a simple, straightforward interface. It is designed to be intuitive and readable enough for even the youngest children to use, while also supporting more complicated mathematics. (See the Calculate page in the wiki for more information.)

Downloads

Along with the applications built into the XO laptop is an ever-growing array of downloadable content and built-in access to popular Web-based applications. This includes Google applications, SimCity, GCompris (a suite of award-winning educational software for children), and hundreds of other applications. There are currently thousands of software developers around the world developing content for the XO. For more information, visit http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Activities.

To download and install a new activity:
(1) start the Browse activity on your XO;
(2) goto http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Activities webpage;
(3) click on the .xo bundle next to the word Download:, e.g., click on Implode.xo to download Implode;
(4) open the Journal activity on your XO;
(5) “resume” the downloaded activity from the Journal entry; the new activity should both launch and install on your taskbar.

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