I second Clif, and raise him a bit. The One Laptop Per Child initiative come movement - http://laptop.org/ - is one of the most amazing, inspiring projects I've come across. (Though it's moving toward a $200 laptop.)
Does giving a child a pencil make him or her smarter? Paintbrush and canvas? Books? Access to a telephone?
As we are all demonstrating, personal computers are the most powerful, democratic *communications tool* around today.
I will grant that the focus on individual use may not be appropriate, but any computer is first and foremost a tool that communities will find new ways to use.
As for the criticism that most people are not heavy computer users, I would point out that in 2003 not yet 55% of households had internet access in the United States? this country is in need of this project.
The real question is what kind of Internet will be available to huge portions of the earth's population that has not had access to it before? If democratic spaces exist, the third world majority may be able to make clear that cheaper technology is good, but a more equitable distribution of resources is still needed.
~ ben
People Who Give a Damn
building the infrastructure of a network for everyone
http://pwgd.org/
Agaric Design Collective
Open Source Web Development and DJing
http://AgaricDesign.com/
-----original message-----
>>Beware studies which ask the wrong question. These studies seem to ask the question "does having a computer make learning X better" where the X is anything not computer related. > No having a computer doesn't help your kids directly as an actor, understand philosophy, or learn math. (though it may make it easier to do research or write a paper etc.) What having a lot of experience using a computer does do is make them comfortable with USING A COMPUTER. And that is an invaluable vocational skill almost regardless of what they end up doing.>>
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